VivaTech 2024: Keolis presents its innovations in mobility

As it does every year, Keolis took part in Europe’s biggest tech event, which offers the perfect opportunity to present the innovative projects led by the Keolis Group, its regions and its partners. It was also a chance to meet with new startups and to continue developing our Open Innovation approach.

Our sessions were an opportunity to present our innovations in the service of post-carbon mobility, accessible and attentive to each and every one of us:

• Personalised schedules: Adrien Broué presented this algorithm-based innovation for creating personalised schedules for drivers, improving work-life balance without compromising the quality of service delivered.

• Open by Keolis, the innovation approach at the service of local authorities: Arnaud Julien presented the network of innovation Labs co-constructed with the Mobility Organising Authorities, run locally and fed by the Group's innovation network.

• Autonomous buses and shuttles: Clémentine Barbier has taken us on a tour of the latest news and projects in autonomous public road mobility (buses and shuttles).

• Patterns CO2: Nicolas Cosson, Chairman of Hove, presented Patterns CO2, a tool developed for local authorities and AOMs to measure the impact of mobility projects on modal split and CO2 emissions.

• Data and energy transition - Keolis Alpes-Maritimes: Eric Calle presented the data platform for managing operating data, deployed by Keolis Alpes-Maritimes to support the electrification of its buses, and which will make it possible to continuously assess the performance of their components.

• Impulse: Arnaud Julien presented this platform, which enables all the players involved to share a common vision of the network for optimised management of the transport network.

• Affluence: Arnaud Julien showed us how AI can automatically measure on-board affluence to help passengers choose their seat on the train.

Our partners at Vivatech

Employees' well-being

This year we talked about health at work and employee well-being with the start-up Ergosanté, which offers exoskeleton solutions to relieve awkward postures. Following an in-depth study of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), we worked with Ergosanté to deploy an exoskeleton model in Tours on various maintenance workstations. This device, which protects the shoulders and arms during prolonged standing with arms raised, will be presented on the SNCF stand.

Inclusivity

Accessible transport is part of our commitment to mobility that takes account of everyone. Someware presented its solutions for improving accessibility and walkability in towns and cities. Based on international and European data standards, its Handimap solution is deployed on our Rennes network. Handimap integrates with the route planners of local applications and websites to offer routes suitable for everyone, whether wheelchair users, the visually impaired, senior citizens or children.

Ezymob and its solution deployed on the Keolis Besançon network was also presented at Vivatech. Thanks to AI, the solution developed by this start-up detects doors, free seats on board and audio guidance for visually impaired passengers.

Guiding passengers using Augmented Reality

Another solution to enhance the passenger experience comes from start-up Wemap, which offers interactive maps and navigation systems for indoor and outdoor spaces. Deployed in Nancy in 2023 as part of the work to replace the main tramway line with a trolley bus line, this solution aims to guide passengers from closed stops to transfer stops. By simply flashing a QR code, the guidance system is launched with augmented reality images.

Our other partners also present elsewhere at the show:

• Bioteos and its microalgae-based air treatment solution, which is being tested on our network in the Lille metro.

• Affluences and its patented flow counting system, which has been adapted for testing in the Lyon metro.

And meeting other startups:

Vivatech is also an opportunity to talk to a number of start-ups present at the show. This year, a learnex enabled us to share these meetings with our innovation correspondents from various Keolis territories.

Startups are a key element of innovation at Keolis, with experiments that enable new approaches and solutions to be tested under real conditions in our territories.

Among the players we met at Vivatech:

• 1km à Pied : HR software for geographical mobility to reduce commuting costs

• Entropy : transport demand forecasts for all TAD services

• Fruggr (by Digital4Better) : improving the digital footprint and decarbonising IT services

• Neovya (Mobility by Technology) : road traffic modelling and forecasting to optimise routes

• Bib Batteries : AI for battery residual value analysis