Public transport: how TADAO and Transdev Artois-Gohelle are bringing AI on board their business processes

CHALLENGE

Everyone takes the bus. But few companies know how to get AI on board their processes.

At TADAO and Transdev Artois-Gohelle, teams handle complex operations every day: service offer changes, consistency checks, testing, and access to dense technical documentation spread across multiple tools. Tight constraints, high volumes, and business expertise that relies heavily on the memory and availability of key people.

The starting point was not choosing a new AI tool, but rethinking certain business processes. Before the project began, several key challenges were identified:

• Pinpoint where AI can deliver real value, rather than applying it everywhere
• Rethink business processes before trying to automate them
• Integrate solutions into the network’s existing tools without adding complexity
• Create the conditions for concrete, lasting adoption by the teams
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SOLUTION

Qolaig started with a workshop with the executive committee, an essential step. Before talking about models, agents or automation, everyone needed to agree on the problems to solve and the processes to improve. The result: an approach built from the business outward, turning relevant use cases into solutions embedded in the company’s processes and tools.

01. An executive workshop to map pain points
A full working day in Lens with leadership to review the network’s processes: service offer, documentation, incident management, geographic data, rolling stock. Each pain point was assessed for business value and feasibility.

02. Shared prioritisation around three use cases
The debrief session led to three priorities: verifying the integration of service offer changes, automatically generating test matrices, and a conversational assistant providing instant access to internal information.

03. Scoping designed for integration and adoption
Each use case is scoped with the teams involved: target process, existing tools to connect, and everyone’s role. The goal: solutions used from day one, not prototypes left on a shelf.
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RESULTS

• An executive committee aligned on the problems to solve before any technology choice
• Three priority use cases identified, qualified and shared across all departments
• A clear roadmap built from business processes, not from tools
• Quick wins identified in parallel on other scopes (purchasing, invoicing)
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RETURN ON INVESTMENT

By starting with the business rather than the technology, TADAO and Transdev Artois-Gohelle focus their AI investment where it will have real impact: fewer manual checks on service offer changes, tests generated in minutes instead of hours, and information accessible to everyone without relying on a handful of experts. The approach lowers project risk and accelerates adoption across teams.

And in this region, one thing is certain: to move forward, you’d better know which way the bus is heading.