The mobility space will continue to be in motion in 2024. Two topics that are of great importance: Sustainability and flexibility. The majority of people want to get from A to B in the future without harming the environment and climate. This is changing entire industry branches, creating new technological innovations and causing more and more people to question old patterns of behaviour. New work, hybrid working and working from home are also ensuring that people want to move around more flexibly and use different mobility options instead of relying on just one.
Which mobility trends will shape 2024? Here are five developments in the mobility sector that will become important or gain further momentum in 2024.
Trend #1: Flexible mobility budgets are increasingly becoming an attractive benefit for employees
Companies are discovering mobility beyond company cars and job tickets. This is because people have changed their mobility behaviour and are looking for more flexibility and freedom of choice. What's more, according to the 'Mobility in Germany' study, around a third of all journeys made in Germany every day are work-related, i.e. commuting to work, business appointments or running errands for work. This means that employee mobility is also a powerful lever for the transport transition. Companies have a special responsibility here. Many are already aware of this and are thinking about corporate mobility beyond the traditional company car. A trend that will continue to gain momentum in 2024.
Trend #2: On-demand mobility makes public transport attractive in rural areas
The Deutschlandticket has shown: Public transport can be simple. The ticket has become a central element in the endeavour to make public transport more attractive and increase acceptance of public transport. Growing demand through a simpler offer can also lead to greater user-friendliness, for example through higher frequencies and better network coverage.
However, the discussion about the 49-euro ticket has also further exposed a weak point in public transport: Public transport, and therefore the mobility revolution, is still failing in rural areas. Transport companies often do not have the resources to offer closely-scheduled public transport in rural, sparsely populated areas. Without a bus, the ticket is useless. On-demand services could be an innovative and intelligent solution for public transport in rural areas.
On-demand services operate without a timetable and follow the principle of the on-demand taxi. They are being further optimised thanks to smart digital solutions and digital user offers: Customers can order the transport service to their front door at a desired time. On-demand services already play an important role in public transport in well over 100 cities and regions throughout Germany and will increasingly establish themselves as the third pillar of public transport - alongside buses and trains - by 2024. In particular, they act as feeder services for scheduled services, close gaps in the public transport network, reduce the number of transfers and make public transport services more attractive for passengers overall. In this way, they make a significant contribution to reducing emissions in the transport sector and increase independence from private cars.
Trend #3: Flex Commuting
The desire for self-determination, flexibility and responsible consumption continues to grow. This is changing the world of work and also the way in which employees organise work-related mobility and want to commute to work, not least through trends such as remote work, working from home and co-working. With a more flexible organisation of the working day, flexible commuting is becoming a reality for more and more employees.
In flex commuting, employees are looking for flexible alternatives to commuting by car. Innovative approaches such as the mobility budget support employees in flex commuting. This also relieves traffic congestion at peak times and promotes sustainability within the company.
Trend #4: Whether small or large - mobility is becoming increasingly electric
The Zweirad industry association estimates that more e-bikes will be sold than conventional bikes for the first time in 2023. Electric bikes are also a popular means of transport for commuters.
E-scooters are an option if employees need to travel short distances flexibly. And for small deliveries in the local area, a cargo bike has advantages over a van, depending on the situation.
Trend #5: Mobility hubs are the new centres of mobility
Traditional mobility products - such as your own car or a company car - are becoming less important, especially in cities; instead, access to mobility defines the quality of transport. In future, it will no longer just be a question of an optimally functioning range of integrated mobility services - this will be taken for granted. Instead, mobility design will play a decisive role in whether people accept and use the service.
Mobility hubs, also known as mobility stations, are increasingly setting an infrastructural example for the further development of our transport system, which is adapting to new mobility needs and services. These new hubs are a central building block for the mobility infrastructure of the future, which will be based entirely on collaboration and sharing principles. Private (car sharing, e-scooters, rental bikes, charging points, etc.) and public mobility (bus, train, on-demand) will come together at these mobility centres. Cities will increasingly use them as a fundamental strategy for shaping the transport system of the future.
