Local public transport & mobility services

Attractive options for alternative mobility

Tomorrow’s urban mobility will be multimodal, digitally connected, sustainable, efficient – and, above all, simple and affordable. It is contributing to creating more human-scale cities through the positive modal shift. Given the high levels of congestion, emissions and noise pollution, this has a direct and tangible effect on quality of life in urban society.

Pioneering technologies, concepts and business models are merging to create a new idea of being on the move in urban spaces, challenging traditional structures and opening up new business models. The key to efficient, sustainable and shared mobility lies in intermodality: it combines existing public transport and innovative mobility alternatives into a diverse network that can be flexibly combined.

Transport planning: cooperation is needed to find solutions

Theme Local public transport & mobility services | polisMOBILITY

Groundbreaking technologies, concepts and business models are converging into a new idea of mobility in urban space. They are challenging established structures and opening up new business models. The key to an efficient, “clean” and shared mobility lies in its intermodality: It unites existing means of public transport and innovative mobility alternatives in a diversified network that can be flexibly combined. The essential provision of public mobility is transforming with technological change and society’s needs. Booking platforms for smart, intermodal connections should offer real alternatives to the car – but they also call for a new dovetailing of supply chains and market logics. A new way of thinking that transcends former boundaries is needed: Cities and their surrounding regions still often do not see commuting as a joint problem whose impact they can manage only by adopting cooperative solutions. polisMOBILITY reveals the intersections between these issues and supports stakeholders in building future-proof alliances.

Innovative solutions for private & public transport

Seamless, carefree mobility: The conventional model of the private vehicle stands at one pole, with flexible mobility services at the other. Central booking options on mobile apps and mobility stations at nodal points in the local public transport network enable straightforward changes between integrated means of transport – train, bus, bike, car sharing, electric scooter or electric bike. In this way, the optimum mode of transport is provided for every journey, thereby enhancing quality of life in the city. Multimodal, connected mobility services can be expanded with innovative solutions for private and public transport: In many cities, water buses, cable cars or suspension railways complement the services provided locally. Visionary concepts even expand the spectrum with air and water taxis and hyperloops. It will be exciting to see which services and solutions will prove to be market-relevant. Which ideas will catch on with the public, and which ones won’t?

Public mobility faces many challenges: It must provide a convenient, personal means of transit 24/7 in urban environments – yet it must also be sustainable and affordable. Only attractive offerings that are tailored to transport participants’ needs will achieve widespread acceptance.

Mobility as a service

Mobility as a service (MaaS) or mobility on demand (MoD) in the form of sharing and pooling offerings may be growing considerably, but these services also call for municipal regulation and planning. How public space is treated as a marketplace is a question for debate, and the long-term impact of new services has not yet been assessed. Do new mobility services such as car sharing actually reduce car traffic – or are they cannibalising existing environmentally friendly local public transport services?

Local public transport and alternative mobility services have one thing in common: Their funding must be secured. This raises numerous questions: Is the provision of public mobility or other mobility services an essential public service? Do these services have to be cost-covering or even generate a profit? Or should those who don’t use these offerings (yet) also contribute to their funding? But above all: How should ticketing, payment and billing be managed?

Alternative offers for urban transport of the future

At polisMOBILITY, stakeholders and experts come together to seek answers to these questions. Their aim is to find intelligent compromises for cities and regions, but also to inspire local authorities to step forward as the potential operators of such services. It is imperative here to create a viable balance between public space and market space and to identify the requirements that future transport service providers must meet.