Connecting the dots: Mobility hubs as a game changer

Challenge / Goal

Initial challenges and needs
The excessive growth of car traffic poses a significant challenge to the city. In the 1990’s, an estimated 50.000 car were used in the city. This figure has since doubled and will continue to increase rapidly in the coming years. The situation will be exacerbated by the increase in commuting and transit traffic, which is the result of economic development in recent years. The Municipality of Debrecen has a significant goal to reduce the city’s car traffic and allow space for sustainable and alternative modes of transport through sustainable and innovative methods. A solution to this problem can be the construction of a micromobility network, which can ensure access to areas currently not covered by the existing public transport network. To understand the exact needs, the biggest shortcoming for the local administration currently is data analysis capacity. Although a passenger counting system has already been established on several vehicles operated by the city’s public transport company, the data collected already exceeds what existing departments can thoroughly analyse. In addition, the collected data does not represent the entirety of the city’s public transport usage behaviour.

Innovation Developed

The objective is to improve the public transport system of the city by offering several types of mobility solutions to the citizens, making it easier for them to reach destinations that are not covered by the current public transport network. As a result, the expectation is that more people will choose public transport and leave their car at home, which will reduce traffic congestion and CO2 emissions in the city. As a result of their planned mobility innovation, Debrecen passengers who otherwise could not access public transport services
at certain locations of the city will be able to use such aided by complementary micromobility vehicles. It will be a free-floating system, but the vehicles will be left and picked up at their designated locations. The city will identify the weak points within the network and make the services accessible and inclusive, so everyone can quickly and efficiently use the urban public transport services. The integrated mobility hubs will enable the passengers to use e-scooters or bicycles (electric or regular) to connect to the nearest stop from where they can quickly continue their journey to their desired locations around the city. In case of small travel distances and only micromobility vehicles are used, DKV will still receive an amount of income from the usage. It is very important that the mobility innovation must not reduce walking or regular bicycle travels, but targets reduced car usage in the city.

The passengers will be able to utilise a MaaS application on their smart device, making them able to purchase their public transport tickets and passes as well as pay their micromobility service fees. The business model includes two versions. One version allows an individual with a public transport pass to pay a discounted price on the e-rollers or bicycles (electric or regular) and there is a version where the public transport pass would include an amount of time which can be used for micromobility travels. The application will also provide route planning that combines the different modes of transport if the desired destination makes it viable.