Keolis and IVADO sign a strategic partnership to develop innovative mobility solutions through the use of Big Data

The partnership will give Keolis better understanding into the way passengers move around and how best to plan transport networks to be even more efficient.

Today (October 31^st 2017), Laurent Kocher, Executive Director, Marketing, Innovation and Services for Keolis, and Gilles Savard, CEO of the Institute for Data Valorisation (IVADO) – one of the largest scientific community on Big Data created by HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and the Université de Montréal (around 1,000 scientists, 40 academic programs) – signed a strategic partnership for the sharing and analysis of Big Data to support the development of innovative mobility solutions. The signature took place at the ITS World Congress 2017, taking place in Montreal, from October 30^th to November 2^nd. Both parties will collaborate over a period of five years. Joint research and development projects will focus initially on Quebec, Canada, followed by other countries and regions where Keolis is present, including France, the USA and Continental Europe.

Big Data now provides precise and accurate information by enabling the implementation of mass data analysis techniques which were previously non-existent. Within the global digital revolution, the mobility sector is undergoing a profound transformation and passengers increasingly consider mobility as a service. Keolis is forming strategic partnerships with experts and leaders in their respective fields to address the mobility needs of the future and accompany the Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) in this transformation.

IVADO is an industrial and academic initiative that is working to develop a new economy around Big Data analysis to support decision-makers. As a result of the partnership, Keolis aims to develop innovative mobility solutions that create value for both passengers and PTAs alike. Particularly, more personalised journey more suited to their needs and better real-time information into how the network functions (state of the rolling stocks, vehicle movement, operations, maintenance, etc.) will optimise the performance of the mobility system and support it where the need is the greatest.

Laurent Kocher declared: “Artificial intelligence is the backbone of the mobility transformation and we are very pleased to be collaborating with IVADO and its team of researchers to support the development of innovative urban mobility solutions through the use of Big Data. This new partnership demonstrates once again Keolis strategy and investment to stay at the forefront of the digital mobility to better meet the demands of tomorrow’s cities”.

Gilles Savard declared: “The public transport sector is now at an important turning point. We wish to accompany operators like Keolis in the use of Big Data which benefits Canadians. Our common goal is to use our research, artificial intelligence, operation research and data science to generate innovative solutions that improve the daily lives of public transport passengers“.

Keolis is an industry reference in connected mobility, and listens to its passengers to develop personalised and efficient mobility solutions. For this, Keolis uses a combination of Neolis methodology, an approach to network design based on marketing and sociological surveys, and information gained from consultation with key stakeholders and local communities.

In order to develop its personalised passenger solutions, the Group also uses Keoscopie research, consisting of studies of lifestyle trends and the mobility needs of a particular community. Keolis is also associated with NetExplo, an observatory founded in 2007, to co-create the Observatory of Digital Mobility, which focuses on studying the use of digital technology in public transport. An initial study was undertaken in October 2016 to establish digitial trends in France. This research was then expanded globally with the production of the World Mobility Report, an international study of best practice and significant innovations in digital mobility across 13 major cities.

About Keolis

Leading the way in public transport, Keolis partners with public decision makers to make shared mobility an asset for cities and their communities. Internationally recognised as the leading operator of trams and automated metros, Keolis adopts a determined innovation approach with all its partners and subsidiaries (Kisio, LeCab, EFFIA, Keolis Santé and Cykleo) to develop new forms of shared and customised mobility, and reinforce its core business across a range of transport modes including trains, buses, cars, trolleybuses, shared private hire vehicles, river shuttles, ferries, cycles, car sharing services, electric autonomous vehicles and urban cable cars. In France, Keolis is now the leader in medical transport services through the creation of Keolis Santé in July 2017 and positioned as the number two car park operator, through its subsidiary EFFIA.

The company is 70% owned by SNCF and 30% by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ). Keolis employs 58,300 people in 16 countries and recorded a turnover of 5.1 billion euros in 2016. Today, over 3 billion passengers worldwide have used one of the shared mobility services offered by Keolis.

*Historically based in France, Keolis has expanded its operations in Germany, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, the USA, India, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, the UK and Sweden.

About IVADO

Founded by Université de Montréal, HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal, IVADO aims to bring together industry professionals and academic researchers to develop cutting-edge expertise in data science, operational research and artificial intelligence. In essence, IVADO creates opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaborations between the specialists, partners, researchers and students in its network.

The objective of IVADO is to be the link between academic expertise and the business needs of organizations, from international corporations to start-ups. With over 1000 affiliated scientists (researchers, post-docs, PhD candidates and research associates), IVADO is an advanced multidisciplinary centre for knowledge in sectors including statistics, business intelligence, deep learning, applied mathematics, data-mining and cybersecurity.

For further information: CONTACTS Keolis: Source – Keolis, Marsid GREENIDGE, Director International Communications & Public Affairs, Tel.: +33 (0)1 71 32 92 15, Marsid.greenidge@keolis.com; Linda HUGUET, International Communications Manager, Tel.: +33 (0)1 71 32 98 43, Mob. : +33 (0)7 71 50 27 95, Linda.huguet@keolis.com; Médias – Hill+Knowlton Stratégies, Raphaëlle Cyr-Lelièvre, Senior Consultant, Tel. : (418) 425-0986, Mob. : (418) 580-0040, Raphaelle.cyr-lelievre@hkstrategies.ca; CONTACT IVADO: Sandra ESTRELA, tél.: +1 514 343 6111 poste 35932 – Mob. : +1 438-824-7244, sandra.estrela@ivado.ca