Enabling people in rural areas to be more mobile: That was the goal of the "NEMo" research project. The key result is a mobility app that the researchers led by business IT specialist Jorge Marx Gómez have now presented.
Getting to work, school or the shops without your own car - even in the countryside: this is made possible by the "Fahrkreis" app, a digital travel assistant developed by researchers from the Business Informatics working group at the University of Oldenburg. The mobility app is the central result of the research project NEMo ("Sustainable fulfilment of mobility needs in rural areas") led by Oldenburg business informatics specialist Prof. Dr Jorge Marx Gómez. "Fahrkreis" works like a classic mobility information service, but has some additional functions - in particular, it arranges carpooling opportunities. The app has been available online for the whole of Germany since the beginning of the year.
"Improving mobility in rural areas is a particularly important issue in the state of Lower Saxony," emphasised Lower Saxony's Science Minister Björn Thümler at today's closing event for the project at the University of Oldenburg. Many people in rural areas are still dependent on cars because public transport services are patchy. This is no longer acceptable in view of climate change.
"The researchers involved in the NEMo project have provided important impetus for innovative mobility management, which is particularly suitable for implementation in products and services," said the Minister. The transfer of knowledge to industry and society is an important concern for the state government, which is particularly encouraged. "I am confident that the research results from NEMo will help to anchor more efficient mobility services in the region," said Thümler.
Clarifying liability issues
The aim of NEMo was to improve mobility in rural areas in a sustainable way. The idea: in places where bus and train services are infrequent or non-existent, citizens themselves become mobility providers - for example, by giving neighbours a lift in their car or serving bus stops that are less frequented. To this end, the project team also analysed sociological and legal issues.
In the sparsely populated pilot region of the Wesermarsch district, the researchers used interviews and online surveys to find out what needs people there have and what structural obstacles rural carpooling faces. The team found that owning a car is still indispensable for many people there. There is only a certain degree of openness to sharing a vehicle during the training period, at senior age or when commuting to work. There are various reasons why many people prefer to drive alone: Among other things, respondents cited supposedly unresolved liability issues and possible loss of time, while some also had reservations about taking strangers with them in their own car.
These results were incorporated into the development of the app. As a result, "Fahrkreis" contains, for example, an identification system for drivers and passengers to create trust between the parties involved. In addition, around one hundred test users in the city of Oldenburg and the neighbouring districts tried out the app over several weeks. "Their feedback helped the developers to keep improving the app," explains project leader Marx Gómez. "Thanks to the excellent co-operation with those responsible in the city of Oldenburg and the districts, we were able to drive our project forward and anchor it in the region."
Digital bonus points
The core task of the app is to reduce the coordination effort required to form carpools by completely taking over the route planning and - if necessary - rescheduling during the journey. If arrival at a stopover is delayed, for example, "Fahrkreis" determines current connection options. If desired, the programme suggests a possible contribution towards the cost of the ride.
Legal experts led by Prof Dr Jürgen Taeger from the Chair of Civil Law, Commercial and Business Law and Legal Informatics clarified the question of liability, among other things: passengers are covered by the driver's liability insurance - as long as the driver does not intend to make a profit but offers the ride at cost price. The app also fulfils the requirements of the European General Data Protection Regulation, which came into force last year.
In order to increase the number of users as quickly as possible, the project team is relying on co-operation with companies, associations, local authorities and districts. The idea is for users to receive digital bonus points when they use climate-friendly modes of transport. They will be able to exchange these points for rewards, vouchers or discounts.
The NEMo project was funded by the state of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen Foundation as part of the "Science for Sustainable Development" programme with around 1.5 million euros. In addition to the University of Oldenburg, scientists from the Universities of Vechta and Passau and the TU Braunschweig were also involved. The project partners cooperated closely with the city of Oldenburg and the district of Wesermarsch as well as numerous other associated partners such as local authorities, associations, companies and research institutions. Several follow-up projects are already underway.