Stuttgart makes on-demand service flexible and electric

Under the name SSB Flex 2.0, the Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen (SSB) have been gradually expanding their on-demand service since January 7, 2022. The shuttles, which operate as gap fillers between virtual stops, will soon be easier to book via the app for the visually impaired. In addition, online booking will be added. The app will also be available in English. Furthermore, the pick-up person and passengers will be able to communicate with each other like in taxis. A phone booking option is being prepared especially for seniors who are less familiar with smartphones. The introduction of barrier-free vehicles with a special booking option is also planned. By 2022, the fleet is to be expanded and converted to electrically powered minibuses of the Mercedes-Benz EQV type.

To implement these innovations, the transport company has changed partners. It is now working with the US start-up Via as a technology partner, which once also operated a now-dissolved joint venture with Mercedes-Benz Vans. The SSB Flex service has been available since June 2018, while Via has existed since 2017. Via's technology is already being used in Berlin by BVG, in Bielefeld by the MoBiel project, in Cologne by the Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe, in Lübeck, Mainz, Neumünster, Oberhausen, and Wuppertal.