Jean-Christophe Combe is a graduate of the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). He began his career at the French Senate in 2003, before joining Deloitte in 2007, where he was appointed Auditing and Public Sector Associate. From 2008 to 2011, he held successive positions in local authorities, before joining the French Red Cross in April 2011. 

Jean-Christophe Combe joins Keolis

Appointed Chief Executive Officer of the French Red Cross in 2016, Jean-Christophe Combe had previously held other roles within the organisation, successively supervising engagement and associative life, then operational management. He was also an active member of the International Federation of Red Cross Societies. 

In July 2022 he was appointed Minister for Solidarity, Autonomy and People with Disabilities, a post he held until July 2023. 

Marie-Ange Debon, CEO of Keolis, states: “I am delighted that Jean-Christophe will join Keolis, and I congratulate him on his appointment as Director of Marketing, Innovation, Sustainable Development and Engagement. Jean-Christophe is a seasoned professional whose background reflects his agility and open-mindedness. His extensive knowledge of the world of public services and local authorities, and his commitment to delivering services that benefit the widest audience, will be invaluable in supporting our clients in their ambition for a low-carbon mobility that is ever more inclusive and accessible to all and that contributes decisively to the economic dynamism of our communities.” 

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Starting in September 2024 and for a period of ten years, Keolis will be tasked with the operation and maintenance of 14 new and retrofitted hydrogen-powered vehicles (10 vehicles will be provided by Safra and belong to series HYCITY, just presented at Busworld). The group states it will also fulfil the role of project manager for this experiment.

Safra to provide 10 HYCITY

The project’s partners presented this pilot test on Wednesday 18 October at the national transport congress (RNTP), in the presence of Marie-Ange Debon, Keolis Chairwoman and Group Chief Executive Officer, Olivier Bianchi, Mayor of Clermont-Ferrand and President of Clermont Auvergne Métropole, and François Rage, Chairman of SMTC-AC.

Since 2020, the public-private entity has stopped purchasing diesel-powered buses and, in late 2025, will be commissioning 40 new battery-electric BRTs. Its aim is to have a fleet made up entirely of “low-emission” vehicles by 2035. This new hydrogen-based experiment is fully in line with the energy and ecological transition strategy set out by the Clermont-Ferrand metropolitan area.

The project includes the development of a local ecosystem dedicated to hydrogen, from the production of 100% carbon-free energy (Gravanches station), to the fuelling of the vehicle fleet (compression and fuelling station at Cournon-d’Auvergne), and the commissioning of ten new buses and four retrofitted coaches.

A local ecosystem for hydrogen in Clermont-Ferrand

Olivier Bianchi, Mayor of Clermont-Ferrand and President of Clermont Auvergne Métropole: “The issue of mobility and alternatives to the private car is a major challenge in the fight against climate change and in making everyday life easier for the people who live in our region. Our city, our urban area and their partners are fully mobilised on this issue, in particular with the implementation of the InspiRe project. By testing a fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles, we hope to rise to the challenge of innovation and create the mobility solutions of the future.”

François Rage, First Vice-President of Clermont Métropole in charge of sustainable mobility, and Chairman of SMTC-AC: “As a mobility-organising authority, SMTC-AC has to think longterm by preparing for the future of public transport on our network. Although future BRT lines will be electric – a tried and tested technology – we are already thinking ahead by experimenting with hydrogen-powered buses. The objective is twofold: to invest in a highpotential sector and to gain the expertise required to deploy this technology once it reaches maturity.”

Marie-Ange Debon, Keolis Chairwoman and Group Chief Executive Officer: “As a mobility operator, our role is to guide our customers through their energy transition and their decision making so that their region may benefit from the most adapted solution in terms of energy, vehicles and infrastructure. We would like to thank Clermont Auvergne Métropole and SMTCAC for having commissioned us with the management of this innovative project. We are proud to be supporting the implementation of 100% hydrogen-powered mobility on this line in the heart of the Clermont-Ferrand metropolitan area.”

“This new contract we’ve just won is further proof that our new HYCITY vehicle perfectly meets our customers’ expectations. It’s the fruit of long-standing teamwork, and we can’t wait to see these 10 vehicles on the Clermont-Ferrand network. The InspiRe project is a great showcase for our latest generation of hydrogen buses, and will enable us to demonstrate to other local authorities the relevance of hydrogen in a policy of decarbonizing transport”, announced Eric Baleviez, CCO at Safra.

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The region operates one of France’s biggest non-urban transport networks in Alpes-Maritimes, with over 12 million passengers a year. Working with its partner Keolis, the energy transition is under way with 123 electric vehicles, 107 of which are already operating. The transition will be completed during 2024 with the deployment of 16 electric double-decker buses.

Keolis for intercity electric bus transport

Région Sud, the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur regional council, is investing over €600 million a year in transport. With the first local inter-urban network in France to offer an electric service, the aim is to reduce CO2 emissions by 105,000 tonnes over the next eight years and to decarbonise all ZOU! regional buses by 2028. The region’s investment in the newly opened routes over the next eight years will amount to €281 million (excluding revenue), including an energy transition support grant of €24 million, Keolis says.

Yutong intercity coaches for France

The intercity buses were put into operation on the intercity lines from Nice Airport to Cannes, Monaco and Antibes. So far, Yutong states it has exported 135 battery electric intercity buses to France, with an operating mileage of nearly15 million kilometers, becoming a major supplier of battery electric buses in France.

“Zero emissions for our regional transport! This is one of the main targets of the ‘Une Cop d’Avance’ climate plan. To make this ambition a reality, Région Sud is deploying the only strategy of its kind in France to improve and decarbonise transport services. Developing clean, reliable, high-performance public transport will always be at the core of the region’s transport policy! With ZOU!, leave your car behind and travel on 100% clean transport!”, states Renaud Muselier, president of the ProvenceAlpes-Côte-d’Azur region and deputy chair of Régions de France

Marie-Ange Debon, chair of the Keolis Group board, states: “Keolis is proud to support the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region in its energy transition policy. We are working in close consultation with the region, and we share the same vision of the public transport service as a contributor to social cohesion, low-carbon mobility and dynamism for the economy and the tourism sector. Together, we are working to build a cleaner, more sustainable future for the region,”

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Through these agreements, the group will be able to supplement its renewable electricity supply at a fixed, long-term price. This electricity, generated at solar farms in France, will avoid emissions of around 290 tonnes of CO2 per year. 

By 2030, Keolis aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% compared with 2019 while increasing threefold the number of kilometres travelled using alternative energy sources. In 2022, fleets operated by Keolis travelled nearly 400 million kilometres using alternative energy sources, equating to more than a third of the kilometres operated by the group. 

Keolis decarbonization roadmap includes solaris energy

These power purchase agreements between Keolis and Urbasolar constitute a further step in the Group’s roadmap towards the decarbonisation of public transport, Keolis strenghtens. By securing its supplies of renewable electricity, Keolis will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimise the environmental impact of its activities. 

The contracts, offering annual generation of 18 gigawatt-hours (GWh), will take effect on 1 January 2025. They will ensure Keolis has a reliable supply of renewable electricity at a fixed, competitive price over the long term, while helping the Group meet its environmental targets. Avoiding 290 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year over 15 years is equivalent to travelling 3.4 million kilometres with zero CO2 emissions, the operator says. 

Keolis and the decarbonization of public transport

Near Los Angeles in California, for example, Foothill Transit has just renewed its contract with Keolis and intends to add a total of nearly 33 hydrogen-powered buses to its fleet, building the biggest hydrogen-powered fleet in the United States. In Odense, Denmark, the operational control and maintenance centre managed by Keolis is almost self-sufficient in energy thanks to the installation of 500 m2 of solar panels on the roof. Finally, in France, Keolis Bordeaux Métropole Mobilités, the first social enterprise (“entreprise à mission”) in the public transport sector, is committed to decarbonising its traction energy, reducing water consumption, recovering waste and favouring local procurement. 

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Moreover, Keolis reduced its net financial debt by €56 million from the previous year, thanks to strict financial discipline and free cash flow of €94 million in 2022.

Keolis, energy transition in the spotlight

Keolis aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, triple the number of kilometers operated with alternative energies by 2030, and certify 80% of its turnover to the ISO 14001 standard. Keolis has new electric buses in Copenhagen, supports hydrogen development in Dijon, and energy mix strategies in Orleans. In 2022, over a third of total kilometers operated were traveled using alternative energies, and almost 60% of Keolis operations are covered by ISO 14001 certification. What is interesting, Keolis partners with Iveco France and Forsee Power to improve knowledge of electric bus battery ageing.

Keolis 2022 in France

France was an excellent market for Keolis in 2022, as the group states, with many core contracts renewed and extended, and numerous new contracts won. The company won new contracts in Perpignan and Valenciennes and renewed contracts in cities such as Bordeaux, Dijon, Sète, Bourgoin-Jallieu, and Strasbourg. Additionally, Keolis launched several major projects, including Line B of the automated metro in Lyon, the T13 light rail line in the Paris region, and Line B of the automated metro in Rennes.

Keolis on the international markets

On international markets, Keolis pursued its selective growth and repositioning strategy, notably via the sale of operations in Norway. The company launched two major light rail networks in Lusail (Qatar) and Odense (Denmark), and won a multimodal contract in Lund, Sweden. Keolis also secured renewals, including a three-year contract to operate Thameslink, England’s largest rail network, and extended contracts to operate the automated metro in Hyderabad, a bus line in Denmark’s Northern Jutland region, and the bus network in the Dutch city of Utrecht.

“Public transport ridership gradually returning to near pre-Covid levels”

Marie-Ange Debon, Keolis Chief Executive Officer, comments: “Keolis turned in a very strong performance in 2022 thanks to dynamic business development in France, and internationally, which helped strengthen our market positions. Our quest for operational excellence in core business lines has been and continues to be an absolute priority, with a special focus on delivering quality passenger service that public transport authorities expect. With public transport ridership gradually returning to near pre-Covid levels, we swung into action in early 2022 to address the labour shortage, rolling out a proactive recruitment programme to attract and retain new employees. Once again in 2022, Keolis showed that we can successfully deploy skills and operational expertise. Examples include the launch of Metro Line b in Rennes, and our performance at major international events, including the World Cup in Qatar and the Australian Open in Melbourne. Buoyed by these results and commitments, Keolis Group takes an optimistic view of the future, despite the challenges, as we deliver quality execution and pursue a selective strategy.” 

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This pilot, in cooperation with Keolis, aims to validate the economic and operational model of the autonomous shuttles. During competition days, EasyMile’s autonomous electric shuttles will transport spectators and athletes the 1.5 km between the main car park, located at the entrance of the centre, and the shooting ranges. This last-mile service is a new, more environmentally friendly mode of mobility. The shuttles are also accessible to people with reduced mobility. 

18 months of pilot for Keolis – EasyMile

For 18 months, Keolis tested and operated these two third-generation EasyMile autonomous shuttles on the CNTS site. The deployment enabled the transport operator to test the navigation software bricks and to validate the latest features of the critical safety systems, which allow the vehicles to travel safely in level 4 autonomy (without any on-board human assistance and supervised remotely).

The two shuttles operate simultaneously without a human operator on board. They are monitored by a field operator and a control center in Paris. Passengers can communicate with the supervisor through an intercommunication system and cameras located inside the vehicles.

“This new service, based on the know-how of two major players in autonomous public transport, is a further step towards scaling up, thanks to the control of operations by a single supervisor for two shuttles. Carried out in collaboration with Keolis, this project highlights the service that a fleet of autonomous shuttles can provide and the maturity of our technology” says Benoit Perrin, Managing Director of EasyMile

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Keolis has been operating so far an emergency concession after the provinces withdrew the concession from the company following ‘rigged’ orders for 259 BYD buses (from those buses, by the way, some issues rose). EBS was awarded the concession in April 2021.

What is interesting, the reselling transaction of 259 BYD used electric buses has been supported by German technology company volytica diagnostics and TÜV Nord Mobility through a battery quality assessment on the vehicles.

EBS start concession IJssel-Vecht in the Netherlands

Keolis had been operating in Overijssel and Gelderland since 2010. “Although sad to no longer be the carrier in this beautiful region, Keolis is confidently transferring the large electric bus fleet in IJssel-Vecht of Europe to EBS. Over 44 million kilometres have been driven with these buses in the past two years. Compared to diesel buses, 31,000 tonnes of CO2 have been saved. To give you an idea: That is as much as taking up 1.5 million trees in a year”.

Keolis adds: “The past two years have been hugely instructive for Keolis. IJssel-Vecht is and remains a unique contract with a particularly impressive implementation and operation And in the 10 years before that, we also achieved special milestones in this region. Think of the very first hydrogen bus in the Netherlands, the introduction of the bicycle sharing system KeoBike and the introduction of flexstops, where travellers can board outside regular stops. Partly because of this, we could always count on high satisfaction from our clients and our passengers. Keolis will use this acquired knowledge in future tenders and worldwide within the Keolis Group”.

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Keolis has launched this summer a recruiting campaign in France in order to fill 1,000 open positions worldwide. The group’s revenues went up 3.7% in 2021. Keolis has set the goal of tripling the share of bus kilometres powered by alternative energies to diesel by 2030. This goes along with the other commitment to reducing intensity of greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre by 30% from the 2019 baseline.

Anne Le Guennec joins Keolis Supervisory Board

Anne Le Guennec joined French service company Veolia in 1998. She is an engineering graduate from the University of Technology of Compiègne. “She was appointed project director for the construction of drinking water production plants in 2003. Starting in 2008, Anne occupied several roles in Morocco and the Middle East in the group’s Water, Sanitation and Energy business units. Between 2016 and 2019, she served as Chief Executive of Enova, a joint venture between Majid Al Futtaim and Veolia, which supplies energy management services to a wide portfolio of public and private clients across the Middle East”, Keolis sums up announcing the new appointment.

She is currently the chief executive of Veolia’s Recycling & Recovery business unit for France. Anne Le Guennec is also vice president of France’s National Federation of Decontamination and Environmental Activities (FNADE) and a member of the National Industry Committee (CNI).

Jérôme Tolot, Chairman of the Keolis Supervisory Board: “We are delighted to welcome Anne Le Guennec to the Keolis Board. Her wide knowledge of the local authority services sector, both in France and internationally, and her business development experience will be invaluable in supporting the growth of the Keolis Group.”

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“These jobs are open to all candidates, both junior and experienced, with or without qualifications. They are also open to people in the process of retraining, and include appropriate training programmes, so that the applicants can acquire the technical and behavioural skills they need for them” Keolis stresses.

Keolis: 1,000 open positions

Focusing on drivers, this new campaign is an extension of numerous other recruitment actions carried out by Keolis, such as the opening, at the beginning of 2021, of the Group’s Apprenticeship Training Centre (CFA), called Campus Mobilités. This CFA is open to young people between the ages of 18 and 29 interested in becoming a bus and coach driver in one of the transport networks operated by Keolis in France. Since its opening, a dozen classes of apprentices have graduated. By the end of 2022, over 250 apprentices will have been recruited. 

A major employer in numerous regions, Keolis has entered into partnerships with a number of employment and insertion bodies during this campaign (including Pôle Emploi, the retraining agency of La Défense – attached to the Ministry of Armed Forces, Tent organisation – guide to refugees employment – and an outplacement firm) to get support in its search for applicants who have the necessary behavioural skills and willingness to transition over to these new professions 

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Recently Stratio has signed a deal with Go-Ahead Ireland to implement a predictive approach to vehicle maintenance, besides entering partnership with Freeway Fleet Systemsto deliver its real-time predictive fleet maintenance technology to the UK’s bus and coach sector. Also Arriva Group company TST is among Stratio’s customers.

Stratio – Keolis: deal on predictive maintenance

The Stratio Platform, which is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning models, can monitor, analyze, and predict failures in real time, in vehicles of any type, brand, and model, the supplier stresses. This shift from preventive to predictive maintenance results in increased vehicle uptime and optimized depot operations, ultimately saving costs and improving the service offered to the public. 

“The Stratio solution, which is already deployed on several Keolis networks in France, allows maintenance staff to view and address vehicle failures. This eliminates costly downtime, enabling us to provide an even more reliable, efficient and safe service for passengers, while helping our operations staff to improve their eco-driving,” declared Pierre Gosset, Industrial Division Director, Keolis Group.

“Keolis’ commitment to innovating, automating, and digitizing their maintenance operations goes to show how much they value their own customers. We are pleased they chose Stratio to help them deliver on their objective of connecting people with opportunities and resources with a public transport service that is safe, reliable, and future-proof,” said Rui Sales, co-founder and President of Stratio. “Partnering on a global scale with one of the largest fleets in the world accelerates the realization of our goal of creating a zero downtime future that benefits everyone”, Rui added. 

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