Australasian Bus & Coach — October 2017

(^44) ABC October 2017 busnews.com.au
SUPPLY LINES MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER
T
ransdev Link, the new
on-demand ride service
operated by international
transport company
Transdev in partnership with
Transport for New South Wales, will
launch later this year.
The service will offer
commuters a¿exible door-to-
door transport solution to get to
and from major activity hubs
such as bus and train stations,
with the ability to book online, by
phone or via an app.
“WithTransdevLink,
customers can put their bus
timetables away and enjoy a
personalised shuttle service
when and where they need it in
their local area,” Transdev CEO
René Lalande says.
“The combination of on-
demand transport with traditional
bus, rail and ferry services can
deliver better customer
service outcomes, reduce
congestion and offer value for
money for Government.”
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Transfer Minibuses will
feature free Wi-Fi, USB points
for charging mobile devices,
electric sliding doors and
privacy glass. Some will also
be¾tted with wheelchair lifts to
accommodate people travelling
with disabilities.
“Driving change and
innovating to improve the
convenience and comfort of
public transport has the potential
to positively impact so many
people’s lives,” Mercedes-
Benz Vans managing director
Diane Tarr says. “It’s a fantastic
initiative by both Transdev
and the New South Wales
Government and we are very
pleasedtobeapartofit.”
All pilots in this trial will
provideastandaloneservice
that will not affect any existing
local bus services.
Each trial will have its own
pricingschemerangingfrom
$1.30 to $3.10 for a standard trip.
Areas included in the¾rst
rollout of on-demand trials will
beinManlyandtheeastern
suburbs in Sydney, as well as the
Sutherland Shire.
Mercedes-Benz Vans unveiled
its strategic future initiative
‘adVANce’ last September.
The business division is
systematically directing its
focusatnew,quicklychanging
customerneeds,withaparticular
eye to identifying innovative
solutions. The company will
invest some 500 million euros in
the advancement of digitisation,
automation and robotics in vans
as well as in innovative mobility
offerings until 2020.
Sprinters for trial
Ten Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Transfer Minibuses will be used as
part of an on-demand public transport trial in New South Wales
Pictured:
Mercedes-
Benz
Sprinter
Transfer
Minibuses
will soon be
shuttling
people
around the
streets of
Sydney and
in regional
New South
Wales as
part of an
on-demand
public
transport
trial