Night and off-peak
The last bus leaves before the shift ends
Nights, Sundays and the shoulder hours have real demand — just never enough at once to fill a route. This is what flexible transport does in those hours, and where it already runs.
Does this describe your network?
Four things night-service planners say out loud
Off-peak hours break a timetable in a particular way: the demand exists, it is spread thin, and it is exactly the demand that cannot be dropped — hospital shifts, students, hospitality staff. Each symptom below leads to the scenario that answers it, and the service model it belongs to.
- 01“The night service is cut first”It is the line item nobody can defend without figures per hour.See the scenario ↓
- 02“Sundays and August are the same problem”Off-peak is not only night — it is every hour a timetable can’t justify.See the scenario ↓
- 03“We run loops with nobody on them”Night coverage is paid for by the kilometre and used by the handful.See the scenario ↓
- 04“People don’t feel safe waiting”A dark stop and a printed timetable is not a service anybody chooses.See the scenario ↓
Scenario 01 — Defending the night budget
Show what the night service costs and carries
Night services are cut first because they are the hardest to justify with a monthly report. Simulation sets the fleet and hours before launch on your own data, and once running, passengers per hour, waits and cost per trip are reported per night — which is what a subsidy discussion actually turns on.
- Demand analysis and simulation
- Passengers per hour by night
- Cost per trip reporting
- Exports to your BI
Scenario 02 — Sundays, holidays and the shoulder hours
One service that changes behaviour by the hour
Off-peak is not only night: Sunday mornings, August, the hours between the school runs. Rather than publishing a thin timetable nobody trusts, the same line or zone can run fixed at peak and flexible outside it, with different rules per day and per hour — and restricted-centre street rules where the city limits access.
- Time-of-day service rules
- Day and season calendars
- Restricted-centre street rules
- Zone and vehicle rules
Scenario 03 — After the last fixed departure
Keep the city moving without running empty loops
Night demand is real but thin and unpredictable — enough people to matter, never enough at one time to fill a route. An on-demand night service only moves when someone requests it, so coverage costs roughly what it is used, and the last bus stops being the reason people drive or pay for a taxi.
- Ride-now and advance booking
- Automated scheduling and shifts
- Runs on your existing fleet
- Same fare as the day service
Scenario 04 — Students, shift workers and safety
Nobody waits alone at an unlit stop
At night the wait is the service. Riders see the vehicle approaching and a firm arrival window instead of a printed timetable, they can be dropped closer to the door than a fixed stop allows, and the operations team can see every trip in progress with call-centre support behind it.
- Live tracking and arrival windows
- Drop-off closer to the door
- Live supervision 24/7
- Call centre support
Typical service shape
What a night or off-peak service usually looks like
Ranges from Shotl’s night and off-peak deployments, so you can hold them against your own network before any conversation. Your simulation will produce the real numbers.
- 1–6 vehicles
- Usually vehicles already in the depot, released by cutting the empty loops.
- City or district zone
- One zone covering the area several night lines used to cross.
- 21:00–06:00
- Typical night window, with weekend and holiday calendars set separately.
- Ride-now first
- Most night trips are requested minutes ahead rather than booked in advance.
- Same fare
- Night trips can keep the network fare riders already pay.
- Pax per hour
- The figure that decides whether the hours stay funded, reported per night.
FAQ
Night and off-peak questions, answered
Is a night on-demand service cheaper than night loops?
Usually, because the kilometres follow requests instead of the clock. In Vallirana, converting an underused line cut cost per passenger by 29.5% — the same mechanism applies to night hours.
Do riders have to book in advance at night?
No. Most night trips are ride-now requests placed minutes before travelling, by app, web or phone call. Advance booking is available for people who want certainty.
What about riders who feel unsafe waiting?
They see the vehicle approaching and a firm arrival window, and drop-off can be closer to the door than a fixed stop allows. Operations supervise every trip live, with call-centre support.
Can we keep the line fixed by day and flexible at night?
Yes — that is a dynamic bus line. Service rules change by hour, so the timetable regular commuters rely on stays untouched.
Does it work in restricted city centres?
Yes. Access rules, pedestrian streets and vehicle size limits are configured per zone, so the engine only routes where your city permits.
How do we prove it to the committee?
Passengers per hour, waits and cost per trip are reported per night and export to your BI — the figures a subsidy review asks for, rather than anecdotes.
