Client: EBS Public Transportation BV

Year: 2012

Balancia developed a marketing plan for EBS, a Dutch public transport company. We performed a target group analysis, developed a new marketing vision, and identified commercial opportunities that were translated into marketing actions with a corresponding implementation planning. Balancia was asked to think as innovative as possible during the process.

Client: City Region of Amsterdam

Year: 2011-2013

In 2011, the City Region Amsterdam asked Balancia for an inventory of sustainability certificates and initiatives as input for the tender process of the concession Amsterdam (metro, tram and bus). In 2012 the project was extended and Balancia composed a White Paper Sustainable Public Transport. This white paper gives a framework for a sustainability transition for the period 2013 to 2019 during which the operators of the four concessions of the City Region will make their operations more sustainable. Use of public transport and cycling shares will rise while a reduction of CO2 emissions per passenger kilometer will be achieved.

Client: EBS Public Transportation BV

Year: 2011

In autumn 2011, Balancia undertook a research about a public transport concession tender that came into the market in that period. We did this research for EBS with the aim to analyse how beneficial this concession for the company. Therefore, SWOT analysis, financial analysis, and strategy to win were thoroughly investigated. Based on the output of the research, the preparation of the tender was made.

Client: Transvision

Year: 2011

Balancia was asked by Transvision to assist them in preparing the bid for the Regiotaxi Eemland-Heuvelrug tender. This regiotaxi serves several municipalities in the north east of Utrecht Province (the Netherlands) in the form of door-to-door public transport. With its experience in assisting the client’s side in the whole tender process of Regiotaxi Holland Rijnland, Balancia has delivered valuable input for Transvision in preparing an excellent proposal. Apart from the offered price, the assessment criteria were reliability, complaints arrangement, corporate social responsibilities, and implementation plan. 

Client: TransTec (main client: Keolis)

Year: 2011

The Public transport (PT) concession of Arnhem Nijmegen City Region is the greenest PT concession in the Netherlands. During the tender process for the operation services for this multimodal (bus and train) concession, Balancia supported the tender team of Keolis on composing the PT vision, social safety plan, participation plan, and environmental plan. For the environmental plan, Balancia developed a plan to reduce the CO₂ footprint, to make the bus fleet “green” by deploying gas busses, and to monitor the CO₂ emission produced by the busses. More information about this concession can be found here.

Client: TransTec (main client: Keolis)

Year: 2010

In the second half of 2010, Balancia supported the tender team of Keolis in the bidding process for the Waterland concession (a region north of Amsterdam). As consultants in sustainable mobility and member of the bid team, Balancia’s main tasks were developing an integral sustainability plan and a CO₂ reduction plan. Furthermore, Balancia also developed a transport vision, the heart of the proposal which integrated all other plans of Keolis for this concession. It described the vision of the public transport in Waterland in the next 10 years! 

 

Client: Velo Mondial (main client: Fietsberaad)

Year: 2010

In the framework of knowledge exchange between Canada and USA, and the Netherlands in the field of cycling policy, two cycling workshops (one in Toronto and one in Chicago) took place in September 2010. Balancia was appointed to participate in the Dutch delegation which consisted of representatives of the Fietsberaad (Dutch center of expertise on bicycle policy), the municipality of Utrecht and the municipality of Nijmegen. Balancia also guided the preparation phase by composing the Design Brief which was used during these workshops. One of the interesting subjects in these workshops was the construction of a cycle path along Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes.

Client: Alta Planning + Design

Year: 2010 - 2011

The NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide is intended to be a dynamic platform for information sharing and guidance. It aimed to provide cities (in the US) with state-of-the-practice solutions that can help create complete streets that are safe and enjoyable for bicyclists. This guide was developed based on the experience of the best cycling cities in the world; one of them is the Netherlands. That’s why Balancia was part of the project teams that have broad experience in urban bikeway applications. We reviewed the contents of bikeway treatments, such as on-street cycle track, bike markings and bike boxes at intersections. Further information about this project can be accessed here.

Client: PBS (main client: Municipality of Texel)

Year: 2010

The Weverstraat is the central shopping area in Den Burg (municipality of Texel in the Netherlands). Balancia assisted in creating a design for the redevelopment of this shopping street. Balancia organized a stakeholders meeting and developed the Terms of Reference for the redesign. The Terms of Reference were the basis for a detailed design for the redevelopment. Key elements in the Terms of Reference were the accessibility of the shopping area (by foot, bicycle and car) and the supply of the stores during the planned reconstruction work.

Client: Holland Rijnland 

Year: 2009-2010

Holland Rijnland is a cooperation body of 15 municipalities in the provinces of Zuid-Holland. Balancia assisted Holland Rijnland with the introduction and the tender of Regiotaxi Holland Rijnland. Regiotaxi is a form of public transport which is operated with (shared) taxis. Until 2010, there were two different Regiotaxi systems with different regulations in this region. One system was chosen for the Holland Rijnland region for an unambiguous regional public transport system with clearer tariff for the travellers. Balancia was involved in the whole process in association with Conquist and close cooperation with different involved parties. Since January 1st 2011, Regiotaxi Holland Rijnland is in operation.

Client: Syntus

Year: 2009

Balancia supported the tender team of Syntus, a public transport company in the Netherlands specialized in multimodal transport, on the concession tender of Achterhoek-Rivierenland in Autumn 2009. This multimodal concession includes both train and bus transports in both areas and put much emphasis on the accessibility of the area at the off-peak hours (in the weekend and the evenings). The client (Province Gelderland) asked the bidders to come out with innovation transport proposals, something that Balancia is just right for.

Client: Bewoners Velp

Year: 2009

In Velp (municipality of Rheden) a health centre (ELC/Eerstelijns Gezondheidscentrum) is being built to house a pharmacy, general practitioners, physiotherapists and other health care facilities. Thus, patients will soon find all health care facilities in one building. However, the residents in the area near the health centre foresee that the building will create parking problems. Balancia supported the residents at a lawsuit which focused on the parking situation and the number of parking slots on the parking area and in the parking garage of the ELC. The outcome of the research conducted by Balancia was that the test of the parking norms was imprecisely carried out by the municipality.

Year: 2009

Client: Velo Mondial (main client: Amsterdam Cycling to Sustainability)

In September 2009, the New Amsterdam Bike Slam was organized during the Hudson400 festivities in New York. Two teams of Dutch and American planners and designers faced off in a battle for the future of New York City transportation. Their challenge was finding ways to bring New York City cycling up to the level of the Netherlands. As subcontractor to Velo Mondial, Balancia conducted different preparation activities for the Slam. We co-produced the Design Brief which contains the design assignment for the teams and we evaluated the concept during and after the event. For more information, please visit www.newamsterdambikeslam.org.

Client: ARUP (main client: EIB)

Year: 2009 - 2010

This project aimed to develop an overall plan for the complete modernization of the urban transport network in Burgas. The project was mainly conducted in two phases. The main result of the first phase consisted of plans for the so-called Burgas Super Bus which is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system which will be developed in the next years. The second phase was mainly a feasibility study of the BRT system which was chosen in the first phase as a relatively low cost means, a flexible scheme, and a suitable means for upgrading as demand increases. 

Client: inno-V (main client: Province of Friesland)

Year: 2009

Different bus and train concessions in the Province of Friesland had been tendered during the last years. In 2009, the province was in a process of improving its concession management. Balancia was advising the province in certain aspects of this process. We formulated policies on important aspects of concession management. A new framework was developed to award bonuses if the transport quality is above the agreed service level, and to claim a penalty if the operator does not meet the quality standards set by the province. The monitoring process was also taken into account in this project.

Client: I-ce

Year: 2008

In autumn 2008, Balancia worked in two teams to conduct workshops on non-motorized transport policies in Ghana (in the municipalities of Sekondi-Takoradi, Tema and Ashaiman) and in Botswana (in Gaborone). Both workshops were held on the basis of a partnership between the local government(s) involved and the Dutch non-governmental organization I-ce (Interface for Cycling Expertise). The workshops focused on general policies and design aspects of cycling and walking

Client: Woolthuiswerkt (main client: Province of Flevoland)

Year: 2008

The province Flevoland is frequently faced with (European) subsidy chances for innovative transport projects. Most of the time the submission period is too short to write a good subsidy project proposal. Thus, the province conducted a scan to come out with innovative project ideas. The aim was to have a number of projects ‘on the table’ which are ready to submit the moment a subsidy chance announced. Balancia had an active role in the implementation of this scan. Many projects which were selected were focussing on sustainable mobility and mobility management (especially the stimulation of the use of public transport and bicycle).

Client: COST

Year: 2008-2009

Buses with High Level of Service (BHLS) is an EU research project COST which aims to capitalize the state of the art in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in Europe and to carry out recommendations for decision-making at all levels. The COST BHLS project will have an overview of best practices on its website: www.bhls.eu. The COST BHLS project has meetings twice a year. In October 2008 Balancia attended the meeting in Spain, and in 2009 Balancia continued with its tasks for the project.

Client: Keypoint Consultancy (main client: Municipality of Enschede)

Year: 2008

The Twente region, municipality of Enschede and municipality of Hengelo worked together on a network of high quality Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) axes. This can be defined as a connected network of dedicated bus lines (separated from other traffic). The bus axis between Hengelo and Enschede has several important design challenges (width of the bus line, locations and design of the bus stops, design speed of the buses, etc.). Balancia participated in a commission to advise the designers with ideas to answer these challenges.

Client: Nakheel

Year: 2008

Dubai Waterfront (also known as Waterfront) was planned to be a complete new city next to the existing Dubai and a sustainable city with an excellent public transport system. Therefore, a comprehensive public transport strategy that outlines this vision was of importance. For this, in 2008, Balancia was engaged to assist Nakheel Waterfront Company in developing a framework for public transport strategy. This public transport strategy was developed for the whole future area of Waterfront. It was planned to be fully implemented in the next decade. Unfortunately this plan was cancelled in 2010 - 2011 due to the financial crisis in the UAE.

Client: City Region of Haaglanden

Year: 2007-2009

Biking2skool=Cool was a concept that aimed to increase bicycling among high-school students in the Netherlands and to enhance international solidarity among the students. This concept was implemented in the City Region of Haaglanden in 2008 on three schools and in 2009 again on three different schools. Biking2skool=Cool contained teaching material for 4 lessons, i.e. cycling, traffic safety, the usage of the special website and the projects where the pupils rode for. Please visit the project website www.biking2skool.nl (in Dutch). Balancia carried out this project in cooperation with Sama Advies.

Client: City Region of Amsterdam

Year: 2007-2008

The City Region of Amsterdam wanted to install dynamic passenger information on most of the public transport stops in the area. Balancia advised the City Region Amsterdam on designing a long-term plan to achieve this. Furthermore Balancia advised on different alternatives for the implementation and financing phase of these facilities. Part of this project was organising a workshop with different stakeholders to discuss scenarios about different locations where to install these facilities. Balancia also advised the City Region Amsterdam with implementation aspects of the plan.

 

Client: KAPS

Year: 2007

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, facing increasing traffic and parking problems. Since 2006, collection of parking fees is carried out by KAPS Municipal Parking Services Limited. KAPS has the possibility to develop certain parking locations for buses and private cars. Balancia carried out a pre-feasibility study on the parking situation in Mombasa. The study involved the development of public transport (bus) and car parks as well as the development of new parking policies.

 

Client: Municipality of Amsterdam

Year: 2007

Biking2skool=Cool is a concept which aims to increase the bicycle use among high school students and to enhance their international solidarity. Assigned by the borough Bos en Lommer (of the municipality Amsterdam), Balancia carried out a feasibility study of the possibility of implementing Biking2skool=Cool in Amsterdam New West.

 

Client: Municipality of Heiloo (the Netherlands)

Year: 2007

Due to a change in staff, the municipality of Heiloo was in need of a temporary advisor responsible for transport policies in the municipality. This involved the traffic component in different housing and office development projects, the planning of a new highway exit giving direct access to these new developments, the rehabilitation of the railway station area and different improvements in the parking situation and the car and cycling network. As a subcontractor of PBS, Balancia fulfilled this position for some months.

Client: Inno-V

Year: 2007

The public bus transport in the northern city of Leeuwarden has been tendered. As a subcontractor of Inno-V, Balancia advised in the selection process for the different operators. The public transport in another region in the Netherlands will also be tendered. As a subcontractor of Inno-V, Balancia advised in the preparation of the tender process.

 

Client: Velo Mondial (main client: RTA Dubai)

Year: 2007

In order to encourage people to use bicycles, in 2007, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)  developed a Bicycle Master Plan for Dubai. Balancia worked in Dubai during the last phase of the design process of this plan. One of the tasks of Balancia was to develop the implementation phases of the strategic bicycle network. The initial phases were focussed on the completion of the core network which lays on the vital areas of Dubai with the total tracks length of 46 km. The complete network, with the total length of 1100 km, was planned to be operational in 2020.

Client: Next Generation Infrastructures Foundation

Jaar: 2006-2007

For improving the vital infrastructures (including the way they are operated and managed) in the Netherlands, a project focusing on the public values in the public transport sector has been set up. Central question is how the public values are secured in the public transport concessions on city region level. The project is carried out by TU Delft and Goudappel Coffeng. As a subcontractor of Goudappel Coffeng, Balancia carried out interviews for the project in cities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark and Sweden.

 

Client: Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Ministerie van VWS)

Year: 2006

Valys is the national demand responsive transport system for disabled people in the Netherland subsidized by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. As a subcontractor of Goudappel Coffeng, Balancia advised the Ministry with the tendering process, including composing the tendering documents and selection criteria.

Client: Province of Overijssel (the Netherlands)

Year: 2006

Regiotaxi Vechtdal is one of the three demand responsive transport systems in the province of Overijssel. Everybody can travel with Regiotaxi Vechtdal and the system is accessible for elderly and disabled people. Besides the passengers’ fees, Regiotaxi Vechtdal is paid by the province and three municipal governments. Balancia assisted in the process of cooperation between these different governments and guided the tendering process, including composing the tendering documents and selection criteria.