Ashotel, the Hotel Association of Tenerife, has introduced a trial offering a free on-demand shuttle service for employees of nine hotels in Costa Adeje in the south of Tenerife. The project, named Ashotel Shared Mobility, is set to run for six weeks and uses a mobile app to provide shuttle services along three routes from San Isidro, Cabo Blanco, and Las Galletas-El Fraile to various hotels.
The shuttle buses, with capacities ranging from 15 to 55 seats, take between 15 and 50 minutes to complete their routes, depending on traffic. Each route includes four stops and is designed to accommodate hotel workers with shifts starting at 7:00am and 8:00am, and ending between 3:00pm and 4:00pm.
Participating hotels include Parque del Sol, Iberostar Anthelia, Jardines de Nivaria, GF Gran Costa Adeje, GF Isabel, GF Fañabé, GF Victoria, Gran Tacande Wellness & Relax, and Baobab Suites.
Two weeks into the trial, Ashotel reports growing interest and participation. From an initial pool of 400 interested workers, 200 are actively using the service across the three routes. The project, which began with phases of analysis and design, included studying workers' mobility habits, selecting routes, and adjusting the mobile app accordingly.
The app, developed by Celering, aims to enhance staff mobility, decrease private vehicle use, test cost-optimising technology, and measure impacts to improve high-occupancy vehicle transport options.
The mobile app facilitates seamless connection among passengers, drivers, and operators. Users register and book seats easily, allowing the operator to optimise services, adjust vehicle size, and design routes and stops. The app adapts to user preferences in real-time, conserving resources and reducing CO2 emissions by not running empty routes and adjusting vehicle sizes based on demand.
Victoria López, Vice President of Ashotel, emphasised the project's importance and the long-standing effort behind its launch. She acknowledged the challenges but highlighted the potential benefits for hotel staff. "Our goal is to reduce road congestion and provide a high-occupancy vehicle service that is quick, comfortable, and convenient for our employees," López stated.
Ashotel aims to assess the program’s technical and economic viability to potentially extend the service across the island. Initial results are promising, with growing user numbers and satisfaction as initial issues are resolved. The project is part of Ashotel's broader Strategy for Sustainability and Digitalisation, in collaboration with Celering, transport operator Sierra y González, and consulting firm Wawa.
After the six-week trial, Ashotel will evaluate the results and consider broader implementation, while encouraging associated companies to develop internal mobility plans to enhance staff transport efficiency.
