Regional transport organisation in Northern Scotland, Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS), has partnered with on-demand shared transport company, Liftango. They aim to provide accessible and sustainable transit services to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland residents. This strategic partnership will leverage Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) software to combat the lack of commercial trips to rural areas, transport inequality and reduced funding.
HITRANS Partnership Manager, Neil MacRae, said: “Digital technology such as Liftango’s is helping us to deliver more equitable transport across the region. The flexibility and convenience of the Dynamic DRT it provides stood out. We look forward to the ongoing partnership as we roll out services across our partner Local Authorities and Fleet Operators.”
A large number of Public Transport don’t operate on a commercial basis on Scotland’s islands. This is because these commercial services are restricted to a few of the larger settlements and some longer distance arterial routes on the mainland. Community and public transport is almost entirely supported through a mix of services. These services are contracted by local authorities or volunteers, with some grants coming from central or local government.
Despite the cost of providing these services being so high, there have been insufficient funds available to match this. Various factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the current level of Public Transport and the existing model, have made these challenges worse.
Head of Liftango, Europe, David Mawhinney, commented: “We see our platform being able to help bring transport to the communities across the Highlands and Islands. Flexibility and availability of transport options have been a challenge over the years for many of the region’s residents. They will now be able to access equitable transport services by making advanced or last-minute on-demand bookings at a time most suitable to their schedules.”
Due to these challenges, HITRANS and Liftango have joined forces to roll out DRT services to the local authorities and fleet operators in the region. The rollout will enable various operators to independently administer their services exclusively through a single digital platform provided by Liftango. This wide range of services includes fully Demand-Responsive Transport services within specific or flexible geography on designated days to hybrid services that operate on a pre-booking model and serve particular destinations.
HITRANS and Liftango will be facilitating sustainable transport in the region by improving access to transit and resolving transport inequality for residents in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Further information
For media enquiries, please contact:
Liftango
JJ O’Brien +61 429 845 355 jj.obrien@liftago.com
HITRANS
Neil MacRae +44 7730 210 863 Neil.MacRae@hitrans.org.uk
About Liftango
Liftango provide cities, organisations, and fleet operators with the knowledge to positively impact people’s lives by improving access to shared, connected and sustainable transportation. Our technology that makes the best use of vehicle capacity while still offering passengers the freedom to travel the way they want to.
Together, we help evolve cities into Smart Cities, assist Transit Agencies to create better public bus systems and Private Bus Operators to digitise their services to become more efficient. We also help corporates create mobility solutions that are sustainable and scalable for their staff and Property Developers to design sites for future mobility solutions and reduce parking.
Visit: liftango.com
About HITRANS
Regional transport partnerships were established to strengthen the planning and delivery of regional transport. This is so that it better serves the needs of people and businesses. As an organisation, HITRANS causes local authorities and other key stakeholders to take a strategic approach to transport in their area.
Visit: https://hitrans.org.uk/
