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On-demand ridesharing offer “MyShuttle” starts on June 9 in Ettlingen: Electric mini-buses can be ordered via KVV.mobil app

moovel (becomes REACH NOW) and the project partners present the new On-Demand Service "MyShuttle" for Ettlingen

Together with the district of Karlsruhe, the city of Ettlingen, the Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund (KVV) and the Regionalbusverkehr Südwest (RVS), moovel has announced the launch of “MyShuttle”. With the timetable change on June 9, 2019, the first on-demand ridesharing offering in the KVV network will be available. The new form of mobility will be using electric mini-buses that users can book and pay for with just a few clicks via the smartphone app “KVV.mobil”. The vehicles do not travel according to a fixed timetable, but serve about 250 virtual start and destination points within the city centre on demand. Ettlingen will initially serve as a lab for the new service until the end of 2020, which will expand and supplement the mobility offerings in the evening hours and on Sundays.

“On-demand traffic opens up a new dimension in local public transport and ensures even more and even more attractive mobility,” said Landrat Dr. Schnaudigel on June 9 at the “MyShuttle” press conference. The administrative district Karlsruhe finances the new offer, which is scientifically accompanied by the university Karlsruhe – technology and economics.

KVV is offering “MyShuttle” free of charge until the end of July 2019. “We want to give customers an attractive incentive trying out our new service and hope that many curious testers will stay with us as customers,” emphasised KVV Managing Director Dr. Alexander Pischon. “After the introductory phase, we will integrate “MyShuttle” into the regular fare system. Our customers therefore do not pay a single cent extra for a MyShuttle ride and single trip riders only pay the regular fee of 2.10 euros. This puts us right at the leading position in Germany,” Pischon stressed. In other – quite larger cities – on-demand buses cost extra. Last spring, KVV successfully tested a similar service with the tech company moovel during the IT-Trans trade fair.

“For more than two years local public transport rides, carsharing “Stadtmobil” vehicles as well as “Fächerrad” bicycles can be booked via the KVV.mobil App . “MyShuttle” is the next step in the cooperation between KVV and moovel. The app-based pooled trips are an essential part of the KVV.mobil app and thus a perfect complement to the existing local transport system,” said Ulrich Edelmann. The Chief Strategy Officer at moovel explains that the mini buses can be booked in just a few steps. And this is how it works: Within the app, the customer makes a travel request from his current location to his desired destination, for example the city train station.

Approximately 250 virtual bus stops contain all bus stops in the city centre of Ettlingen and many additionally defined spots. Safe and convenient boarding is guaranteed at all of them. If a vehicle is currently available – i.e. within the next 20 minutes – the customer is offered “MyShuttle”. The walking route to the next virtual stop, the pick-up time and the vehicle registration number of the “MyShuttle” are then displayed. If the destination is not directly at a virtual stop, the last meters to the destination are also displayed on a map. As soon as the customer books the trip for himself or for several passengers, the “MyShuttle” driver receives an order, also via app. “Our intelligent application pools travel requests with similar routes and uses the combination to create the simplest and fastest route,” explains Edelmann.

“In my opinion, on-demand takes us a big step towards smart city and is the right answer to the problems of climate change. It is great, that the first service of this kind is being tested in the KVV area in Ettlingen. “MyShuttle” is the perfect supplement to and extension of our public transport offer,” Ettlingen’s Lord Mayor Johannes Arnold looking forward to next Sunday. The mini buses can be booked from Monday to Saturday between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m.. On Sundays and public holidays the service is available from 8 a.m. to midnight.

SOURCE: moovel

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