In rural areas, in particular, lack of public transportation means that many people are still dependent on their cars. Yet the number of vehicles on the road at any one time can be quickly and easily reduced by motorists travelling together – in other words, car sharing.

Match Rider from Heidelberg – the subject of our latest “Start-ups in focus” series – is pursuing this goal by connecting different modes of transport and integrating them into public mobility solutions. In addition to ride pooling and ridesharing, in which journeys with similar routes are bundled and spare seats utilised, Match Rider also utilises community transport such as community buses. The DIY Ridesharing pp offers carpooling with flexible departure times, fixed routes with defined stops and selected drivers. The mobilityDIY platform can also be used to create personalised routes and serves as a starting point for the service and management of the route network. Match Rider is already operational in the Stuttgart and Rhine-Neckar regions, and has won several awards. We spoke to Benedikt Krams, Managing Director of Match Rider.

Mr Krams, what do you think are the most pressing challenges in public transport?

Germany is still very car-centric, and this will not change anytime soon. While solutions for the mobility transition are being implemented in urban areas, albeit at different speeds, public transport is often less appealing in rural areas. This results in a high proportion of cars and means that transport efforts, especially in rural areas, should be intensified. This is already happening in some cases, for example through the reactivation of disused railroad lines and the introduction of on-demand transport. However, more needs to be done. Targets set for Baden-Württemberg seem too ambitious given the scarcity of resources, so this is where Match Rider can help.

What does it take to encourage more people to switch to public transport?

Humans tend to be creatures of habit. In my opinion, therefore, an attractive offer must first be created, then consistently promoted in order to significantly increase public demand. People need to have positive experiences, which then encourages others to switch. Furthermore, different solutions must be interlinked and integrated in terms of the user experience. By this, I mean the intermodal provision of information about connections, as well as their booking and payment - ideally from a single source.

What are your experiences as a start-up with regard to external factors: Are there hurdles that make life difficult for you as a young company or, conversely, boosters that help you move forward?

Implementing innovative ideas in cooperation with public transport is like searching for a needle in a haystack: It requires a decision-maker who has the courage and attitude to implement new ideas cooperatively and can convince others to do the same. In other words, someone with an entrepreneurial mindset. We have found many of these promoters, but we also have to deal with opposition. There are so many stakeholders involved in the implementation of public transport projects, even small ones, that a start-up has no chance of gaining a foothold without the goodwill of others. Unfortunately though, as in other markets, a good product alone is not always enough.

But to finish on a positive note: there are programmes, accelerators, etc. in the public transport context that consciously seek to work closely with startups. This does not require a lot of resources. A proof of concept is often enough to provide a start-up with the necessary “launch pad”.

In conclusion, what was your experience at IT-TRANS and what advice would you give other start-ups?

IT-TRANS is THE conference and trade fair for us to get in touch with experts from around the world. In our case, we communicated and tested a completely new message in 2024 - with far more positive reactions than I had expected. This is because the experts are aware of the challenges and can give honest assessments at a trade fair.

As a general rule, trade fair preparation and follow-up are the most important things. Every exhibitor should focus on this. The well-known saying: “Doing is like wanting, only more blatant” is particularly relevant for startups. They should not wait until X, Y or Z has formed an opinion, as successful implementation is still the best way to make your voice heard, including to potential investors.