S.They are called “Hoppers” or “Colibri” and they come when they are called: minibuses that today pass through seven municipalities in the Rhine-Main area. These are “on demand” offers that go beyond the strict route plans and can be ordered by phone or app. The Offenbach district started in the summer of 2019. By the end of the year, the number of areas is expected to rise to nine: at the end of September, “Siggi” in Kelsterbach and “DadiLiner” in Darmstadt – Dieburg district will be added in the month. of November.
The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) has so far recorded more than 200,000 trips and more than 50,000 registered customers. This is more than expected, says spokesperson Vanessa Rehermann. If the offer is evaluated, there is an average of 4.9 out of 5 possible stars. The “on demand” expansion was announced at the end of 2020, is carried out under the auspices of the RMV and with a federal funding of 27 million euros.
Mostly electric minibuses are part of the local public transport system. However, passengers must pay a supplement on the ticket. If there are other travel requests on the route, more passengers get on. The “HeinerLiner” runs in Darmstadt, the “Emil” in Taunusstein, the “Knut” in Frankfurt, the “LahnStar” in Limburg and the “Colibri” in Hofheim. The “Mainer” started in Hanau for the first time in July.
The Offenbach district has recently expanded the area of its “Hopper”. Six municipalities have been added, says the managing director of the Offenbach district public transport company (kvgOF), Andreas Maatz. There are now nine municipalities in total – out of a total of 13 in the district, the largest “on demand” offering in the RMV. From next summer, the “Hopper” should be available throughout the resort.
The goal is to enable people to be mobile even without their cars, says Maatz. Particularly in demand are trips to the train station. The successes achieved so far have shown that the offer must be continued even after the end of the federal funding, which expires at the end of 2024.
The offer is also growing in the north of Frankfurt: “Knut” should run 24 hours a day given the growth in numbers in other parts of the city and on weekends. In a pilot project, autonomous vehicles will also be sent from the end of 2023, Darmstadt and the Offenbach district want to try it out. Initially, the drivers should still be behind the wheel, who can intervene if necessary.
Mobility expert Petra Schäfer at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences describes “on demand” systems as a good alternative to shared buses and taxis in areas or times when demand is low, for example for fine distribution at a terminus or in areas that are between local public transport lines.
“If we want to achieve the turnaround of traffic, we need to make the public transport offer more attractive and” on demand “systems are an important contribution to this. From my point of view, excellent communication is important to inform potential passengers on offer and access, “explains the professor. He believes it is realistic that autonomous shuttles can be used in the future.
The North Hessian Transport Association (NVV) continues to develop its range of collective call taxis (AST) in terms of “on demand”. Spokeswoman Sabine Herms refers, for example, to the “Mobilfalt” project in the district of Werra-Meißner, where private drivers can also offer paid transport options. You will receive a mileage allowance of 30 cents. For passengers it costs one euro. In another project in Melsungen, over the past two years, untimed collective taxis have been combined with electric city buses for the past two years.
–
