Mobility concepts and services

„In the future, mobility will be even more closely networked and mobility services will increasingly complement the means of transport. Consistent, smart networking is of crucial importance here.“

Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, Chairman of the Daimler Sustainability Board (CSB)

Growing cities, more traffic, and the related strain on the environment — infrastructure and transportation systems are increasingly reaching their limits, especially when trying to transport passengers quickly and comfortably in metropolitan areas. But these developments also offer opportunities because they require and promote innovative mobility approaches, including future-oriented concepts such as car2go and Bus Rapid Transit.

car2go. Registered car2go customers can rent a smart fortwo on the spur of the moment, use it for as long they like, and return it to a public parking space in the area covered by the project. Following pilot projects in Ulm, Germany, and Austin, Texas, car2go is now also being offered in Hamburg, Vancouver, Lyon, and Vienna. All-electric car2go fleets consisting of 300 smart fortwo electric drive vehicles each have been in operation in Amsterdam and San Diego since the end of 2011.

Bus Rapid Transit. Demand for transportation services is rising dramatically in big cities and regions with rapidly growing populations. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) offers efficient solutions to overcome these challenges. The system, which was awarded an Öko-Globe in the New Mobility Concepts category in 2011, consists of one or more trunk lines that have regular-service buses traveling at frequent intervals and are fed by several feeder lines coming from all areas of a city. With the help of an intelligent computer-controlled traffic management system, separate bus lanes enable the vehicles to transport large numbers of passengers quickly and efficiently. Like rail-based systems, Bus Rapid Transit systems can speedily and comfortably transport large numbers of people through inner cities. However, BRT systems can be implemented in less time and at far less expense than rail systems, which is why they are also easier to change. Another of BRT’s strengths is that it can be precisely adapted to a city’s specific needs and local conditions. The primary aim here is to integrate existing means of transportation into a comprehensive local public transit system.

Daimler Buses has a team of experts who provide support with planning, implementation, and enhancement of customized concepts for BRT systems. BRT is ideally suited for emerging markets with mega cities like São Paulo, Mexico City, Bogotá, and Pune. However, Mercedes-Benz buses are also being used in BRT systems in European cities such as Istanbul and Nantes. More than 15,000 buses are currently being used in Bus Rapid Transit systems worldwide.