Three German public transport operators are joining forces to work on smart mobility solutions for people across the metropolitan areas of Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.
The heads of Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Hamburger Hochbahn AG (Hochbahn), and Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a strategic partnership.
This new partnership aims to take a unified approach. In their joint declaration, BVG, Hochbahn and MVG commit to close collaboration on practical steps towards digitalisation, standardisation and new business models. The beneficiaries will be the more than seven million residents of Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.
The initial focus of the cooperation will be on three key areas:
- Autonomous driving: By 2035, up to 2,000 autonomous public transport vehicles are expected to be integrated into the transport systems of the three cities.
- Mobility platform (MAX): A shared app will be introduced to combine access to bus, rail and shared mobility services.
- Standardised sales systems: Ticketing and sales systems will be harmonised and digitalised to provide a seamless customer experience across regions.
“We’re bringing together the brightest minds from Germany’s three largest transport operators, and with a shared commitment to shape the future of mobility in Germany. Waiting is a thing of the past. We’re getting on with it,” Henrik Falk, CEO of BVG, said.
“With this initiative, we are pooling our strengths to shape the future of public transport in Germany. Our shared goal is to harness the opportunities of digitalisation and new technologies to deliver customer-focused mobility solutions,” Robert Henrich, CEO of Hochbahn, said.
“We are confident that together, as strong and experienced operators, we can achieve great things. At the same time, this joint initiative – focused on automation – will help us operate more efficiently and reduce costs. The entire industry stands to benefit, especially if suppliers bring standardised systems to the market,” Ingo Wortmann, CEO of MVG, said.
The Memorandum of Understanding takes immediate effect and is open-ended. The measures set out in the defined use cases are to be implemented in stages between 2030 and 2035. To avoid redundant structures and isolated projects, the three companies are establishing a lean organisational model with a few focused working groups for each use case. A steering committee composed of representatives from all three cities will oversee coordination and governance.
This marks the first time that the three German public transport operators from different regions have formed a nationwide alliance, with the aim of shaping the future of public transport in a more customer-focused way, leveraging synergies to cut costs and improve efficiency, and setting standards across the industry.
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