CONTEXT

Sector: public transport

Core expertise: workforce planning

OBJECTIVES

Automate the assignment of uncovered services using the existing business tool

SOLUTION
  • Implementation of EURODECISION’s automated scheduling component, LP-ShiftPlanner
  • Adaptation of criteria to TRANSDEV ROUEN network specifics and integration into the TRANSDEV Group’s FDS tool
RESULTS
  • Reliable optimization and coverage of the widest range of services
  • Time savings in planning, with schedulers more available to handle unexpected events and special cases
The driver scheduling process is an extremely complex task, but the EURODECISION team brings deep expertise in workforce planning, urban transportation, and the TRANSDEV nomenclature. Their understanding of the challenges, analytical skills, and responsiveness helped ensure the project’s success. They also adapted seamlessly to our disrupted timeline, shaped by an unprecedented health crisis.
Christophe BurgevinData Manager, TRANSDEV Rouen

As part of the TRANSDEV Group, TRANSDEV ROUEN is the primary operator of the Rouen metropolitan area’s public transport network. Its core mission is to manage passenger transport—7 days a week—across standard bus lines, TEOR (optically guided buses on dedicated lanes), and trams (locally referred to as “métros”).

To deliver this service and schedule the workdays of the network’s 750 drivers, TRANSDEV ROUEN relies on a team of planners. Their role is to provide each driver with a schedule that complies with regulations, company agreements, and individual constraints. When a driver is assigned to a specific line (a “fixed-route” driver), planners use the TRANSDEV Group’s scheduling tool, FDS1, which automatically assigns shifts to drivers for roughly three-month periods.

However, nearly 300 drivers are not assigned to a specific line. This “floating driver” system—used by most transport networks—enables flexible workforce management. Driver schedules are subject to frequent changes due to leave, sickness, or training. Having a pool of drivers available to cover unassigned shifts is therefore essential for the operator, which must ensure uninterrupted service to the community.

Before we heard about the solution used by the St Etienne network, we dreamed of a tool that could automatically assign uncovered services. This is now possible, allowing us to focus on quality rather than quantity. We can take the time to check if a solution exists to meet drivers’ requests for schedule changes.
Anaïs CORNUPlanning Officer, TRANSDEV ROUEN

Even though drivers know their general working hours a year in advance, specific assignments for relief drivers are only allocated three days prior by the planners. Until February 2022, this tedious task was carried out entirely “by hand,” leaving planners with little time to find optimal solutions in case of unexpected events or to handle special driver requests.

During a Transdev Group operational meeting, the TRANSDEV ROUEN planning team learned about a project to automate relief driver scheduling within the Saint-Étienne urban transport network. Since 2014, STAS2 has implemented LP-ShiftPlanner—a nominal scheduling component developed by EURODECISION’s optimization experts—within its FDS system. Impressed by the positive feedback from Saint-Étienne users, the TRANSDEV ROUEN team also decided to adopt the tool to streamline their relief driver assignment process.

The first workshops to adapt the solution to Rouen’s network specifics began in December 2019. Though slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the teams quickly adjusted to health restrictions—particularly by organizing remote meetings. After verifying that the optimization results met TRANSDEV ROUEN’s multiple scheduling constraints (line restrictions due to certifications, service types, etc.), LP-ShiftPlanner’s configuration was finalized, and the tool was made available to planners.

Now used weekly, LP-ShiftPlanner provides driver assignments for the next two weeks, maximizing service coverage while prioritizing certain types of routes and ensuring a balanced distribution of shifts based on their “difficulty” level.

The internal FDS tool, which includes LP-ShiftPlanner, is used differently by each TRANSDEV network. EURODECISION helped us configure it to meet the specific needs of TRANSDEV ROUEN without disrupting the existing setup for the St Etienne network, which uses it simultaneously.
Philippe NUÑEZProject Manager, TRANSDEV

After several months of use, the TRANSDEV ROUEN team is highly satisfied with the EURODECISION tool, which automatically assigns nearly 50% of uncovered services (services that cannot be assigned without relaxing or disabling constraints). This represents a significant time savings for planners, who now have better visibility of the remaining services to be assigned. They can focus on tasks where their expertise adds greater value and provide high-quality responses to driver requests.

In the medium term, TRANSDEV ROUEN plans to refine the configuration of LP-ShiftPlanner by relaxing constraints related to weekend services, for example. This will allow optimization to cover an even greater number of uncovered services. Their goal of achieving 75% of services automatically assigned appears entirely achievable in the coming months.

1 FDS: Work Schedule
2 STAS: Saint-Étienne Metropolitan Public Transport Authority