DALLI Storkow: On-Demand shuttles to also transport cargo

With the advertising foil wrap "DALLI – Dein Brandenbus" (DALLI – Your Brandenbus), two electrically powered minibuses have been operating on-demand in the small town of Storkow, Brandenburg, since early April. They offer four to six seats and barrier-free transport for passengers in wheelchairs. This, like the 320 stops spaced every 200 meters in residential areas, is not fundamentally new. What is new, however, is that the vehicles are also intended to transport goods from local businesses simultaneously with passenger transport. Deliveries of groceries, meals, documents, medications, or bicycles are planned.

The small town has around 9,300 inhabitants and consists of 14 districts, which together cover an area of 180 square kilometers. The on-demand service can be booked by app or phone from Monday to Friday between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Advance booking up to seven days in advance is also possible. The tariff of the Berlin-Brandenburg transport association is charged for the rides, and no surcharge is applied. The project is funded by the state of Brandenburg and the Oder-Spree district until 2025. It is scheduled to be expanded by a third vehicle in July 2022. An extension to Bad Saarow is planned for the summer.

The operator of the "DALLI" project is MWM Solutions GmbH from Berlin, whose managing directors are Albrecht Winkelmann and Jannis Mossmann. According to its homepage, the company originated from providing transport services for large events. They work with their own software, and on-demand ride-pooling is described as their "newest baby". A reference to collaboration with leading providers in ride pooling suggests that the DALLI project likely uses software from other specialized providers.