FRANCE: The Caen la Mer local authority has awarded RATP Dev a contract to operate its Twisto-branded public transport services for six years from January 1 2025.
Currently operated by Keolis under a series of contracts which began in 2002, the Twisto network serves 275 000 people in 48 municipalities. It includes three tram and 72 bus routes, transport-on-demand, services for people with reduced mobility, bicycle parking and rental, car-sharing and park-and-ride facilities.
RATP Dev said changes in 2025 would include ‘more straightforward and comprehensible arrival times’ to make access to the network easier for passengers, especially at peak times. There will be more frequent bus services to Ouistreham and Lion-sur-Mer, and better interchanges between different modes of transport, rail in particular, and better cross-modal access on Sunday evenings.
These changes will be followed up in 2028 with a more ambitious overhaul to offer a more ‘straightforward, comprehensible and better prioritised’ network. This will include a new tram line T4 and a western extension of T3; 40% of employment locations will have a tram stop within 300 m.
‘The local elected officials have ambitious goals for mobility in the Caen la Mer urban community’, said Serge Reynaud, RATP Dev Executive Director for France & Switzerland, on September 11. ’We will make every effort and bring all our experience to bear to meet those goals: persuading more and more drivers to leave their car at home, supporting the local economy and tourism, and reducing carbon emissions.’
