RALAMOS

Short description – One of the biggest challenges for small towns and communities is providing attractive transportation options. In rural areas, public transportation is generally viewed as a means of transporting schoolchildren. For commuting to work or running daily errands, the network typically offers neither reasonable travel times nor departure and arrival times that fit into a typical workday. As part of this project, the city of Zwönitz is seeking innovative solutions and synergies that can address this issue and expand mobility options.

The purpose of this feasibility study is to examine whether the “ERZmobil” smart transportation ecosystem can be further developed into a sustainable operating concept for low-subsidy local public transit in rural areas, either separate from or as a supplement to well-used routes. To this end, the existing on-demand service will be combined with other forms of transportation—such as factory shuttle services, exempted school transportation, and tourist transportation via guest cards—to improve the economic viability of operations and fill service gaps in rural areas. Each of these four modes of transportation has a different, independent legal basis. The study examines the legal implications and transportation impacts resulting from the combination of these operational models.

Project Duration:
Feb 1, 2025 to Aug 31, 2025

Project Management:
City of Zwönitz

Prof. Dr. Christoph Laroque

User: 
City of Zwönitz, Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen (VMS), Zweckverband Verkehrsbund Mittelsachsen (ZVMS), Vollmann Group, Landratsamt Erzgebirgskreis

In practice, these modes of transportation have played virtually no role in the Erzgebirgskreis to date, just as in other rural regions of Germany, since the increased subsidy requirements cannot be financed when there are only a few passengers to be transported at any given time. Only through an automated, dispatch-based integration of these modes of transportation can the subsidy requirement per kilometer traveled be brought down to a market-viable level. The buses (12-meter class) that have been primarily used in public transportation in the Erzgebirge District to date will require a subsidy of 1.67 euros per kilometer traveled in 2024. The budget plan already shows a subsidy of 1.87 euros per kilometer traveled for 2026, with the trend continuing to rise. The study focuses primarily on the use of minibuses (8 passengers and one driver) and, in specific cases where demand warrants it, on Sprinter-class buses (< 8 meters) with approximately 15 seats and standing spaces each. By scaling and combining multiple modes of transportation in close temporal succession (in some cases with brief overlaps), the new operational concept aims to reduce the subsidy requirement compared to conventional public transit, while simultaneously providing significantly greater geographic coverage. Since conventional school transportation (75% of total public transportation volume in the Erzgebirgskreis) remains the responsibility of the legally designated authority, the use of minibuses is significantly more efficient for the proposed transportation ecosystem. The study examines, based on scientific principles, the use of small and medium-sized, automatically dispatched buses in the on-demand segment of public transit and, as a result, provides insights into the costs and revenues expected in real-world operation. The development of automated vehicle management is essential for the effective use of resources. Only by combining these technologies can an attractive, affordable, and environmentally friendly 24-hour, door-to-door bus shuttle service be offered, even in rural areas.

The service area of the city of Zwönitz’s “ERZmobil” is ideally suited as a study area. This small town in the Ore Mountains is a typical example—and, statistically speaking, highly representative—of a small town on the cusp between rural and urban areas:

 

City of Zwönitz
(2022)

Average of all 
small towns (2019)

Population

11.859

11.477

Land area

64,2 sq km

78,1 sq km

Residential and
Transportation Land

7,4 sq km (11,5%)

9,9 sq km (12,7%)

Jobs

3.600

3.621

Business tax 
revenue

4,4 m €

4,8 m €

 

Zwönitz is thus a classic example of the challenges involved in creating equal living conditions between rural and urban areas.

The work of the Industry Analytics research group led by Professor Laroque in the Ralamos project focuses on analyzing and identifying opportunities related to mobility concepts in peripheral areas, which can lead to an efficient and, as far as possible, cost-neutral enhancement of mobility services.

Furthermore, our work centers on providing scientific support for the overall project, as well as evaluating and analyzing the various stakeholders and their immediate interests—whether they are companies, institutions, or the future users of these services.