Deutsche Bahn also wants to provide travelers with climate-friendly and attractive mobility solutions off the rails. One example of this is rural regions, where there is often a lack of flexible solutions. On-demand plays a key role there. They can usefully supplement existing structures and create connections where conventional public transport has reached its limits.
On-demand: Attractive and climate-friendly
On-demand services are flexible transport services without fixed timetables or routes. Instead, the corresponding vehicles are on call and on demand, and bookings are usually made by app or phone. An algorithm often bundles similar travel requests into carpools so that several people can use a vehicle at the same time. This pooling increases capacity utilization and avoids unnecessary empty runs.
On-demand transport can make climate-friendly public transport more attractive thanks to its flexible and tailored service and is an alternative to using a private car, especially in rural areas. In addition, e-vehicles are often used in operations and only run when they are really needed.
Smart solution for digital local transport
With ioki, Deutsche Bahn has been developing concepts for precisely such demand-oriented solutions since 2017. The central building block is the ioki platform. The smart software bundles incoming requests from customers, forms carpools and calculates the best routes. Together with local and regional transport companies, which take over operations on site, ioki develops the right digital solution for mobility services in the respective region. Whether as a feeder to the train station or as coverage for complete and partial routes: The aim is to integrate the on-demand service into the existing local public transport system. In addition to the app interface for passengers to book the service, ioki also provides the digital solution for operational planning and processing in the background and supplies the algorithm.
Hop-on hop-off in Hamburg
One example of the successful integration of on-demand services into public transport through a cooperation between ioki and regional transport companies is hvv hop. An accessible shuttle was integrated into the Hamburg Transport Association (HVV) as a mean of public transport without a fixed timetable or route. This on-demand service can be booked via an app (powered by ioki). The pooling algorithm bundles the requests into carpools. Owners of an HVV ticket can use it for a small charge. This intelligent mobility service reduces traffic on the roads and helps the environment. The on-demand project was awarded with the German Transport Transition Prize in 2022.
On-demand at Lake Chiemsee
"Rosi" is also a flexible on-demand service without a fixed timetable that operates in communities in Chiemgau. Rides can be booked conveniently by app or phone. The on-demand software from ioki calculates the optimal route for each journey and the electric vehicles from DB Regio, some of which are barrier-free, take passengers to their destination stop. Payment is based on a zone tarif that depends on the distance traveled. Rosi can therefore be used for both everyday journeys and excursions.
