%20(1).jpg)
In the race to modernize public transport, many cities have fallen into a common trap. They see "Demand-Responsive Transport" (DRT) and think of it as a government-subsidized Uber. They focus on the app, the immediate booking, and the door-to-door convenience.
But there’s a problem: If you run your buses like taxis, you get taxi economics. You end up with expensive vans scrambling to respond to last-minute requests, driving half-empty across the city. This isn't a modernization of the bus; it’s just a very expensive way to compete with ride-hailing apps.
We need to move away from the "expensive van" narrative and toward a model of Cost-Effective bookable predictability.
The "Scramble" vs. The "System"
The core difference between a tech-enabled taxi and a modern DRT bus service comes down to data and visibility.
Imagine four people in the same neighborhood all need to head toward the city center at roughly 8:30 AM.
- The Taxi Model (Last-minute only): Passenger A books at 8:15. A vehicle is dispatched immediately. Passenger B books at 8:17. Passenger A is already moving, so a second vehicle is dispatched. By 8:25, you have four different vehicles on the road for four people. This is the "on-demand scramble". It’s inefficient, expensive, and increases congestion.
- The Bus Model (Advanced Booking): Because the system encourages advanced booking, the algorithm "sees" all four passengers the night before (or even an hour before). It realizes they are all in the same area. It assigns one 6-seater minibus to pick up all four.
The result? The same service for the passenger, but a massive reduction in costs and carbon for the operator. That is a bus service, not a taxi service.
Why Advanced Booking is the "Secret Sauce"
Many platforms treat advanced bookings as an afterthought, only assigning a driver 30 minutes before the trip. We believe that guaranteed bookings are the backbone of public transit.
Commuters, people with medical appointments, and students don't want "flexibility" - they want certainty. By guaranteeing these trips in advance, we give the matching algorithm the data it needs to optimize the route.
The Rule of Thumb: More data in advance = better route planning = higher efficiency.
Bridging the Gap, Not Replacing the Route
True DRT shouldn't compete with fixed-route buses; it should feed them. In places like Sharjah or West Yorkshire, our DRT services are working best when it acts as the "connective tissue" of the city.
It offers the personalized travel of a car at the price of a bus. A service we run in Sharjah, for example, had a fare of $2.24, making the service accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford a private car. This pricing model is only sustainable if the buses are operating with high "pooling" rates, something you can’t achieve if you’re just chasing last-minute pings like a ride-hail app.
The Bottom Line: Run Buses Like Buses
The goal of DRT isn't to turn the city into a fleet of private shuttles. It’s to make the bus work for the modern world.
We need to move away from the "expensive van" narrative and toward a model of Cost-Effective bookable predictability. When we prioritize integration, advanced booking, and passenger pooling, we aren't just giving people a ride, we’re building a sustainable transit network.
Flexible buses that work like buses - not expensive taxis pretending to be DRT.
