(Stormarn, November 18, 2020) Environmentally friendly shuttle service powered by ioki and Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH) strengthens public transport in the Stormarn region • Mobility analysis by ioki shows: on-demand offer improves commuter's everyday mobility • Region Brunsbek/Lütjensee/Trittau will be better connected within the scope of a funding project • Fleet of four electric vehicles to start in December

The environmentally friendly on-demand service run by the DB subsidiary ioki and the Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH) has already established itself in Hamburg as a solid mobility component. From mid-December onwards, passengers in the Stormarn district will be able to book the electric shuttles flexibly via the “ioki Hamburg” app or by telephone for the first time. ioki has performed a mobility analysis to determine exactly where the shuttles will be used. In addition to environmental aspects, commuter flows and mobility behaviour in the communities were evaluated.  

The data-based analysis of around 600,000 routes in the region shows: As few as four vehicles in the Stormarn district can create great added value for everyday mobility. The highest potential for the demand-oriented offer lies in the districts of Brunsbek, Großensee, Lütjensee, Trittau, Rausdorf and the village of Granderheide. The shuttles will not only link these places more strongly together, but also connect them more closely to the Hamburg metropolitan region. ioki’s mobility analysis also took into account the commuter stops Trittau-Vorburg, Stapelfeld, Neuschönningstedt-Haidkrug, Willinghusen-Kehre and Großlohe in the traffic planning, in order to close the first and last mile gap in this specific area. For the on-demand service, barrier-free electric vehicles with six seats each are used.  

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to test two on-demand projects in the Stormarn district with the Reallabor Hamburg. This is an important step in a hopefully future-proof concept to further improve the networking of mobility services between rural and urban areas,” says District Administrator Dr. Henning Görtz. 

“Thanks to the improved connection of the Brunsbek/Lütjensee/Trittau region to the city of Hamburg, the new on-demand service will especially benefit commuters. Based on our mobility analysis, we have developed a transport offer that takes into account the needs of local passengers,” explains Dr. Michael Barillère-Scholz, Managing Director of ioki.

The new service, which is being launched in cooperation with Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH) and Süderelbe AG, will initially operate for a limited period of time until the end of 2021. The shuttle service will be integrated into the HVV tariff and will include a comfort surcharge of one euro per trip.  

From December 13, 2020 on, the electrically operated shuttles will not only start in the Brunsbek/Lütjensee/Trittau region in the Stormarn district, but also in Ahrensburg and Winsen/Luhe. These three test regions are being funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) as part of the “RealLabHH” project. The goal is to test on-demand services in the Hamburg area that are designed to strengthen public transport.