GERMANY: The Federal Council has approved the Mobility Data Ordinance, which obliges transport agencies to provide data on timetables, routes and fares for inclusion in a single national Mobility Data Marketplace.
The aim is to facilitate the development of app-based transport information services, and to make it easier for people to travel across the boundaries between different public transport networks.
‘We are serious about modernising public transport’, explained Federal Minister of Transport & Digital Infrastructure Andreas Scheuer on September 17. ‘Every single bus timetable throughout Germany, every metro departure time, we provide all information in one place. This is now mandatory for all transport companies. Whichever app or website you use to plan your trip, “no information possible” will be a thing of the past.
‘And that’s just the beginning: next year, the MDM will also provide detailed information on all train stations and real-time data for all public transport. Thanks to this digital boost, we will be able to get from door to door even faster and easier with climate-friendly local transport — in the city and in the country.’
The obligation to provide open data will come into force in stages, starting with static timetable information. Further categories will be required from January 1 2022, and real-time running data from July 1 2022.
