CleverShuttle/ioki: On-Demand Service in Aschaffenburg

The two Deutsche Bahn mobility subsidiaries CleverShuttle and ioki have launched the on-demand service "City-Shuttle" on behalf of the Aschaffenburg municipal utilities in cooperation. In the implementation of the new transport offer, they jointly cover the entire value chain for on-demand traffic. CleverShuttle is responsible for operational operations, while ioki provides the intelligent platform technology for the traffic. The new service transports passengers on demand and without a fixed timetable throughout the entire city area, operating on Sundays and public holidays between 6 a.m. and 1 a.m. The aim is to provide more mobility even outside the regular operating hours of public transportation.

"City-Shuttle illustrates the strength of on-demand traffic as a sensible complement to the existing public transport: at off-peak times, such as weekends or public holidays when the public transport offer is often thinned out, they create a reliable and safe travel service that operates efficiently on demand and transports people almost door-to-door," promotes CleverShuttle CEO and co-founder, Bruno Ginnuth.

Three minibusses are used for the new on-demand traffic. Operator CleverShuttle provides an electrically powered vehicle of the Nissan brand, model eNV200 Evalia. The Aschaffenburg municipal utilities contribute two combustion-engine vehicles from Mercedes and Volkswagen. Each vehicle offers space for up to six passengers. Due to the corona pandemic, the number of passengers is initially limited to a maximum of four people per vehicle. As an operator, CleverShuttle is responsible for the entire operational implementation of the traffic - from data-based deployment planning to controlling live operations and managing driving staff.

Intelligent algorithm forms ride-sharing groups

ioki, in turn, provides both the app for passengers and the app for shuttle drivers. Together with the control center, where the Aschaffenburg municipal utilities can manage the service, they form the digital operating system for "City-Shuttle". Passengers should be able to book rides up to ten minutes before departure or a maximum of 72 hours in advance via the "City-Shuttle" app. An intelligent algorithm aims to form "ride-sharing groups" among passengers with similar start and end locations to better utilize the vehicles and relieve local traffic.

"Together with the Aschaffenburg municipal utilities and CleverShuttle, we are showing how public transport can become a real alternative to private cars," says Benjamin Pfeifer, Chief Commercial Officer and member of the management board at ioki.

In the Aschaffenburg city area, "City-Shuttle" serves a dense network of over 300 physical and virtual stops. This means that the next stop is always only a few hundred meters away. Passengers are directed to their respective boarding stop directly in the "City-Shuttle" app.

Continued collaboration

With the new on-demand service in Aschaffenburg, the DB subsidiaries are continuing their cooperation to realize integrated mobility concepts. Currently, they are working together on five ongoing on-demand traffics in Germany, including four traffics in the major project "OnDeMo" controlled by the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, from which up to 1.8 million people in the Rhine-Main region benefit. With more than six years of experience in comprehensive coverage with on-demand traffic, CleverShuttle focuses on operational operations.

As the leading platform provider for digital mobility in the DACH region, ioki provides the intelligent platform technology for on-demand traffic. Additionally, the software specialist supports detailed mobility analyses in advance for the planning of new mobility offers in line with the existing system. The joint vision is to make public transport comprehensively attractive with flexible on-demand traffic. Over the past three years, the DB subsidiaries have already realized around 330 on-demand traffics nationwide and transported seven million passengers, according to an interim report.