Borrowing mobility instead of owning it

The mobility of the future is being tested In the fashionable Suurstoffi area in Rotkreuz: moving away from ownership of your own means of transport towards renting electric cars and e-bikes in combination with the use of public transport. The pilot project is called "Sorglos mobil” (mobility without worries).

Peter Wicki from Zug Estates is convinced that "with the new ‘Sorglos mobil’ offer at the Suurstoffi site in Rotkreuz, at least the second car can be dispensed with in the future." In this way, the idea of sustainability, which characterises the entire area, can also be spread to mobility. All the administrative matters, such as registration, logging in, booking, payment and access to third-party offers, are handled in the same way that is already known with E-trottinetts (electric pavement scooters): with the help of an easy-to-use app that the IT apprentices of the Postauto company have helped to design. "This kind of project is simply predestined for an area in which around 1,500 residents, 2,000 students and more than 2,500 employees will live and work when the expansion is finished." Sustainability and climate protection, together with lower costs and fewer inconveniences for each individual user are the declared goals.

Photo 1: From left: Mirjam Stawicki (Mobility Academy of the TCS), Lotte Sandbu (Postauto), Adrian Boller (Mobility) and Peter Wicki (Zug Estates AG) at the Suurstoffi site.
Photo 2: Mirjam Stawicki rides an E-bike with a transport box.
Photos: Patrick Hürlimann (Rotkreuz, 19 May 2021)

The Postauto, Zug Estates and Mobility companies, together with the Mobility Academy and the Bern University of Applied Sciences, are involved in the ‘Sorglos mobil’ pilot project. The federal government is also making a financial contribution.
The participating companies recently presented the project at a media conference. By means of a subscription, between 20 and 50 residents of the Suurstoffi site in Risch-Rotkreuz will thereby be able to take advantage of rental offers for cars, e-bikes, cargo bikes, as well as public transport offers in the form of credits. Users also have access to the Swiss-wide fleet of Carvelo-to-go, Mobility and Publi-Bike.

Three subscription levels as a starting offer
During the nine-month pilot phase from May 2021 to January 2022, participants can choose from one of three subscriptions. These include six hours of car use, 16 hours of e-bike use and various levels of public transport credits. "The price of the subscription is definitely cheaper than the individual purchase," says project manager Lotta Sandbu from Postauto. Additional offers can be purchased via the app. The vehicles will be stationed in the residential area, i.e., in the immediate vicinity, and the use of public transport use will be billed via the Fairtiq app. "We will remain in close contact with the participants throughout the pilot phase, in order to be able to adapt the offer as desired," explains Lotta Sandbu. It’s a question of finding out which services are more attractive for the participants.

Electric cars and bicycles with their own charging stations
Two electric cars, as well as several e-bikes with and without transport boxes, are available. They will be parked on a parking lot at the entrance of the Suurstoffi site and will be connected to charging stations. The vehicles can be activated  and put into service via a code system. "Children or loads can be carried in the transport box of the bicycles," explains Mirjam Stawicki from the TCS Mobility Academy. Two padded seats with a five-point safety belt system have been designed for the transport of toddlers. "Because they are sitting in the front of the transport box, they can see much more. It's a great driving experience for them," says Stawicki, who demonstrates the bike on the spot (see 2^nd photo).

An information event will be held In the next few days for the potential users of the offer, the residents of the Suurstoffi site.