The elected representatives of Angers Loire Métropole entrusted RATP Group subsidiary RATP Dev with the management of the conurbation’s Irigo network for a six-year term on 11 March 2019.
The new public service delegation will begin on 1 July 2019 and will continue until 30 June 2025.
The Irigo network caters to over 290,000 inhabitants in the 29 municipalities comprising the Angers Loire Métropole conurbation. The network has one tramway line, 31 bus lines, 71 school bus lines, transport on demand (ToD), transport for reduced-mobility passengers (TfRMP) included in the new contract and a bicycle service along with four relay car parks.
In the next public service delegation RATP Dev will reinvigorate the Irigo network by launching two new tramway lines – an operating core business of RATP Group – developing the bus network in particular for ecological transition and asset optimisation and ensuring a high level of service quality integrating all forms of mobility to appeal to even more of the local population in and around Angers.
For Christophe Béchu, president of Angers Loire Métropole and mayor of Angers, “the RATP Dev proposal provides solid support for our transport policy in the region, in particular for investment applications that the conurbation must bear in the years to come for infrastructure and vehicles. RATP Dev will provide all its expertise. We are delighted with the forthcoming partnership to calmly and confidently implement changes to Irigo.”
For Laurence Batlle, president of the RATP Dev executive board, “the bid submitted by RATP Dev was developed to reflect the ambition of Angers Loire Métropole and collective pride of the people of Angers. We are convinced that our innovative, inclusive and collaborative mobility approach helps the conurbation show Angers and its population the best of their city for pleasant, reliable journeys.”
Pascal Deberteix, the future director of the Irigo network, and RATP Dev teams are already fully committed and motivated to ensuring a fluid transition for passengers and staff.
For RATP Dev and RATP Group, winning this contract for a new major network confirms Group strategy to adopt a position on networks of medium-sized towns and cities, particularly in western France, where the Group already operates the Rennes bus station and is now present in Vannes (2017) and Lorient (2018) and is bidding to operate the Brest and St-Malo networks.