Shortlist 2023
DB Rad+
DB Rad+
Thanks to “DB Rad+,” cycling now has double and triple benefits. With the app, you can track bike routes and use the kilometers you’ve ridden as currency at local businesses and with Deutsche Bahn (DB). The app also accumulates all the kilometers ridden in a communal account. When reaching specific milestones, there are rewards that benefit everyone. For example, DB opened a bike repair station in Hamburg or hosted a bike washing day in Wiesbaden. So, cycling is not just for personal benefit – every kilometer also counts for the community. Users can also donate their cycling data to the municipality. Municipalities can use a specially developed analysis tool to identify cycling hotspots and gain additional insights for traffic planning.
Location: Frankfurt am Main (Hessen)
Project Website Project WebsiteKIMONO-EF
KIMONO-EF
The KIMONO-EF project aims to enhance the safety and comfort of mobility-impaired individuals. It focuses on intersections with traffic lights and public transportation crossings, which are equipped with various sensors such as infrared, radar, and Lidar. When the system detects individuals with disabilities at these locations, it may extend the green light duration or prompt public transportation vehicles to wait. This is done automatically, without discrimination, and regardless of the time of day or weather conditions, thanks to artificial intelligence techniques. This project enables social inclusion for individuals who would otherwise rely too often on assistance and motorized individual transportation.
Location: Erfurt (Thuringia)
Project Website Project WebsiteMobileCityGame
MobileCityGame
Fundamental decisions in mobility planning are often made in municipalities based on gut feelings. The MobileCity app aims to change that. It makes the core functions of complex traffic models accessible – intuitively, like a game. Using the example of Karlsruhe, the app allows users to dynamically experience the effects and dependencies of various interventions in urban traffic on climate, quality of life, and finances up to 2050. These factual future scenarios are intended to make debates more vivid and informed, facilitate public participation, and support education at universities and colleges. The app is based on scientific simulation and analysis models, expert knowledge, and data from the city of Karlsruhe and is the only one in the world that runs a complete local traffic model on digital devices.
Location: Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg)
Project Website Project WebsiteHEAL – Highly Automated – Socially Oriented – Demand-Driven – Rural
HEAL – Highly Automated – Socially Oriented – Demand-Driven – Rural
The town of Bad Birnbach, with its 5,800 residents spread across 70 square kilometers and 85 districts, sees a conventional bus service passing through only every few hours. However, by introducing two fully automated electric minibusses, they have managed to provide a service that effectively connects essential destinations such as cultural, sports, and healthcare facilities according to demand for both residents and visitors of the spa town. The shuttles can be summoned to one of 20 virtual stops via a mobile app or by phone. The project’s goal is to create mobility for all, with a strong focus on vehicle accessibility and reducing the first and last-mile challenge, and accompanying research primarily addresses public health issues.
Location: Bad Birnbach (Bavaria)
Project Website Project WebsiteLastMileCityLab Bruchsal
LastMileCityLab Bruchsal
The LastMileCityLab in Bruchsal originated from the desire to alleviate inner cities from the increasing delivery traffic. Six years and numerous milestones later, the logistics system efeuLog is being tested. It includes a neighborhood depot, autonomously driving delivery robots, and an app for the fine distribution of packages to recipients. The LastMileCityLab, a real-world laboratory for logistics and transportation on the last and penultimate mile, will go even further: In addition to mobile package stations and new robot vehicles, heavy-duty drones will be used to transport packages from transfer points on the highway to the neighborhood depot. In parallel, an academy is being established to share expertise and support municipalities and industry in finding solutions for urban logistics.
Location: Bruchsal (Baden-Württemberg)
Project Website Project WebsiteuRyde
uRyde
The workplace is a central mobility point for many people, promising significant mobility synergies. With uRyde, one of the leading mobility platforms, these synergies can be harnessed. uRyde combines inter-employer ridesharing, public transport connections, company and shuttle buses, charging and parking management, as well as a mobility budget in a single mobility app. uRyde launched in May 2022 in the Nuremberg metropolitan region. Currently, more than 40 companies, including Siemens, adidas, Schaeffler, and PUMA, as well as universities and cities, are part of this new sustainable corporate mobility initiative. Over 180,000 people in the metropolitan region have access to the app and are reducing CO2 emissions. The goal is to expand this concept to additional regions.
Location: Nürnberg (Bavaria)
Project Website Project WebsiteNew Replacement Transport – Getting to Your Destination Easily and Comfortably
New Replacement Transport – Getting to Your Destination Easily and Comfortably
Replacement rail services don’t have a good reputation. However, they are becoming increasingly important as the German Railway (Deutsche Bahn) is modernizing its rail network to an unprecedented extent. During the sometimes months-long general renovations, passengers have to switch to buses. To avoid losing too many customers and jeopardizing the shift towards sustainable transportation, DB has designed a new, needs-oriented replacement service – and has already implemented it between Nuremberg and Würzburg. The New Replacement Transport relies on intuitive signage, real-time information, and a live map. Modern buses offer high comfort with features such as Wi-Fi, USB charging options, onboard restrooms for longer journeys, and even the ability to carry bicycles for commuters.
Location: Frankfurt am Main (Hessen)
Project Website Project Website
SIMO – Mobility Simulator for Wheelchair Users
SIMO – Mobility Simulator for Wheelchair Users
Ordering a wheelchair today, even if it’s a custom-made one, typically doesn’t allow users to try it out or test it in advance. That’s where SIMO comes in: Thanks to this innovative simulator, users can experience their future wheelchair in advance and try it out in a virtual environment. Initially, the individual is measured precisely on the simulator, and then the device is adjusted accordingly to match the final product. The test drive serves not only for familiarization but also for video analysis of movement, seating position, and anatomy. Adjustments are made to make it fit perfectly. The product improves quality of life and prevents health problems that can arise from poor posture.
Location: Colmberg (Bavaria/Bayern)
Project Website Project WebsiteVBB Easy
VBB Easy
Special Olympics, special App: For the Special Olympics World Games 2023 in Berlin, the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB) has released the “VBB easy” routing app. It is designed for people with learning disabilities or mobility limitations – and for anyone who desires an exceptionally user-friendly app for planning routes with buses and trains. The app is presented in simple language and is easy to understand intuitively. The schedule information shows barrier-free routes. This offering is complemented by the “VBB GuideMeGo” app, which provides live video assistance on the go. Both apps simplify access to self-determined mobility and promote an inclusive society.
Location: Berlin (Berlin)
Project Website Project Website
Mobility Station Bachplätzchen – Düsseldorf's Success Model for Urban and Connected Mobility
Mobility Station Bachplätzchen – Düsseldorf's Success Model for Urban and Connected Mobility
The Mobility Station Bachplätzchen is a prime example of transforming a car-dominated intersection into a multi-functional, safe, and livable space for the future. Bicycles, scooters, mopeds, cargo bikes, and electric cars are all available for easy, fast, and cost-effective rental at the Mobility Station. The double-decker bicycle storage facility promotes mobility with personal bikes, and the cargo bike vending machine is particularly beneficial for families. Sustainable materials, local production and supply chains, and energy self-sufficiency through photovoltaics complete the concept. Benches, greenery, and de-paved areas, along with the outdoor seating of the kiosk, enhance the local quality of life.
Location: Düsseldorf (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Project Website Project WebsiteRegional Carpooling as an Integration in Public Transportation – A Case Study from Bonn
Regional Carpooling as an Integration in Public Transportation – A Case Study from Bonn
An unusual pairing: The goFLUX carpooling app connects traditional public transportation with motorized individual traffic (MIV) by making available empty seats in carpooling arrangements for public transportation. The unused resources of MIV are enormous: 70 percent of people commute to work by their own car, with nearly all of them traveling alone. Carpooling, on the other hand, is efficient, sustainable, and helps better connect suburban and rural areas. The carpooling app calculates the best route based on Google Maps, automatically matches drivers and passengers, and provides real-time public transportation data to facilitate transfers to buses and trains for the first or last mile. Anyone with a public transportation subscription can use carpooling services for free.
Location: Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Project Website Project Websitesprinti – The Unique On-Demand Service for Suburban Areas
sprinti – The Unique On-Demand Service for Suburban Areas
The on-demand service sprinti covers areas in the Hannover region that are not served by regular bus routes, operating from early morning until late evening. sprinti enables flexible and demand-responsive mobility in rural areas. Booking is done through the sprinti app. Its algorithm checks if there are comparable regular bus connections – if not, it calculates the optimal route to transport multiple passengers to their respective destinations in the shortest time possible. Passengers then wait for a maximum of 20 minutes and walk a maximum of 150 meters to the virtual bus stop. A standard public transportation ticket is sufficient for the ride, with no additional charge. The vehicles are wheelchair accessible, and after registration, passengers can bring items such as walkers, bicycles, strollers, and child seats are also available.
Hannover (Lower Saxony)
Project Website Project Website
The DMP | Audience Award is decided solely by the public. The Audience Award shows what citizens think is most important for the future of mobility. The DMP | Audience Award goes to the project that receives the most votes in the live voting during the award ceremony on 30 November 2023.
