Kassel, Holzkirchen, Augsburg and the district of Offenbach – four on-demand services support public transport in Germany since the beginning of September. ioki, Deutsche Bahn’s independent business segment for digital mobility, provides the on-demand technology for the flexible dial-a-bus services, which can be ordered via app. The shuttles do not drive on fixed routes but operate according to the demand of the passengers. An algorithm developed by ioki aggregates multiple ride requests and calculates, through the so-called ridepooling, the ideal route. This strengthens the local transport on the first and last mile and encourages more and more people to make a sustainable switch to public transport.
kvgOF-Hopper in the district of Offenbach: More communities, more mobility
Since the 1st of September, kvgOF-Hopper, the successful on-demand service in the district of Offenbach, operates in nine communities. The flexible and popular transportation service significantly expands its service area and improves the public transport in the region. ioki and CleverShuttle implement the flexible on-demand service for kvgOF together, which is part of the joint project of RMV, the Rhine-Main transport authority. (More information can be found here).
Schaddel in Kassel: For night owls and commuters
Schaddel is the name of the new on-demand shuttle service in Kassel, a city about 200 kilometres north of Frankfurt. From now on the shuttles are supposed to flexibly transport night lovers and commuting employees to their destination. The 14 fully electric minibuses ensure mobility for the local people from midnight until the early morning hours. Without a fixed schedule, the shuttles complement the public transport precisely when only a few or no buses and trains are running. To get to their destination, passengers can use the user-friendly app to choose between different virtual stops. In charge of operation is CleverShuttle, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn. (Please read the official press release here.)
Hoki in Holzkirchen: Flexible bus on-demand
From now on citizens of the Bavarian community Holzkirchen can board the wheelchair accessible “Hoki-Shuttles”. They replace two rarely used local bus lines and complement the existing regular service. Via app or telephone, passengers can order a shuttle and will be collected from 150 locations in the municipal district. ioki provides the technology for this service, including the app for the passenger, the pooling algorithm as well as the control centre for the operator. Omobi operates the minibuses on behalf of the community of Holzkirchen. (More information on the city’s website here.)
Swaxi in Augsburg: mobility service on the weekends
Augsburg is also relying on the on-demand technology powered by ioki. On Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm till 5am passengers can use the flexible ridepooling service by the city’s municipal utilities company (Stadtwerke Augsburg). Together with car- and rides-haring, Swaxi complements the classic public transport system in the Bavarian metropolitan city. With the ridepooling service Stadtwerke Augsburg continues to provide sustainable mobility. (Here you can find additional information.)
