The GetMobil project

The often inadequate availability of conventional public transport in rural areas raises the question of how social participation can be ensured for people who do not have a car. At the same time, the requirements of climate protection, air pollution control and resource conservation mean that a change in transportation is imminent. This requires an examination of how the prevailing practice of individual car use can be replaced by new forms of mobility.

Against this background, the GetMobil project first investigated the potential of local ridesharing services in rural areas. In particular, a practical example is used to examine the extent to which linking ridesharing with local public transport makes sense and is necessary. From this, the authors derive measures to motivate the participation in ridesharing services in rural areas from behavioral economic, transport and legal as well as political practice perspectives.

The interdisciplinary research team from the University of Kassel, together with its practice partner, the North Hessian Transport Association (NVV), investigated which factors are relevant for existing transport behavior and how behavioral changes towards sustainable transport use can be promoted.

The project's actor-based approach relies on a mix of complementary and interlocking methods: Surveys, laboratory experiments, actor-based computer modeling, and legal analysis and real-world experimentation ("Mobilfalt 2.0").

Since April 2013, the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund has introduced the "Mobilfalt" service in three pilot regions in North Hesse, linking private carpooling with public transportation.

The knowledge gained from GetMobil was used to further develop and strengthen Mobilfalt (real experiment "Mobilfalt 2.0"). The effects and acceptance of this improved offer were evaluated by a before-and-after survey of users.