What Communauté d'Agglomération de Saintes does

Communauté d'Agglomération de Saintes, operating under the brand Saintes Grandes Rives, l'Agglo, is a French public territorial establishment (Établissement public de coopération intercommunale, EPCI) that coordinates the delivery of mandated public services across 36 communes in the Charente-Maritime department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The organisation is led by President Bruno Drapron and a Community Council of elected officials from the member communes, with a workforce of 108 employees. Its core functional remit covers economic development, urban planning, waste management, mobility, family and youth services, culture and tourism, and solidarity and health initiatives, serving residents, local businesses, tourists, and healthcare users within its territory.

The agglomeration operates a multi-service ecosystem rather than a unified product. The technology layer comprises citizen-facing digital portals — Espace Familles for family administrative procedures, Portail Écocito for waste account management, PanneauPocket for real-time citizen alerts, the Open Data Platform for territorial data publication, Loopi for sustainable tourism circuits, and the Saintes Aqueducs audioguide app for heritage tourism — alongside physical infrastructure including the Centre Aquatique Aquarelle, BUSS public transit network, Bicy's and Vélo Modalis electric bike rental programmes, and the Maison des Aqueducs heritage site. Operational partners include Ecocito (waste platform), Groupe CMP (website development), OVH (hosting), Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine (regional projects including Ferrocampus), Ville de Saintes (municipal coordination), and a coalition of environmental partners (Cyclad, CLER, Terdev) for climate initiatives.

The organisation's revenue mechanics are those of a public authority, not a commercial enterprise. Funding derives from local taxation across the 36 communes, national and regional government grants, and targeted service fees such as the redevance ordures ménagères for household waste collection. Go-to-market is non-commercial: services are distributed through physical offices at the Saintes headquarters (12 boulevard Guillet Maillet), online self-service portals, partner commune offices, France Services hubs, and direct service facilities. The organisation is not listed on any stock exchange, has no equity holders, and does not report commercial revenue; expansion is driven by capital projects (Centre de Santé Intercommunal, new swimming pool, Ferrocampus) and digital service buildout rather than market-driven growth.

Name

Communauté d'Agglomération de Saintes

Legal name

Communauté d'Agglomération de Saintes

Website

https://agglo-saintes.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

French intercommunal public authority coordinating mandated public services — economic development, urban planning, waste management, mobility, family services, healthcare, and tourism — across 36 communes in Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, serving residents, businesses, and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Administration

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Mixed-Use Community Association Management (BPAJAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Public administration services
• Municipal waste management
• Public transportation
• Urban planning services
• Family and youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saintes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Communauté d'Agglomération de Saintes is a French public inter-municipal cooperation establishment (EPCI) that delivers shared territorial services to residents, businesses, and visitors across 36 communes in the Saintes area of Charente-Maritime. Its core offerings include household waste collection and recycling, public bus transport (Réseau BUSS), cycling mobility (Bicy's), family and youth administrative services (Espace Familles, Ludothèque), an aquatic center (Centre Aquatique Aquarelle), heritage sites (Saintes Aqueducs and Maison des Aqueducs), an open-data platform, and mobile information tools (Panneau Pocket, Loopi).

Product overview

Communauté d'Agglomération de Saintes operates a comprehensive multi-service digital ecosystem serving its 36 municipalities and residents. The offering consists of citizen-facing digital portals (Espace Familles for administrative procedures, Portail Écocito for waste management), transportation services (Réseau BUSS public transit, Bicy's and Vélo Modalis bike rental programs), cultural and recreational facilities (Centre Aquatique Aquarelle, Ludothèque), open data platform, and tourism-oriented digital services (Loopi platform, Saintes Aqueducs mobile app, Maison des Aqueducs visitor center). The agglomeration also provides the Panneau Pocket citizen alert application. These services function as interconnected community infrastructure rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BUSS: Public transportation network serving the Saintes agglomeration
• Aquarelle
• France Services
• Grandes Rives Entreprises

Products and services

• Réseau BUSS Public bus transport network serving the agglomeration, providing scheduled mobility services for residents across the member communes.
• Bicy's Bicycle-sharing service offering self-service bikes to residents and visitors for short trips within the agglomeration.
• Centre Aquatique Aquarelle Public aquatic center (swimming pool complex) providing swimming, fitness, and leisure aquatic services to residents and visitors of the agglomeration.
• Espace Familles Digital portal offering family administrative services such as registration, bookings, and information for parents and guardians in the agglomeration.
• Ludothèque Public toy-lending library providing toys, games, and play resources to families and young children in the agglomeration.
• Portail Écocito Online portal providing household waste-sorting, collection-day, and recycling information for residents of the agglomeration.
• Maison des Aqueducs Visitor center and heritage site interpreting the Saintes Aqueducs, open to residents, schools, and tourists.
• Loopi Digital school-mobility service supporting pupils' travel to and from schools in the agglomeration.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered operational, strategic and core.

• Groupe CMPoperationalOthersGroupe CMP is the external partner responsible for the creation and webmarketing of the official website of Saintes Grandes Rives, l'Agglo (agglo-saintes.fr). The website development was conducted on behalf of the agglomération.
• OVHoperationalOthersOVH provides web hosting services for the agglomération's official website, ensuring online availability and infrastructure support.
• Syndicat mixte CycladstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCyclad is a partner in environmental initiatives including the citizen climate challenge (défi citoyen climat), working together on sustainable development and waste management policies across the territory.
• CLER (Réseau pour la transition énergétique)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLER participates as a partner in the citizen climate challenge initiative, contributing expertise on energy transition and climate action at the local level.
• Association TerdevstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerdev is a partner in the citizen climate challenge program, contributing to sustainable development initiatives within the agglomération's territory.
• Région Nouvelle-AquitainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe regional council collaborates with the agglomération on major projects such as Ferrocampus, demonstrating regional commitment to workforce development and industrial training infrastructure.
• Ville de SaintescoreOthersThe city of Saintes, as the main municipality within the agglomération, collaborates on various local services including bulky waste collection management (encombrants).
• EcocitooperationalTechnology or IntegrationEcocito provides the waste management digital platform enabling citizens to track waste production, manage accounts, and communicate with the waste collection service.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bordeaux Métropole: The dominant Nouvelle-Aquitaine métropole operating the same intercommunal mandate (mobility TBM, environmental services, economic development) but at materially larger scale and budget. Useful as an upper-bound benchmark.
• Nantes Métropole: Large French métropole delivering the full EPCI service portfolio (transport, waste, urban planning, culture, environment) with significantly more resources and digital-maturity investment. Useful reference for service-portfolio ambition.
• Grenoble Alpes Métropole: French métropole recognized for advanced environmental-transition, mobility, and citizen digital services — directly relevant reference for Saintes's climate, soft-mobility, and open-data initiatives at a larger scale.
• Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole: French Méditerranée métropole operating the same intercommunal service set with notable emphasis on cycling mobility, cultural programming, and environmental transition — comparable service-mix template.

Direct peers

• Limoges Métropole: Nouvelle-Aquitaine communauté d'agglomération operating the same multi-service intercommunal mandate including transport, environmental services, culture, and economic development. Larger but structurally identical.
• Grand Poitiers: Nearby Nouvelle-Aquitaine communauté d'agglomération with comparable intercommunal service portfolio across mobility, environment, family services, and economic development. Similar governance scale.
• Communauté d'Agglomération de La Rochelle: Neighboring Charente-Maritime EPCI with the same public-service mandate and overlapping tourism-heritage positioning (historic port city, cycling routes). Closest geographic and functional peer.
• Niort Agglo: Deux-Sèvres communauté d'agglomération with a similar mid-size commune footprint, delivering analogous urban planning, waste management, mobility, and family services. Same EPCI legal form and budget tier.
• Grand Angoulême: French communauté d'agglomération of comparable size in neighboring Charente, delivering the same EPCI mandate (urban planning, mobility, waste, family, culture) across a similar number of communes. Directly comparable in scale, service scope, and governance model.
• Pau Béarn Pyrénées: French communauté d'agglomération of comparable mid-size profile with similar service scope (urbanism, mobility, environment, family, culture) and tourist positioning around heritage and outdoor activities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@saintesagglo
• Facebookfacebook.com/agglosaintes
• Instagraminstagram.com/saintesgrandesriveslagglo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agglosaintes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Communauté d'Agglomération de Saintes