Buses and coaches

our historical core business

Flexible, accessible, comfortable and increasingly clean... buses and coaches are central to the transport networks of a great number of local authorities, large and small, all over the world.  With more than 23,000 vehicles operating in nine countries, Keolis is a major player in the sector, working hand-in-hand with public transport authorities (PTAs) to accelerate the energy transition.

an electric bus

A global presence

Present in nine countries and on three continents, the bus and coach networks run and maintained by Keolis are making journeys easier for thousands of passengers every day. Our expertise in this transport mode addresses all the requirements of local communities, as well as the people who live in them, ranging from city transport (buses, downtown shuttles, bus rapid transit systems), to inter-city transport (coaches, coach rapid transit systems, tram-buses), school transport and shuttles serving airports or large business centres.

Keolis buses and coaches in figures

  • Over 23,000 vehicles worldwide

  • Present in eight countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the United States, France, the Netherlands and Sweden

  • 14 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Coach Rapid Transit (CRT) networks in the USA, France and the Netherlands

  • 4,300 vehicles running on alternative fuels

*Figures as of end 2021

An offer tailored to passenger's needs

To provide a service in line with the expectations of its users, Keolis regularly conducts surveys on passengers' habits, their appreciation of the service and the obstacles to using certain transport modes.

An improved service, thanks to data

Whether it's about passenger journeys, traffic fluidity or times of heavy passenger traffic, data leads us to a better understanding of people's habits, enabling us to constantly adjust our offer. In Greensboro, North Carolina (USA), where the majority of bus routes converged in the centre of town, analysis of the residents' GPS tracks showed that less than one in four trips are made in to or out of the town centre and that infact most trips are actually made within the inner or outer suburbs (). Keolis used the finding to make informed recommendations to the local public transport authority on enhancing the service.

Travelers line up to board the bus

Ticketing technologies making things easier for passenger

Keolis' teams work with the public transport authorities to design digital tools that enhance the passenger experience. For example, with the open payment solution introduced by Keolis on the Tanéo network in Nevers and on the Ametis network in Amiens, passengers can use their bank cards to buy and validate tickets on board. Depending on how often they travel, they can also benefit from the most attractive fares. In Orléans, customers of the TAO network can use their smartphones to buy tickets and validate them by scanning a barcode at an on-board ticket validation machine.

line of a connected bus

Supporting the development of local communities

Keolis offers a range of solutions  tailored to each community, whether it's a medium-sized city or at a regional scale.  In Quebec, for example, Orléans Express coaches connect 35 municipalities every day, covering more than 2,000 km from Montreal to the Gaspé Peninsula.

Increased comfort with bus and coach rapid transit systems

With their dedicated lanes, priority at traffic lights, design, comfort, amenities and high-quality services, bus and coach rapid transit (BRT and CRT) systems constitute an effective alternative to private cars, especially in less well-served areas. In New South Wales, Australia, the 38 double-decker BRT vehicles of the B-Line  make the journey between Mona Vale and Sydney easier for thousands of people every day, while providing the greatest possible comfort. The vehicles feature ample seating, real-time traffic information and upcoming departures.

Made-to-mesure school bus services

In an effort to offer passengers greater comfort and punctuality, Keolis works with all stakeholders to design its school offer for PTAs, families and schools. For example, an audit in Beaune showed that shifting the start of the school day by  approximately ten minutes reduced the number of coaches required from 30 to 21  but without affecting the quality of service.


a filbleu bus

Sustainable solutions

Keolis is keenly aware of its essential role in developing cleaner mobility and offers a variety of solutions tailored to the requirements and constraints of each community. To provide the best possible advice to our PTA partners, we take into account the goals and challenges of each local region, current and future regulations and the project's technical and economic feasibility.

Defining appropriate energy strategies and supporting the decisions of the PTAs

With its long-standing expertise in all forms of diesel alternatives, Keolis can offer the energy solutions that best fit the context and local community's requirements. Without ever endorsing one kind of energy over another, we develop recommendations based on in-depth analysis of local issues to optimise the local authority's investment.

To guarantee the supply of energy to the PTAs' transport networks, Keolis can even promote combined solutions, combining different energy sources. For example, the city of Bordeaux relies on an energy mix that combines bioNGV, electric and hydrogen and the aim is to create an entirely clean fleet by 2025.

Deploying green solutions to reduce CO2 emissions

The Keolis Group is helping the city of Dijon to set up a hydrogen production unit based on local distribution channels and "green" electricity. Since the summer of 2021, almost 500 kg of hydrogen have been produced every day. These will be used to fuel the city's buses when the fleet is renewed. In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Keolis Drôme Ardèche is running 14 BioNGV-fuelled coaches on the region's main intercity route, with 300,000 passengers and one million kilometres per year.

the keolis approach to inclusive mobility