- Licensing under the amended Passenger Transportation Act will take effect in 2023
- MOIA to become part of Hamburg's local public transport system as a self-sustaining on-demand ridepooling service
- Expansion of the service area into the districts of Wilhelmsburg, Billstedt/Billbrook, Osdorf/Lurup and Rahlstedt
- Seamless integration of barrier-free vehicles into the ridepooling service
- Coupling with the hvv offer, hvv subscribers benefit from reduced price
Hamburg, 4th October 2022 - The ridepooling service MOIA has been granted a concession by the City of Hamburg for the first time under the amended Passenger Transportation Act and is integrating into Hamburg's local public transportation system as a self-sustaining on-demand service. The concession is valid for the years 2023 to 2025 and 450 vehicles. With the new license, MOIA will expand its service area into the districts of Wilhelmsburg, Billstedt/Billbrook, Osdorf/Lurup and Rahlstedt. In addition, MOIA will integrate barrier-free vehicles into its fleet with the start of the new license. MOIA began operations in Hamburg in April 2019 to develop and test full-electric ridepooling along the entire value chain. During this time, MOIA has already carried over 5.4 million passengers.
"We have become an integral part of urban mobility in Hamburg and are very pleased to continue on the path we are on with the new license as an on-demand public transport service from 2023. Fully electric ridepooling contributes to the mobility turnaround in several ways: ridepooling complements bus and rail in areas that do not yet offer the necessary quality of service to convince customers to use public transport in the long term. With our service, we also offer a convenient, fast alternative to private cars and thus reduce road traffic as well as noise and CO2 emissions," explains Sascha Meyer, CEO of MOIA.
Anjes Tjarks, Senator for Transport and Mobility Change: "MOIA is significantly expanding its service area by 70 to a total of 270 square kilometers in Hamburg and will also offer people in Wilhelmsburg, Billstedt/Billbrook, Osdorf/Lurup and Rahlstedt an additional mobility option from 2023. We are thus taking the next major step toward the Hamburg-Takt, which will give all Hamburg residents access to public transportation within five minutes - as a sustainable and convenient alternative to their own cars. In particular, digital and on-demand mobility services such as ridepooling offer great opportunities for the mobility of tomorrow, which we want to actively shape in our city, in addition to the existing public transport system. And there's more: As a first step, we're connecting MOIA with public transportation starting in 2023 and making the service barrier-free - because the mobility turnaround is inclusive and should benefit everyone."
Leap over the Elbe, accessible vehicles: MOIA expands offering
With its new license, MOIA will expand its current service area from 200 square kilometers to an area of around 270 square kilometers starting in 2023. The expansion will cover the districts of Wilhelmsburg, Lurup/Osdorf, Billstedt/Billbrook and Rahlstedt. The decisive factor in the selection of the expansion areas is the aim of serving districts that have so far been less densely served by the existing public transport system. In addition, MOIA will add fully accessible vehicles to its fleet in order to be able to transport even more people with mobility impairments. The service for wheelchair users will be seamlessly integrated into MOIA's ridepooling service as a regular component.
Starting next year, MOIA will also be linked to the Hamburg Transport Association (hvv) fare. Holders of an hvv subscription will receive a discount on the basic MOIA fare. The expansion of the service and the tariff integration are made possible in part by the funding guideline "Model Projects for Strengthening Public Transport" from the German Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport, for which MOIA was selected together with the Free and Hanseatic City's Department of Transport and Mobility Transition. The measures are a further step toward the Hamburg-Takt. The goal is to make the privately used car in Hamburg obsolete for even more people by expanding climate-friendly and demand-oriented mobility solutions.
MOIA employs around 1,000 people in Hamburg, including around 150 in software development and over 650 drivers. For the further expansion of the service, MOIA is intensively looking for additional employees in software development and especially drivers. MOIA is increasing the hourly wage for drivers from 12 euros to 13 euros starting in October, while at the same time increasing night, Sunday and holiday bonuses. In addition, the company introduced quarterly bonus payments to drivers in August. Further information: https://www.moia.io/de-DE/fahrer
MOIA's ridepooling service was launched as a mobility service within the so-called experimentation clause of the Passenger Transportation Act 2019 in Hamburg, where it is approved until December 31, 2022. During this pilot phase, the company developed the entire value chain of an fully-electric on-demand ridepooling service at its locations in Hamburg and Berlin. In parallel to the regular service, MOIA is developing and testing autonomous ridepooling in Hamburg in a pilot project together with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Argo AI, with the aim of developing an internationally scalable autonomous ridepooling system by 2025.
Media Assets
Image 1: New MOIA service area as of 2023
From January 2023, MOIA will expand its service area to about 270 square kilometers. The enlargement will be into the districts of Wilhelmsburg, Lurup/Osdorf, Billstedt/Billbrook and Rahlstedt.
Image 2: Leap over the Elbe
With the expansion of the service area, MOIA will offer an additional connection to Wilhelmsburg and Veddel from January 2023. 
Image 3: Comfortably passing the traffic jam
With the new license, MOIA is entitled to use the bus lanes across the Elbe bridges.
