| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transport |
| Founded | January 1979 |
| Headquarters | Hôpital Bellier, Nantes |
| Key people | Albert Mahé Alain Boeswillwald |
| Revenue | €97,112,596 |
| Employees | 1,535 |
| Website | www.tan.fr |
Semitan is the company responsible for the comprehensive public transport network of the Nantes Métropole, the urban community of the French city of Nantes. The network operated by Semitan is marketed under the name and logo of tan, and this abbreviated form is also sometimes used to refer to the company. Semitan is itself an acronym for the Société d'Economie MIxte des Transports en commun de l'Agglomération Nantaise.
The tan network comprises a tramway network of three routes, a single bus rapid transit route, a network of local buses, an airport express bus, and three water bus routes. A single common ticketing system covers all these modes, and also extends to suburban trains within the Métropole boundaries, although these trains are not operated by Semitan.
Semitan is a mixed private and public sector company. As of 2007, its principal shareholders are the Nantes Métropole (65%), the transport group Transdev (14.99%), the banking group Caisse d'Epargne (10%), and the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Nantes (10%). It has been responsible, through renewable 6 years "public service delegations", for the public transport of Nantes since it was formed in 1979, although the precise area covered has varied over the years.[1]
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Currently, the Tan network comprises three tramway lines (the Tramway de Nantes), one bus rapid transit line (the Nantes BusWay), three water bus lines (the Navibus), and an extensive bus network of 56 local routes, three express routes, and 9 community or shuttle routes.[2]
Tan also operates the Navette Tan Air express bus between the Nantes Atlantique Airport and the city centre.
The transport network in Nantes uses paper tickets and passes. There are no "travel zones", as a ticket or pass gives access everywhere on the network in greater Nantes. The basic tickets and passes can be used on most forms of public transport in the Nantes Métropole area, including trams, BusWay, local buses, water buses, and suburban trains. The Navette Tan Air has its own more expensive tickets that also allow use of the rest of the network, and does not accept the basic network ticket.
Tickets are sold by bus drivers on local services, and on the Navette Tan Air, but not on BusWay buses or on trams. Ticket machines can be found at every tram and BusWay stop, and tickets must be purchased before boarding the vehicle. There are also a few staffed ticket offices in the centre of Nantes, opening for limited periods only.
In 2007, 109.5 million journeys were made on the TAN network, where a journey is defined as a single boarding on a single vehicle. Of these 63.5 million were on the three tramway lines, 5.3 million on the single BusWay line, and 40.7 million on the rest of the network. On a typical weekday during the school term in 2007, approximately 472,500 journeys were made on the network, of which approximately 56% were on the tramway.[1]
The 109.5 million journeys in 2007 represent 81.2 million actual passenger trips, where a trip is defined as one or more connecting journeys.[1]
In providing this service, the cumulative distance travelled by the Semitan fleet in 2007 was approximately 24.8 million kilometers, of which 4.5 million were run by trams, 15.5 million by Semitan owned buses, and a further 4.7 million by chartered buses.[1]