Volkswagen is Betting on It
MOIA recently purchased the mobility app Split, which has been present in the DC area for a little over a year, but ceased to operate in October due to
funding issues. The Split app is an innovative ride matching software package that helped drivers pick up multiple riders and find the shortest distance to their multiple destinations.
MOIA, a mobility company in the Volkswagen Group (VW), and Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HOCHBAHN) are jointly working on the development of a new and environmentally friendly mobility service for Hamburg. As part of this project, an on-demand shuttle service with electric vehicles is set to go into operation in 2018. This service will supplement the public transport network and represent an attractive alternative to travelling by car.
Passengers will be able to book the service via the app on their smartphone by entering their location and destination. Split will serve as the basis for this service. The MOIA shuttle will then fulfil the journey requests of passengers who are travelling in a similar direction. An algorithm will combine these requests, plan the route and calculate the journey duration and arrival times for each individual passenger.
The planned integration into HOCHBAHN’s platform will add a new and environmentally friendly shared mobility solution to the current range of car-sharing vehicles and rental bikes that can be booked online. The new mobility service in Hamburg will be fully financed by MOIA and run using the company’s own vehicles and drivers. To this end, MOIA is currently developing a vehicle for up to six passengers that will be powered only by
electricity and thus completely emission-free.
The aim is to roll out the service with around 200 electric shuttle vehicles in Hamburg in 2018 following a successful test run. A further expansion of the fleet is planned for 2019. After its successful introduction in Hamburg, MOIA plans to launch the service in other cities.
According to Ole Harms, MOIA’s CEO: “Last year, the Volkswagen Group and the city of Hamburg established the first strategic mobility partnership aimed at making urban mobility in Hamburg safer, more environmentally friendly, more reliable and more efficient. MOIA’s on-demand shuttle will be an important milestone in this partnership.” Unfortunately for DC area residents, MOIA has no immediate plans to place services here in the
near future.