DTU is participating in a large European demonstration project aimed at encouraging more people to see the benefits of sharing transportation and using public transport. In Rudersdal, Denmark, at least six local traffic hubs with up to 200 shared vehicles will be established.
The goal is to make it much easier to transition from buses and trains to various shared vehicles such as electric bikes, electric scooters, and electric cars. In the EU-supported experiment, DTU among the other partners will investigate whether shared vehicles can encourage more people to use public transportation and whether there is a business potential in providing shared vehicles outside Copenhagen.
As part of the GEMINI project, the Capital Region of Denmark and Rudersdal Municipality, along with three private providers of shared mobility, will establish six traffic hubs with up to 200 shared vehicles in Rudersdal (as a kind of a living lab) from the summer of 2024, making it easy to find, for example, a shared car.
Researchers from DTU Compute will evaluate the project and gather knowledge that the Capital Region of Denmark can use to promote the concept in collaboration with several municipalities in the metropolitan area. By collecting data from various sources, the project is expected to be a significant step forward in understanding how people use shared vehicles and shared mobility, says Associated Professor Laura Alessandretti:
"In this project, our contribution is two-fold: on one side, we'll be the go-to team for analysing, monitoring, and evaluating the living lab's progress. On the other side, we'll be digging into research that helps us get better at modelling how people move around using different transport modes.”
Important public transport
Lars Gaardhøj, Chairman of the Regional Council for the Capital Region of Denmark, looks forward to seeing how citizens respond to the opportunity for greener transportation:
"We have long talked about how shared vehicles can help more people choose public transport. The local traffic hubs and their connection to our S-buses and local trains can play an important role here. I hope they can make more people curious about whether they can do without their private car or take public transport when going to work, school, shopping, or a football game," says Lars Gaardhøj, complemented by Ann Sofie Orth, Mayor of Rudersdal Municipality:
"For me, it is important that there are more options to choose the means of transport that suits each individual best. And it will be exciting to see if we can get more people to combine the new sharing solutions with our buses and trains. Whether you prefer a collective means of transportation or choose to drive, there should be access to more efficient transport options."
The three companies KINTO Mobility, TIER, and SHARE NOW are involved in the demonstration project.
In addition to the project in Rudersdal, projects with shared mobility and traffic hubs are also being implemented in suburbs near Amsterdam, Munich, and Turin.
The total EU support from Horizon Europe for various projects is 75.7 million DKK, and the Danish project has received a grant of 10 million DKK.