CATS · City Alternative Transport System

The CATS project objective is the final development and experimentation of a new urban transport service based on a new generation vehicle. Its major innovation is the utilisation of a single type of vehicle for two different usages: individual use or collective transport. This new transport service is aimed at filling the gap between public mass transport and private individual vehicles. It is based on two operating principles: the self service concept where small and clean urban vehicles are offered on a short term rental basis, and the flexible shuttle service where a variable length of vehicles convoy, driven by a professional driver, operates at fixed hours along a line on a permanent basis or on a case by case basis. Both these principles are integrated in a single service (composed of vehicles and stations) called Cristal.The final aim of this new service is a more efficient mobility in cities through a more balanced use of small clean vehicles and mass transport. This inclusive new transport system is well adapted to the needs of people with reduced mobility, young passengers and tourists. Four Cristal vehicles and two stations will be made available by Lohr Industrie to the project for experiments. The CATS project will investigate through an in depth mobility needs analysis, on-site demonstration and showcases, the impact of the introduction of such a new system in three different European cities (Strasbourg FR, Ploeisti, RO, Formello, IT).The impact on environment and especially on CO2 emissions, as well as the acceptance and the evaluation of market take-up of the system will be studied. CATS will complement the design and manufacture of the Cristal vehicle via a detailed definition of its operating principles and by a design of its urban settings (stations, infrastructures,) in accordance with cities and citizens needs. A full evaluation plan is then foreseen as well as transferability assessment.