The project ULTIMOB (Ultimate Integrated Mobility) from the studio iSPACE of the RSA FG is a broad research project within the program “Mobility of the Future” of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology.
The aim of the project is to advance the mobility turnaround as well as to create necessary new mobility offers. Exactly this could be implemented in September 2022 by the first micro-public transport project in the province of Salzburg organized by the Salzburg Transport Association: with the Loigom Shuttle, there is a new, attractive mobility offer in the Pinzgau community.
“The needs of everyday life and thus also mobility behavior are becoming increasingly fast-paced and flexible. With the new Loigom shuttle from the start of school, we are following this trend and creating the possibility of conveniently and flexibly taking care of daily needs, such as trips to the hairdresser, doctor, training or to the favorite inn, even without your own car. We are thus ensuring a connection to public transport where there are no connections today,” says provincial councilor Stefan Schnöll.
Multimodal Service Planning
The basis for the elaboration and development of this new micro public transport offer in Leogang was the innovative planning tools and data created within the framework of ULTIMOB. In cooperation with the Salzburg Transport Association, commuter flows were analyzed and innovative GIS-supported planning bases were developed for the analysis of existing and future offers in the environmental alliance. New analytical models have been developed for the analysis of potential mobility demand in on-demand transport, which identify the most suitable stopping points for micro-public transport. These innovative basics are now a central basis for the further development of innovative mobility offers in Salzburg and beyond.
“Innovations should make multimodal access from the region to public transport attractive, facilitate transfer and improve the continuity of multimodal path chains. In this way, innovative measures can be taken up and implemented throughout Austria and continue to have an impact even after the end of the project” says Thomas Prinz, studio director of iSPACE.
Grießner: “Simple Mobility for All.”
The mayor of Leogang, Josef Grießner, is pleased about the pilot project in his community. “It is a great offer especially for those without a car and also the elderly among us. You can now get around the region even better easily, flexibly and without much effort – whether it’s to go shopping or to reach other bus stops and the train station. The initial reactions have been positive throughout,” says Grießner.
No Timetable but Fixed Stops
“In concrete terms, two electric minibuses with space for up to eight people will be in operation in the future, Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 11:30 and from 12:30 to 19:30, and Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 08:00 to 18:00, supplementing the existing public transport. Unlike the bus or train, the Loigom shuttle is only on the road when needed and is not bound to a fixed timetable. This in turn does not mean that there are no stops. There are around 30 Loigom Shuttle stops in the area of operation, which were defined using the planning tool developed in ULTIMOB,” says Verkehrsverbund’s managing director Johannes Gfrerer.