Keolis rewards innovation at its 2nd Innovation Awards edition

What are the Keolis Innovation Awards?

Every year, innovations are developed within each of the networks and business lines. Whether disruptive or incremental, all of them lend concrete solutions to the operational challenges facing public transport every day. For this reason, the aim of the Keolis Innovation Awards—whose first edition was held in 2021 and the second in 2023—is to highlight and promote all of these local initiatives. It also helps to accelerate the scale up of innovations with a strong potential to be replicated across our networks.

Focus on the selection process with the Jury members

For this new edition of the Innovation Awards, 114 innovation projects were submitted by all of the Group’s subsidiaries and business lines. The submissions were carefully examined by a multidisciplinary jury composed of individuals from the Group and its subsidiaries, as well as individuals from outside the Group to offer an external perspective on these innovations.

Members of the Jury from left to right :
Sandrine Gaubert - Customer Experience and Digital Marketing Dir. - Group
Samantha Murat - Customer, Community and Innovation Dir. - KeolisAmey Docklands
Adrien Broué - Head of Innovation Lab - Group
Aurélien Braud - Commercial Marketing and Intermodality Dir. - Keolis Bordeaux Métropole Mobilités
Sofia Escamilla - UX Strategist & Researcher - Group
Mikael Mourey - Health and Safety Dir. - Group
Carla Purcell - CEO - Yarra Trams
Laurent Calvalido - Operations Dir. - Keolis Dijon Métropole
Alexis Aubert - Head of Innovation Strategy - Group
Alexis Lacour - Chief of staff to Group CFO - Group
Abdellah Chajai - CEO - Keolis Commuter Services
David O'neill - Marketing and Innovation Dir. - Keolis IDF
Arnaud Julien - Innovation Dir. - Group
Arnaud Coiffard - Strategy, Innovation & New Markets Dir. - SNCF Connect & Tech
Antonia Hoog - Sustainable Development and Commitment Dir. - Group
Arvid Rockert - Strategy Dir. - Keolis Continental Europe
Alexis Jovignot - Innovation, Projects and IT Dir. - Keolis Tours
Laurent Senecat - Operations Dir. - Keolis Besançon Mobilités
Matthieu Rémy - Head of Open Innovation - Group
Joëlle Touré - Delegate General - Futura Mobility

Diversity was the watchword of this year’s innovations, which included technological innovations, low tech, processes and new management approaches. For each of the four categories, the 20 jury members  evaluated projects based on three criteria: the value delivered by the project, the differentiating character, the potential to be replicated

13 finalists were selected and invited to pitch their innovation at the awards ceremony on October 10, 2023.

The 2023 Winners: Key takeaways from the 2023 Innovation Awards

For the second edition of the 2023 Keolis Innovation Awards, 114 innovation projects were submitted. Originating from 13 countries where the Group operates, these innovations serve the Group’s strong commitments:
      Improving the customer experience,
      Keeping both passengers and employees safe,
      Optimizing the performance of our networks,
      Monitoring environmental and operational excellence

The five winners of the 2023 edition

In addition to the category awards, a Special Audience award selected by Group employees was given out during the pitch ceremony on October 10, 2023. Participation was very high with more than 1,100 votes cast from all our regions.

Discover the 2023 winners:

Special Audience Award: The Smart Station in Dubai

The Smart Station concept was developed by Keolis in Dubai with its PTA RTA to test and showcase innovations in passenger services, operations, maintenance and sustainability. It provides a collaborative environment for industry experts, startups and universities to create new solutions. Fifteen pilot projects are currently being tested and evaluated with more to come.

Award in the Passenger category: Augmented Guidance in Nancy

In 2023 in Nancy, as part of the project to replace the main tramway line with a trolleybus line, Keolis rolled out a solution with its PTA the Métropole du Grand Nancy to guide passengers from closed stops to transfer stops. By simply scanning a QR code with their smartphone, passengers can receive augmented reality images to guide them from stop to stop, offering greater assistance and reliability than conventional displays.

Award in the People & Safety-Security category: The S-1 Gard system in Sweden

In Sweden, Keolis has rolled out a system of barriers installed on the front of buses and in front of their rear wheels. This device, invented by the startup S-1 Gard, reduces the risk of serious accident in the event of a collision.

Award in the PTAs & Economic Performance category: The Patterns CO2 solution by Hove

Patterns CO2 is a solution that uses GPS data to track all journeys made in a given area, identify the modes of transport used and continuously map the evolution of CO2 emissions from mobility. Notably rolled out in the cities of Nancy and Rennes, the solution is an invaluable tool for decision-making and assessing the effectiveness of policies deployed by transit authorities, for example pedestrianization, bicycle lanes and dedicated lanes. In particular, it makes it possible to track the evolution of carbon emissions from mobility.

Award in the Planet & Operational Excellence category: The Filgreen serious game in Tours

Filgreen is a serious game designed to engage Keolis Tours employees in reducing their carbon footprint. Using data, artificial intelligence and gamification, drivers and managers can take part in a unique experience based on collective goals and individual challenges. Filgreen is a tool for involving and rewarding drivers and their managers – success is what counts.

Watch highlights from the 2023 Innovation Awards ceremony in video

Relive the 2021 edition

Take a look back at selected initiatives rolled out in 2021 on our networks, presented during the first edition of the Innovation Awards.

Discover a selection from the 135 projects submitted in 2021 in the article ‘Innovation in action: discover 27 initiatives across our networks!’

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