ioki: Cooperation with Optibus to integrate on-demand services across Europe

Stronger together – Deutsche Bahn subsidiary ioki and the cloud-based AI platform Optibus are becoming partners to jointly accelerate the seamless integration of local and on-demand transportation in the DACH region and the rest of Europe. The cooperation is a major win for communities of all sizes, from cities to rural areas, according to the DB subsidiary. It paves the way for highly individualized, user-centered public transportation by providing an integrated platform that enables cities and transportation agencies to offer various modes and forms of transportation from a single source, ioki believes. At the same time, it offers the economies of scale resulting from the use of a holistic planning and optimization approach for multiple types of transportation services, according to both partners.

“Mobility services are successful when they are flexible and tailored to the needs of passengers. Our partnership with Optibus enables us to offer our customers an integrated approach that meets all public transportation needs – whether schedule-based or on-demand,” explains ioki Managing Director Michael Barillère-Scholz.

On-demand transportation complements fixed-route services by providing additional flexibility that meets the needs of passengers while simultaneously improving transportation quality and operational efficiency. For example, on-demand services can fill gaps in the system in suburban or rural areas, improve accessibility, or provide solutions for bridging the first and last mile.