Montpellier

An enjoyable city on the Mediterranean Sea, Montpellier is growing in population, and expanding.

• A coherent transit system is seen as vital to reducing the disruptive effect of urban sprawl and stimulate the development of lively and dynamic urban areas.
• The expansion of light rail is at the heart of the city's sustainable mobility strategy.

• Diminish the impact of individual cars by offering multimodal transportation solutions.
• Design and operate a connected network with an LRT backbone covering all four corners of the county - redesigning the heart of an entire region.
• Place the LRT system at the center of a coherent public transportation network, provide access to new modes of transport to facilitate mobility and discourage car use.

Since 1996, our engineering and consultancy company, Transamo, drew on its vast upstream and operational expertise to assist with the planning and delivery of four lines representing 41 km of light rail, and a fifth one planned for 2017.
Expertise in planning, creation and optimization of light rail were also sourced from Transamo.

Result: 31 km of network by mid-2012, and an additional 24 km planned by 2017, the light rail is delivering further economic, social and environmental benefits to the city.

Everything has been planned to facilitate passengers' seamless mobility:

• 40% of central bus stops are directly connected to the light rail,
• a single integrated ticket provides one hour of mobility once validated and automatic distributors are situated on platforms,
• real-time information and video screens at junctures between the tramway and bus system leave passengers confident and well-informed as they move between modes,
• audio announcements give a second layer of information to passengers in case of a disruption of service,
• real-time information on the move is delivered by text message alerts or mobile websites accessible on your wap enabled smartphone.

With the tramway has come 170 km of cycle lanes and the installation and operation by TaM of 2,000 self-service bicycles. Specialist cycle parking stations are available along lines 1 and 2 and bikes are welcome aboard outside of four peak hours a day.

4,000 parking spaces across 12 Park & Rides ensure that leaving your car outside the commercial center is simply the best way to get around town.

An integrated parking and return trip ticket are provided for occasional users, and reduced rates for those with an annual public transport pass.

Result: Eight additional Park & Ride facilities are under construction to provide over 1,000 interconnected car parking spaces.

A 2008 survey of passenger expectations revealed a strong desire for the convenience of being able to purchase and top-up their transportation passes at their own convenience.

In February 2010, Veolia Transdev launched the Pass'Trans solution to make this a reality.

By using a USB key equipped with Near Field Communication technology or a contactless card recharger, users can complete all ticketing purchases online with a direct recharge to their seamless travel pass.