/ Reading: 3 min.

24. Gen 2023
/ Germany
What is… a mobility guarantee?  
A mobility guarantee is
1) a voluntary service provided by transport companies for delayed means of transport  

2) an increased expansion of public transport services to achieve the climate targets  

1) Many transport companies offer their passengers voluntary mobility guarantees. This means that if a bus or train is delayed, by 10, 15 or 20 minutes or more at the departure stop, passengers can use alternative means of transport or receive a pro-rata refund of the fare. The amount of the refund and from which minute of delay this voluntary “mobility guarantee” takes effect is determined by the transport companies in their tariff and transport regulations. In addition, the European provisions on statutory passenger rights in rail transport apply.

Examples of a voluntary mobility guarantee: The RMV 10-minute guarantee, the mobility promise and mobility guarantee of the Braunschweiger Verkehrs GmbH or also the NRW mobility guarantee.

2) But: Mobility guarantee can also mean that federal states commit to provide their population with a public transport service within a certain period. In this case, a mobility guarantee means obligatory or targeted minimum service standards for public transport – in terms of quality and availability.

Examples of a political mobility guarantee:
According to a guideline of the federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, “all places (built-up areas) in the conurbations are reliably connected at least every 15 minutes and in rural areas every 30 minutes at the usual service times”.

In Hamburg, the market share of public transport is to increase to 30 percent by 2030. To ensure that more people switch to public transport, the so-called Hamburg-Takt is linked to the project: By 2030, every person in Hamburg should be able to reach a public transport offer with optimal service and high quality within five minutes from morning to evening.

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Mobility on holiday – first & last mile in tourist regions

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Holidays without mobility are only possible on staycations, because no matter whether it’s a day trip, an annual holiday or a long-term trip: Travelling means being mobile. In order to achieve the climate protection goals and to advance the traffic turnaround, tourist traffic should also be critically examined, because Germans like to travel a lot.

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What is … level 1-5 of autonomous driving?  

What is … level 1-5 of autonomous driving?  

Autonomous driving has been considered one of the major trends in the mobility industry for years. According to a representative survey conducted by the digital association Bitkom in 2021, 99.8 percent of respondents can imagine using an autonomous means of transport*. But what does it actually mean when car manufacturers send the first systems for highly automated driving on the road at level 3 and level 4 autonomous shuttles reinforce public transport in Germany on demand from 2023 onwards?    

What is… a local public transport plan?   

What is… a local public transport plan?   

A local public transport plan is a planning instrument in which all performance and quality criteria for the operation of local public transport in an area are acquired. The local transport plan analyses the existing mobility offer and serves as a guideline for the future development of local mobility.