Data-driven mobility projects & agile transport planning
Dear Ms. Zahnwetzer, as Head of Mobility Consulting at the DB subsidiary ioki, you advise cities, municipalities and public authorities on how to implement and continuously develop data-driven mobility projects. Where are the greatest needs here and what is particularly important in agile transport planning?
Tanja Zahnwetzer: I see the greatest needs in rural areas: mobility must not be urban . Everyone, regardless of where they live, should have access to sufficient public transport services to reduce the need for private cars. Only in this way can we convince more people to switch from private cars to public transport and achieve the mobility turnaround in the long term. At the same time, the transport offer may or should differ depending on the local characteristics of each region (type of area, settlement structure, etc.) in order to be able to respond to the needs of the population in a demand-oriented manner. Area transportation, such as on-demand, is a good way to supplement public transportation in a meaningful way, especially in suburban and rural areas.
As far as agile transportation planning is concerned, it can be observed that our world is changing faster and faster, and thus the needs of the population are also constantly changing. Transportation planning today is still often a very static long-term process that is mostly supply-driven. It has often been used to try to influence people's journeys by means of an offer in such a way that traffic behavior changes. But as we all know, people rarely behave the way you want them to. Many reasons, often very subjective, influence the choice of transportation or the route I want to take. However, the digital world and the multitude of data we now have access to as transportation planners allow us to get a much more comprehensive picture of the population's realized mobility behavior than just through surveys or censuses. This allows us to focus more on people's needs and to plan transportation services based on demand. Agile transport planning allows optimal detailed planning of new and existing mobility offers based on actual demand.
Analysis on the quality of public transport services
In 2021, ioki published an analysis on the quality of public transport services in Germany that caused a stir in the media and mobility industry. Can you briefly elaborate on the key findings of this study? [Editor's note: Ms. Zahnwetzer provides further insights into the study in her presentation at CoSMoS]
Tanja Zahnwetzer: We know that over 90 percent of Germans believe that their quality of life would be better if they were no longer dependent on the car. However, over 50 percent of all daily trips are made by car. We therefore asked ourselves why so few people give up their cars, even though the willingness is there, and conducted a data-based analysis of the quality of public transportation (ÖV) in Germany. In essence, the study provided the following main findings:
1. The quality of conventional public transport services decreases sharply from urban to rural regions:
Almost 94 percent of the population (equivalent to almost 52 million inhabitants in urban regions and 27 million in rural areas) can easily reach a public transport stop on foot. So overall access is high. However, when the quality of service is added, there is a clear difference between urban and rural areas: 90 percent of the population in urban areas have an hourly service in each direction, but only 63 percent in rural areas. Thus, only 20 percent of German municipalities have an attractive and comprehensive public transport offer - these 20 percent are mostly located in urban areas.
2. New mobility offers (e.g. e-scooters, bikesharing, etc.) are mainly located in densely populated areas.) are located primarily in densely populated urban areas:
Over 80 percent of major German cities have at least two new mobility offerings , in rural areas this applies to less than one percent of municipalities. The number of existing means of transport also shows that about 90 percent of vehicles (car sharing, E-scooters , bikesharing) are placed in large cities. New mobility offers should make local transport in rural areas suitable for everyday use and attractive.
3. There is a clear correlation between the quality of public transport services and car use:
The more rural an area, the longer the distances and the more often the car is used. But even if dispersed settlement structures play an important role in the high car use, the lack of alternatives seems to be the decisive factor. Almost 30 percent of households in rural areas own more than one car, compared with only 20 percent in urban areas. Overall, about 25 percent of German households own more than one car. The households that do not own a car (mostly in urban areas) often give as a reason that they do not need a car to move around freely. This suggests that if public transport is attractive, a reduction in car ownership is more likely.
Women in the tech and mobility industry
As a New Mobility expert, you advocate for increased visibility of women in the tech and mobility industry - What are the reasons why the industry is still dominated by men and how can the field be made more attractive for women?
Tanja Zahnwetzer: Good question, that can not be limited to one factor, here are certainly several reasons play a role. One reason is that there are unfortunately still quite few visible female role models in this area, on which young women and girls can look. However, we are getting better at this and there are many networks, such as Women in Mobility, whose members are working harder to increase the visibility of women in the mobility industry. Nevertheless, in my view it is important to continue to strengthen visibility, for example, through formats such as "Girls Day" and to use young women as role models to promote the industry. In addition, employers should respond to the needs of employees and make it possible to reconcile professional and private interests. At ioki this is achieved, for example, through flexible working models and home office options or through individual training and development opportunities.
Thank you, Ms. Zahnwetzer, for this information. We look forward to hearing more from you soon!
Event note: CoSMoS 2022 I March 10, 2022 I Ingolstadt
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