Keolis Creates Keolis Santé and Becomes the French Leader in Medical Transport

Keolis operates more than ten different transport modes globally. Through its partnership with Intégral and Douillard Keolis has immediately established itself in this market.

Medical transport is an essential part of patient health. The provision of accessible, high quality services that are on-time, readily available and safe, are central to an efficient transport offer. In the medical transport industry, a patient-oriented, personalized approach is key.

Ensuring accessible mobility and bringing a more human approach to transport are a daily priority for Keolis. As the operator of more than 40 transport services dedicated to passengers with reduced mobility in France, Sweden and the US, Keolis transports more than 1.2 million vulnerable passengers each year.

The Intégral network consists of 21 local businesses operating in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions of France. Douillard consists of 10 operators located in the Pays de la Loire region. Both networks share the same desire to deliver the best service possible.

This new industry shareholder partnership is a winning business model, in uniting the expertise of two market leaders in medical transport with a pioneer of everyday mobility. Also, by maintaining a decentralized organizational structure, Keolis Santé will continue to build close relationships with public and private clients, as well as with patients.

The medical transport market has traditionally been a fragmented market, and the large number of service providers has resulted in an inconsistent customer offering. Keolis Santé seeks to consolidate this market and accelerate its level of professionalism.

The three partners also want to create a better patient experience by improving training for ambulance drivers, introducing  new communication tools for patients and diversifying the range of  medical transport services offered.

An industry shareholder partnership

The agreement formed between Intégral, Douillard and Keolis is the ideal means to achieve their strategic goals.

• The new company, Keolis Santé, is 51 percent owned by Keolis and 49 percent by the founders of the Douillard and Intégral networks. This company represents €70 million in annual revenue, with 1,650 employees and 1,000 vehicles.
• The management and development of Keolis Santé will be the responsibility of the executive teams at Intégral and Douillard, with the organsation benefitting from their extensive knowledge and experience in medical transport. Jocelyn Douillard will be the Executive President and Renaud Chaumet-Lagrange, Managing Director in charge of business development,
• The volume of business and operational know-how of the Intégral and Douillard networks will allow for the consolidation of best practice.
• The expertise of Keolis in areas such as marketing, HR management and IT will allow the business to benefit from advanced workplace practices and development solutions.
• With the support of Keolis, the new business will have an ambitious growth plan.

Jean-Pierre Farandou, executive chairman, Keolis Group, was delighted to confirm the creation of Keolis Santé: “We are extremely happy and proud to announce this partnership with the two French industry leaders in medical transport, Intégral and Douillard, who share the same vision for addressing our business challenges. ‘We Care’ is a fundamental value of Keolis and is the governing principle behind this strategic development for the Group. By creating the number one medical transport network in France, our aim is to offer better transport services to patients, to become an important part in their healthcare experience, and do so at the lowest possible cost to our social security system.”

Jocelyn Douillard, director of the Douillard Group and president of Keolis Santé, added: “When we began discussing our vision and values it became very clear. It was important for us to join forces to provide patients with medical transport services featuring consistently high levels of availability, punctuality and professionalism. Through this new partnership, we can speed up our plans to provide increased coverage for the region and respond to the digital challenges of our profession.”

Renaud Chaumt-Lagrange, director of intégral and managing director of Keolis Santé, concluded: “This partnership opens up a new avenue for our business, and consolidates our activities for the benefit of patients. Another important issue is recognising the work of ambulance drivers, who are an important link in the healthcare supply chain. Keolis Santé, in becoming a leader in health transport, can contribute to this.”