In the service provided by Moia, passengers can order a vehicle for a journey as they would a taxi. However, they do not go directly to the destination, but collect further passengers along the way who are heading to places nearby. The rideshare is ordered via an app, an article on futurezone.de explains. The Volkswagen subsidiary has programmed an algorithm that calculates the most efficient time and route in real time.
In the current test phase, Moia’s prices are significantly lower than those of both taxis and public transport. Over the coming year, the cost will be adjusted as the trial expands. This new transportation concept will also be tested in Hamburg. Instead of the previous Diesel vehicles, the plan is to use specially created electric buses. Initially, 200 new vehicles are to be introduced, with the intention being to grow the fleet to more than 1,000 in the future. What’s more, the Moia concept is to be extended to include several other cities and replace one million passenger vehicles by 2025.
