A new way to move around the city: MOIA débuts in Hanover
The MOIA ride pooling service is officially operational in the capital of Lower Saxony. An innovative solution, half-way between public transport and a taxi.
Going from A to B? There are many options – on foot, by bike, on a scooter, taking your car, using public transport or even getting a taxi – to name just a few. However, all of these choices involve compromises either in terms of comfort or costs. However, the inhabitants of Hanover now have an alternative: for the last few weeks, the ride pooling service offered by MOIA, a Volkswagen Group brand which develops new mobility solutions, has been operational. After an extensive testing phase, with 3,500 users and over 230,000 trips in 300 days, MOIA has officially commenced operation with a fleet initially of 35 vehicles, to be expanded to 150 over the next few months.
“Driving” the service is a network of algorithms which combines all the necessary variables to calculate the best routes and ride times in order to adapt them to user requests in real time. This means that it is potentially possible to create infinite virtual stops, and these will in any case be no more than 250 metres far from the person making the request. Complicated? Not at all!
It works like this: once the user has downloaded the app and created an account, just a few touches are necessary. He needs only to indicate the meeting point, a preference on the pick-up time, and the destination address. In just a few seconds he will get feedback from MOIA, confirming the pick-up point (or a nearby alternative, with a map to find it easily) and indicating time, expected duration and cost of the ride. When confirmed, the booking is effective and the cost is automatically billed via the app: the user only needs to go to the agreed pick-up location and get into the van in order to enjoy the ride in comfort.
Each MOIA van has six available seats, offering high levels of comfort and the possibility for customers to spend their time on board as they wish: reading, using their phones, or simply relaxing.
After Hanover, the service will be launched in Hamburg, where ride pooling is slated to begin in 2019. The fleet for this city will be impressive: 500 fully electric vehicles by the end of 2020, each offering 300 km range and the ability to recharge to 80% in just 30 minutes. Getting around the city will be even easier – and greener.