Sant Cugat added on-demand beside its network, not instead of it
Three on-demand zones with operator Moventis, added one at a time since 2017 — each still running, each growing, alongside the train line and the fixed buses.
- Setting
- Suburban municipality, ~90,000
- Service model
- On-demand, three zones
- Operator
- Moventis
- Live since
- July 2017
Results
The third zone passed its hundred-thousandth rider in March 2025.
Five times the ridership of the traditional service it replaced.
Tripled within ten months of launch, and still climbing.
The challenge
The fear that flexible transport would cannibalise the network
On-demand transport usually meets the same objection: operators, authorities and regular riders worry it will pull passengers off services that already work. The doubt tends to surface once the novelty of a new system wears off.
Sant Cugat — a municipality of around 90,000 in the Barcelona province, known for its smart-city programme — took the opposite position from the start. Both the City Council and the operator, Moventis, were clear that on-demand posed no threat to the established network: it was there to complement the train line and the fixed bus routes, improving service quality and reducing operating costs.
The neighbourhoods that needed it were the ones a fixed route serves badly: Can Barata beyond the station, hilly Les Planes, and Can Trabal. There was a second doubt too — that older residents would refuse to use an app. Can Barata answered both: downloads and requests rose exponentially and demand multiplied inside three months.
What we deployed
Three zones, added one at a time as each one worked
- 01Can Barata, 2017
The first zone — connecting commuters to the train station. Over 50,000 riders.
- 02Les Planes, 2019
The hilly outlying neighbourhood. Past 75,000 riders and growing.
- 03Can Trabal, 2019
24 virtual stops over 1.6 km², five more than the old fixed route.
- 04App, or the call centre
Adopted across every age group — today very few riders still book by phone.
More stops than the route it replaced
Can Trabal runs 24 virtual stops across 1.6 km² — five more than the fixed route that came before it, served by a 16-seater with space for one wheelchair user. Coverage went up without new infrastructure or a bigger vehicle.
The rider base runs the whole age range: students, people commuting to Barcelona or Sabadell, domestic workers, and elderly residents. Parents book on behalf of young children and watch the pickup and drop-off happen. Very few riders still use the call centre.
How virtual stops are placedOn site
Pickup in two minutes, ten minutes aboard — the whole trip quoted before confirming. 
Boarding at a virtual stop — the vehicle comes to the request, not a timetable. 
The same integrated ticket as the rest of the network — T-casual, validated on board.
Pere AguilarHead of Public Transportation, Sant Cugat Town Hall“There is an increase in ridership on these routes, due to the flexibility, which allows you to adapt the service to your travel requirements — to your needs.”
“Otherwise you’re tied to a fixed schedule, having to wait for a bus to pass by. For people to be able to manage their time through an on-demand service — I think this is why we’ve seen such a big increase in passenger numbers.”
Similar challenges
Eight years of evidence, in one municipality
Sant Cugat is the answer to the cannibalisation question. Three zones added one at a time since 2017, each still running, each growing — alongside a train line and fixed bus routes that were never cut back to make room.
Any municipality with a good core network and neighbourhoods it serves badly faces the same choice. The evidence here is that adding flexibility to the edges raises total ridership rather than moving it around.
Sant Cugat’s stated direction is to keep going: replacing the remaining low-ridership fixed routes with on-demand, so residents can travel without planning around a timetable.
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