ioki, the software company for intelligent on-demand mobility of Deutsche Bahn, and the Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH) are continuing their cooperation for on-demand mobility. Under the new name hvv hop, around 40 on-demand shuttles have been serving 450 stops in Harburg, the Stormarn district and the Segeberg district since Monday, 2 January 2023. From April 2023, the service area of hvv hop in Harburg will also be expanded to include Marmsdorf, Eißendorf and Heimfeld. ioki GmbH provides the digital platform technology and the app for the services. The Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH) will operate the flexible mobility service in the tariff area of the Hamburg Transport Association (HVV).
Over 860,000 passengers since 2018
Since its launch in July 2018, the technology-supported ride service has established itself under the name ioki Hamburg. Until now more than 860,000 passengers have travelled with the shuttles of the first public transport service of this kind in Germany. Passengers appreciate the time saved and the convenience of the service due to fewer transfers and flexible booking.
Over 80 percent of passengers use the on-demand shuttles every day to get to the next public transport service such as suburban trains, metro or bus. They are supported by the ioki platform technology: in the app on-demand shuttles and travel options by bus and train are displayed together. The app developed by ioki displays the connections and guides users on foot to the entry and exit points. This is well received: the app is rated with 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Flexible public transport via app
Now the service is being continued under the name hvv hop. The principle remains the same: existing ioki Hamburg and future hvv hop users can order the vehicles via app. Simply select your starting point and destination and you will receive the appropriate journey offer at the hvv fare plus a comfort surcharge. The ioki algorithm combines several ride requests in the background (so-called ridepooling) and creates the optimal route for all.
Dr. Lorenz Kasch, Managing Director of VHH: «Together, VHH and ioki have shown how modern, sustainable, comfortable public transport can work. Our «ioki Hamburg» project has won several awards and has changed the mobility habits of numerous users in the Hamburg metropolitan region. I am pleased that, together with ioki, we are continuing to promote and expand the project under a new name and in partly new service areas in the city and the surrounding area».
Dr. Michael Barillère-Scholz, Managing Director of ioki GmbH: «Especially in rural regions, citizens benefit from the innovative and flexible service. We are pleased that, together with VHH and our software, we are continuing to help people be mobile without their own cars. Attractive public transport, accessibility and climate protection thus go hand in hand.»
On-demand transport for needs-based and sustainable mobility
Since its introduction, the service in Hamburg has been regarded as a flagship project for on-demand and sustainable mobility in Germany. The selection of the original service areas was based on an analysis of demographic data and the mobility needs of the population. In this way, specific areas were identified where equitable, barrier-free mobility will have the greatest impact. The flexible and barrier-free shuttles are a particular gain for people with limited mobility. An analysis by ioki in 2020 showed that on-demand shuttles can save 6.5 million kilometres and thus a thousand tonnes of CO2 that would otherwise have been travelled by private car.
photo credit of the original: © VHH / Wolfgang Köhler
Milestones ioki Hamburg
