13 June 2024
Future Mobility Award winner revealed
Ne-mi from Spain impresses with its on-demand bus line and sustainable, socially relevant concept
Up until now, residents in areas with a low population density have struggled to access adequate public transport that meets their needs. As a result, private transport solutions are often the only alternative. Therefore, innovative, user-friendly ideas are needed to improve the situation. Here, the Future Mobility Award – now for the fifth time and initiated and hosted by event organizer Messe Karlsruhe, aen - automotive.engineering.network and Nahverkehrs-praxis magazine - aims to support and reward the creation of sustainable mobility solutions. The City of Karlsruhe's Economic Development Agency once again donated the prize money, with INIT supporting as a sponsor and jury member.
The Karlsruhe-based international competition, which takes place under the patronage of Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann, focuses on start-ups, giving them the opportunity to showcase their innovative ideas and solutions for the transport sector. This year, a start-up from Spain was named as the winner at the Regional Conference on Transport Transformation - an event organised by the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region.
Winner Ne-mi focuses on demand-oriented public transport
Ne-mi, a start-up from Barcelona, has developed a software tool for the provision and management of on-demand bus services in partnership with a municipal transport authority. A flexible bus route expands and complements the regular service that connects residents to city centres. Founded in 2019, the company is reducing dependency on private cars through its digitalised and flexible bus services, thereby enhancing public transport in areas with previously low demand.
From reducing dependence on private cars to upgrading public transport in outlying areas, Ne-mi (www.nemi.mobi) optimises routes so that only the requested stops are served, saving kilometres and emissions. The final and adapted route is communicated to the driver via an on-board tablet, which enables navigation during the journey.
Future Mobility Award brings innovations into focus
Various criteria played a role in the jury's decision, including business model, marketing status, usability, interfaces, planned next milestones, technological innovation, chances of success and scalability. Ne-mi scooped first prize against strong competition thanks to its sustainable business concept and social relevance. "The solution represents a bridge between an expensive on-demand service and public transport, which is reaching its limits in rural areas," the jury explained. ‘Ne-mi's approach improves the basic mobility service at no great cost, is designed with the customer in mind and is also very easy to use via WhatsApp." We need start-ups like this with the courage to develop innovative ideas to not only survive but also flourish, said the jury.
“It's a fantastic recognition of what on-demand transport services mean for the future of mobility,” said Abby Meuli, Research and Business Development Manager at Ne-mi. ”Here, we see a region with amazing opportunities and a great deal of potential, and that means a lot to us. We hope that this can be our first step on the road to success in this particular region too." So far, the solution is being used in Spain, Portugal and the UK. However, the company is now exploring the possibility of launching in the Black Forest.
Start-ups with new ideas and approaches are driving the future
Ideas and creative solutions for public transport came to the fore thanks to this international competition. In the home city of Carl Benz, Karl von Drais and a test field for autonomous driving, the Future Mobility Award is a clear signal from Karlsruhe of its intent to further the progress of mobility solutions. "We have great motivation when it comes to mobility in the future," says Berthold Frieß, Ministerial Director of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport. Karlsruhe, with its good public transport, good universities, trade fairs and an innovative ecosystem for sustainable mobility, is a location that helps to show the face of Baden-Württemberg in an international context, adds Frieß.
As co-organiser of the Future Mobility Award, Messe Karlsruhe provided the perfect backdrop for the pitches of this year's finalists at IT-TRANS, the international conference and exhibition for intelligent solutions for public transport. ‘Affluences’ (evaluation of human movements in means of transport), ‘Mobility Signage’ (visualisation solution for dynamic passenger information), ‘Ne-mi’ and ‘platomo’ (automatic collection of traffic data with AI algorithm) presented themselves to the public and the jury.
All ideas have the potential to be developed and turned into business models, especially in an innovative research centre like Karlsruhe - with its network of science, industry, politics and transport companies, says Lord Mayor Dr Frank Mentrup. “Here, start-up ideas can be brought to the stage at our major mobility conference, facilitated and accelerated by Karlsruhe and aen. Furthermore, we can pool expert knowledge and support small and medium-sized companies, and start-ups, on their journey to implementing their innovations.”
Further info: www.future-mobility-award.com
