Covoit'ici : local carpool public service

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Last modified by the author on 05/04/2017 - 17:55
  • Year of commitment : 2015
  • Address 1 - street : LES MUREAUX, France
  • Diameter : 50
  • Digital services : Mobility
  • Sustainable mobility : Carpool
  • Builder
    eCOVE
  • Manager / Dealer
    eCOVE
Ecov is a start-up specializing in the carpool nearby. It offers a new approach, based on the physical organization of this new mode of transport: carpool lines equipped stations, are designed to provide real-time mobility solution, following a similar path to the usual one of a common transports' user.

Created in December 2014, Ecov is an innovative start-up of the social economy and recognized  as a young innovative company, developing products and services that facilitate, secure and institutionalize the practice local carpool. Composed of 12 people, Ecov team is multidisciplinary (developers, engineers, project managers, etc.) and aims to put the organizational and technological innovation at the disposal of the Organising Authorities for Mobility and businesse, with solutions that meet the challenges of modern forms of mobility.

With an average of 1.3 people per vehicle, carpooling has become a major public policy issue of mobility. However, if the long-distance carpooling makes more and more followers, the local carpool is struggling to take off.

Ecov, what is it?

With carpooling, Ecov creates new transmission lines aiming to reduce car traffic.

These lines are developed in consultation with local stakeholders and target priority areas to be served, especially to prevent private provision does not compete in place transportation network.

The connected carpool station directly sollicitits drivers, even if they are not registered to the service, or they didn't anticipate their carpool. This solution does not face the limit of the "critical mass" of users to achieve: the transport offer is available instantly.

By simply declaring their schedules on the website, users create themselves the frequencies of the line. To trust their passage, it is possible to compensate and geotag them to determine their transit schedules.

As soon as the supply conductors on one side and the passenger demand, on the other, side is sufficient, it is possible to use the same station to serve other destinations. This allows the pooling of physical investments for different routes and the gradual development of the network.

A connected carpool station consists of:

A terminal for performing an application for carpooling, including:

  • solar autonomy
  • touch screen interface
  • paper ticket emission
  • contactless card reader 
  • contactless banking and payment terminal 
  • It can accommodate other services (lockers, bicycles, etc.) and various sensors (noise and pollution etc.)

One or more variable message signs, allowing the display of requests for carpooling:

  • On existing candelabrum
  • Dedicated mast
  • Connected to public lighting network or solar autonomy
  • They can accommodate additional sensors (counting, radar speed sign etc.)

The necessary street furniture (passenger shelter, bench / sit-stand, etc.)

Visual communication elements to promote the station:

  • Physical: totem, banner, etc.
  • Digital: online campaigns

The entire information system:

  • Interface terminal (left illustration)
  • Web interface
  • smartphone application
  • Payment System

Fully developed by Ecov with industrial partners, this innovative information system is used to organize and secure carpooling. Indeed, in addition to connecting terminals and variable message signs (VMS), it ensures the dissemination of information, payment and ticketing. Furthermore, a website and a smartphone application are included in the system, offering a set of connected features.

The smartphone application provides a permanent connection to the service and provide all the functions available on the website, as well as:

  • The geolocation of registered drivers to know their arriving time
  • The ability to share its position with one's relatives (allows the tracking in a security objective)
  • The opportunity to announce the leaving or boarding of a passenger

The application is specifically designed to interact with the street furniture installed on streets and is regularly evolving to incorporate new features.

Progress Status

Delivered

Data Reliability

Self-declared

Funding Type

Public/Private Partnership

Website Enterprise / Infrastructure

 https://covoitici.fr/
 http://www.ecov.fr/

Sustainable Development

    The advantages of the system:

    Local:

    • Carpool stations for your commute where you need them.

    Flexible: Zero constraint for the passenger.

    • No need to plan my trips, I go to the station when I need them.

    Cheap: € 0.12 / km or 5 km = 0.60 €

    • + € 1.99 / month, paid only for the months used

    Freedom: Zero effort as a driver.

    • I travel as usual and it is enough to read the light panels.

    Secured:

    Passenger: I can point to what car I ride by sending its license plate via SMS to 06 44 60 71 11 * . I get an SMS receipt.

    Driver: Any passenger who has a ticket is identified. Before restarting, I can send by SMS to 06 44 60 78 78 *the code that appears on the ticket. I automatically receive a confirmation that the ticket is valid, the system will know that I carpool with the passenger in question.

    Using the carpool on short trips, Covoit'ici allows people of the same urban area to meet during their daily commute, and generating by this occasion, the social bond.

    The Covoit'ici service can be considered as a serious alternative in case of  stop of traditional transport links. Indeed, the service is available 24h / 24h and 7d / 7d.

    Millions of "Places Available Kilometer", unit of measure of the supply of public transport, may circulate via individual vehicles.

    Capture some of these free seats would strongly reinforce existing transport networks at a very low cost.

    The collective use of private transport leads to a reduction of energy consumption per passenger, and then a responsible use of resources


Governance

    eCOVE

    Private Company

    eCOVE

    Other

    eCOVE

    Private

Sustainable Solutions

    Borne Ecov

    Multifunction terminal allowing carpoolers to indicate their destination

    • Smart city :
    • Collaborative transportation
    • Digital services

Reasons for participating in the competition(s)

​Covoit'ici invente les réseaux de transports collectifs de demain ! Le service proposé construit des réseaux de covoiturage pour les courtes et moyennes distances, au sein des territoires peri urbains et ruraux. Covoit'ici est en expérimentation dans le Parc Naturel du Vexin (Val d'Oise, Yvelines), et s'apprête désormais à être déployé dans plusieurs régions françaises d'ici la fin de l'année. 

Building candidate in the category

Users' Choice

Users' Choice

Sustainable Infrastructure Grand Prize

Sustainable Infrastructure Grand Prize

Green Solutions Awards 2017 - Infrastructures
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Thomas Matagne


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Green Solutions Awards 2017 - Infrastructures