Guimarães
Guimarães’ peri‑urban fringe is characterised by dispersed settlements and strong reliance on private cars, making it difficult to provide efficient, low‑carbon public transport and equitable access to services.
The municipality, European Green Capital 2026, already runs the Vitrusbus microtransit service with six e‑minibuses covering 10 areas, but this service is mainly oriented to the urban area and not yet fully optimised or extended to cover peri‑urban mobility needs.
Mobility planning and governance instruments do not yet sufficiently address peri-urban accessibility gaps and the role of local industries and other stakeholders in the green transition. Currently, mobility, industrial decarbonisation and governance are being pursued through separate initiatives, but there is no unified Living Lab approach that combines DRT optimisation, safer walking routes in peri‑urban Guimarães.
Through periASTY, Guimarães will have an integrated, data driven DRT system connected to the regular public transport network and supported by improved pedestrian access, offering more attractive low-emission mobility options for peri-urban residents and contributing to the city’s climate neutrality goals.
Topics covered
Mobility
Industry
Governance
Innovations to be demostrated
- GM-M1 – Integrated DRT System for Peri-Urban Areas: upgrading the Vitrusbus service to better cover peri-urban areas, optimise routing and scheduling, and integrate with regular PT.
- GMM2 – Infrastructure interventions for safe pedestrian movement: use of NTUA’s Passenger Routing Tool to analyse walking conditions and define infrastructure improvements around DRT service areas.
Expected outcomes
Increased use of DRT in peri‑urban zones
Reduced reliance on privately owned vehicles
Lower GHG emissions from everyday mobility
Improved perceived safety and comfort for pedestrians accessing DRT/PT stops
Higher user satisfaction with mobility services
Partners involved
Leads the Living Lab, coordinates local demonstrations, provides territorial and mobility data, engages citizens and stakeholders, and oversees monitoring and reporting.
Operates and upgrades the Vitrusbus DRT service, supplies operational data and co‑designs the integrated peri‑urban DRT system with optimised routing and PT integration.
Designs and implements the Local Green Deal framework and circular‑economy tools, engaging local industries and other stakeholders in concrete green‑transition actions.
Provides the Passenger Routing Tool, analyses pedestrian infrastructure and defines the interventions needed to improve safe pedestrian access to DRT and PT stops in the peri‑urban area