Shuttle Mare: new on-demand transport that takes you to the beach

With almost 150,000 inhabitants, Rimini lies on Italy’s Adriatic coast, not far from San Marino. It is very popular with locals and Italians from other regions and holds great appeal for Italian youth for its excellent location, climate, catering and leisure. Not to mention its extensive and outstanding beaches.

When summer arrives, tourists and locals alike flock to the city’s seafront. To alleviate traffic congestion, and the resulting problems of parking and dependence on private vehicles, the municipality of Rimini made the decision to implement a two-month pilot test with a Demand Responsive Transportation (DRT) system to complement traditional train and bus lines.

Through Rimining, the organism dedicated to promoting tourism in the city, and Start Romagna, the area’s transport and mobility authority, Rimini City Council selected Shotl as the technology provider to develop the municipal DRT project.

This operation makes use of the two large subareas the city is subdivided into, one urban and the other maritime. Transfers between the two areas are allowed, but not within the same area. This facilitates the flow of journeys, reduces waiting and transit times, and improves the user experience.

The Shuttle Mare service covers an area of almost 15 km² and has more than 260 active stops, covering practically the entire city of Rimini. The vehicles cover the service areas every day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. for two months during the summer season. Users will be able to request trips using the “Ride Now” and “Schedule Ride” functions of the app.

The project has attracted a lot of attention from the local media and has been well received by the public. Just a few weeks after launch, ridership figures leave little doubt about the success of the operation.

During the launch press conference, Shotl’s Business Development Manager Joshua Biondi commented, “Shuttle Mare brings a great asset to the city, since it not only applies the most advanced technology to public transport but is also a free service.”