One of the leading French engineering groups in the infrastructure and transport services market has announced its involvement in two projects at either end of the mobility spectrum.
Egis has just won a contract with the Krakow municipality in Poland for the operation of the city’s public bike scheme. Within the framework of this 8-year contract, Egis will replace the existing scheme with a new one, while ensuring continuity through the integration of the current users’ database. The contract involves an implementation period of three months, after which the new generation bikes will be deployed progressively to reach 1,500 active elements by April 2017.
The future Krakow bike scheme will use a new technology developed by the Social Bicycles company, where the intelligence for renting and returning a bike is located on the bike, rather than at the return station. This will improve user experience by reducing the risk of bike stations being either too full or too empty. If the station is full, the user can simply park the bike nearby. To avoid missing a bike, the user can book a bike in advance at a chosen location through a mobile application. All bikes are equipped with a GPS and an accelerometer, which allows the operator to track each bike in real time, cutting vandalism and theft.
“The city of Krakow is particularly attractive for the deployment of this technology, since the city suffers significant congestion issues. By eliminating the problem of parking or finding a bike, the scheme presents a healthy alternative or a complement to traditional commuting,” said Rik Joosten, chief executive officer of Egis Projects. “As operator, we will also ensure that tourist user access to the scheme is optimized. Krakow hosts almost 10,000,000 tourists every year.”
Meanwhile, Turkey President Recep Endogen has inaugurated the Osman Gaza Bridge, the last part of the Yalova-Orhangazi section of the toll motorway between Gebze and Izmir and one of the largest projects operated by Egis. At the ceremony, President Erdogan declared that all 261 miles (420km) of highway running from Gebze to Izmir would be open to traffic in 2018. The project is operated by the company GIIB (Gebze-Izmir Isletme Ve Bakim), a 50/50 subsidiary between the Egis group and the concession company Otoyol. In 2018, GIIB will operate infrastructure including the entire motorway between Gebze and Izmir, 33 bridges, three two-way tunnels, 17 motorway service areas, and 187 overpasses.
Pic: courtesy of Jean Harito.
The project is among the largest operated by an Egis group subsidiary, and comes as further confirmation of the company’s status as one of the world’s leaders in the operation of motorways and toll structures. Egis is well-established in Turkey. In August 2016, its subsidiary ICE (51% owned by Egis Road Operation and 49% by Ictas) will start operating the third bridge over the Bosporus, and the North Marmara motorways, while subsidiary Egis Tünel I?letmecili?i (100% Egis Road Operation) will commence the operation of the Avrasya tunnel running beneath the Bosporus at the end of December.
