by Sandra Lima – European Passengers’ Federation and Thais Lamoza – door2door

INDIMO’s Berlin pilot, led by door2door, works to create a world where mobility services fit people’s lives.

door2door is a leader in on-demand ridepooling technologies, providing a white-label software platform to public transport operators and mobility providers that is dynamic, efficient, and affordable.

“On-demand ridepooling means that the service works based on the demand of  passengers, bundling real-time trip request in the most efficient and sustainable way possible.” explains Thais Lamoza, business developer at door2door. “Practically this means that, as a customer, I can easily book a ride through our multimodal passenger app and this ride can be shared with other people that have a similar destination”.

credits: door2door

The public space should be for people and not for cars

Moved by a “people first” vision, door2door aims at complementing public transport by closing the gaps in the existing network. Creating digital, flexible, and efficient mobility offers that encourage people to stop using their private cars. Ridepooling services are particularly important for those who have limited access to mobility alternatives, be it because of their personal condition (for example having a disability or being from a lower economical background), or because of the gaps in transport networks. door2door services can bridge these inequalities and allow everyone to have equal access to transport opportunities.

Every context is different

The creation of sustainable, flexible, and durable mobility services needs to be based on local requirements and desires. “To implement new services it is very important to collaborate with all stakeholders involved: cities, local authorities, companies or public transport operators. This collaboration is crucial for us as each place has its own characteristics: population, geography and transport infrastructure, for example”. Thais highlights that a close cooperation is the only way to achieve a successful long-term operation. door2door’s services are tailored to the specificities of each context and their customers are very diverse cities that can go from small towns in rural areas to big cities.

A pilot focused on women

Within INDIMO, door2door will conduct a field test with end-users in Berlin. This pilot will focus on the user experience with ridepooling of women with children, who have limited mobility options and lack of digital skills, despite having access to smartphones.

The tests will unroll in three phases. Firstly, the pilot will analyse the user experience on site, trying to understand all steps of the user experience when taking a ride (booking, traveling, payment procedures, etc.). The results of this assessment will be further evaluated and re-designed together with designers, developers and other INDIMO partners, with the objective of improving the Universal Design of the services. Lastly, the lessons learnt will be implemented and the effect of the adjustments will be evaluated.

Fortunately, the pilot team members will not be developing through a long process alone: they will directly involve end-users!

One key aspect of the INDIMO project is co-creation, which means involving the end-users in the process of creating or redesigning digital mobility services, considering their needs and expectations from the start. To this aim, a Community of Practice (CoP) will be set up in Berlin: together with a group of women with children who live in the Berlin district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, activists, local policy-makers, mobility experts and other digital mobility solution providers, the pilot seeks to understand their challenges and how their daily mobility experience can be improved.

“Our objective is not only to develop a better product but also to improve awareness and sensitivity in regard to accessibility”

By participating in INDIMO, door2door seeks to improve their expertise and include accessibility questions in all their processes. “We would like to bring an accessibility awareness throughout all stages of creation and development of our service”. Moreover, Thais expects to achieve impact on the local mobility of their pilot, where the discussions of the CoP can be the start for a change in the mobility of women in Marzahn-Hellersdorf district and the results can be picked-up by local policy makers to promote change.

Mobility shouldn’t be a daily struggle

If she could change just one thing in mobility, Thais would make it available for everyone: “I see mobility as a right: everyone should be able to move as they wish and/or need, but this is not a reality for many people. If I could change an aspect in mobility, I wish it were not the daily struggle that it is actually for many people. And that they could exercise this right through transport services and infrastructure that serves people and not the other way around.”

For many, mobility is not a right, but a daily struggle. INDIMO will work to bridge this gap, allowing more and more people to participate effectively in social life, by improving their mobility options.

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