The BerlKönig is a joint ridesharing offer in Berlin by the Berlin public transport company BVG and ViaVan, a joint venture of Daimler and Via from the US. Now the ridesharing service is being linked even more closely with classic public transport. And mobility experts regard this as a really sensible solution, because the aim is to link the different services so that the customer can get from A to B with ease.
From Monday, November 23, 2020, passengers can also search for so-called “intermodal” connections via the BerlKönig app. Travel chains will be formed from BerlKönig and a connecting trip by bus or train.
For passengers, it’s as simple as can be: enter their starting point and destination and the BerlKönig app will suggest the best connections thanks to its sophisticated algorithm. This could be a trip on BerlKönig alone, a trip by bus or train, or a BerlKönig shuttle bus to a directly connecting subway ride, for example. The departure and arrival times for intermodal routing are each based on real-time data and, together with price information, help to select the most suitable connection in each situation.
What other effects does intermodality have?
A side effect of intermodality: the app now also offers connections with destinations outside the actual BerlKönig operating area. BerlKönig then takes the passenger comfortably to the best public transport station, from where he or she continues by bus or train. The reverse principle – first the bus or train, then the BerlKönig picks up from the station in its operating area and takes the passenger to their destination – is currently in progress and will then offer the complete solution.
New service times for the Berlkönig ridesharing service
The BerlKönig’s service times will also be new from 23 November: in future, the vehicles will be in operation during the week in the evenings and at night (from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Mondays to Thursdays) and at weekends non-stop (from 5 p.m. on Friday afternoons until 2 a.m. on Monday mornings). This means that BerlKönig is on the move at times when a strong bundling of travel requests makes it particularly efficient and complements classic public transport particularly well.
What about the cooperation between BVG and Berlkönig?
The BerlKönig has been rolling through Berlin since September 2018. BVG and ViaVan have recently extended the cooperation, which was originally set to run until the end of 2019, to at least the end of January 2021. With these integrations, it is hard to imagine that this cooperation will not continue in the German capital.
