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- Themes
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Local public transport & mobility services
Design the urban mobility of the future
The urban mobility of the future will be multimodal, digitally connected, sustainable, efficient – and, above all, simple and affordable. It contributes to creating more human-scale cities through a positive modal shift. Given the high levels of congestion, emissions and noise pollution, this has a direct and tangible effect on the urban quality of life.
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, sustainable 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.
Transport planning: cooperation is called for when seeking solutions
The basic provision of public mobility is transforming with technological change and the needs of society. 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 surrounding rural areas still all too 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 and carefree mobility: the classic model of motorised individual transport stands at one pole, with flexible mobility services at the other. Central booking options on mobile apps and mobility stations at nodal points of local public transport enable straightforward changes between integrated means of transport – whether train, bus, bike, car sharing, electric scooter or electric bike. In this way, the optimum mode of transport is provided for every journey. This enhances the 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 offering of services. 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 in the future. Which ideas will catch on with the public in future, and which ones won’t?
Public mobility will face many challenges in future: it must provide a convenient, personal means of transit 24/7 in urban environments, yet it must also be sustainable, comfortable 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 providers 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 even remotely assessed. Do new mobility services such as car sharing actually reduce car traffic – or are they cannibalising existing, sustainable local public transport?
Local public transport and alternative mobility services have one thing in common: their funding must be ensured. 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 even those who don’t (yet) use these offerings also contribute to their funding? But above all, how should ticketing, payment and billing be managed?
Alternative offerings for the 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 people in the city and in rural areas, but also to activate local authorities themselves to step forward as potential operators of such offerings. 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.
