Germany’s first mobility ‘flat rate’ starts in Augsburg

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Posted: 4 November 2019 | Intelligent Transport

For a fixed monthly fee, residents of Augsburg will have access to buses, trains, rental bikes and car sharing within the city.

Augsburg is said to be the first German city to introduce a mobility flat rate. For a fixed monthly fee starting at €79, residents of the city will be able to gain full access to a range of mobility services.

Alongside public transport services, Augsburg has been offering car sharing and rental bikes. This municipal utility now combines the offers and centralises them in a nationwide unique flat rate.

The “Mobil-Flat” scheme started on 1 November 2019. There are two packages, both of which offer unlimited rail and bus travel within the city area as well as the use of rental bikes for up to 30 minutes at a time.

With the smaller package, car-sharing journeys are limited to 15 hours or 150km per month, while the larger package increases this to 30 hours per month with no limit on mileage.

The scheme is the outcome of a year-long test phase conducted by Augsburg Stadtwerke. The city has long been endeavouring to attract more people to use public transport, including plans to make all trams and buses within the ‘City Zone’ free to use from 2020 onwards.

Currently, the Mobil-Flat offer is available only to residents in the Augsburg city area, but depending on feedback and ridership figures, the scheme could be expanded to surrounding areas.