On-Demand Bus Service to Launch in Sydney

The first Australian on-demand public transport trials announced by the New South Wales state government will see Sydney commuters using Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Transfer Minibuses.

Transdev Link, the new on-demand ride service operated by international transport company Transdev with Transport for New South Wales, will launch later this year.

It will offer commuters flexible door-to-door transport to get to and from destinations such as bus and train stations, medical and business offices, and shopping centers. Trips will be able to be booked by a smartphone app, online or over the phone.

Transdev already operates transport-on-demand services in the Netherlands, U.S., U.K., Sweden and Portugal.

The 10 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Transfer minibuses in the Sydney trial will feature free Wi-Fi, USB points for charging mobile devices, electric sliding doors and privacy glass. Some will be fitted with wheelchair lifts to accommodate people with disabilities.

The Sydney on-demand service will be available 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday and on select weekend times. Trips will cost a flat fee of A$2.60 ($2.07) for adults, payable by credit card online or cash to the driver.

“With Transdev Link customers can put their bus timetables away, and enjoy a personalized shuttle service when and where they need it in their local area,” Transdev CEO Rene Lalande says in a statement.

Mercedes-Benz Vans Managing Director Diane Tarr said says one of the keys of the company’s adVANce strategic future initiative is new mobility concepts for the on-demand transportation of goods and people. “The trial fits perfectly with this direction,” she says.

Mercedes-Benz Vans’ adVANce initiative involves spending €500 million ($594 million) on the advancement of digitization, automation and robotics in vans, as well as in innovative mobility offerings by 2020.