The Berlin shared taxi Berlkönig will soon be over for good. “On July 20, the research and development project of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) and Via will end as planned after four years,” the BVG announced on Thursday.
The transport company wants to start two new transport offers this year, but an exact date has not yet been set.
The Berlkönig vehicles, operated by the Via company, operate in the eastern part of the city. The trips can be booked via an app, and a computer calculates the route so that as many passengers as possible can board with just a few detours.
Although the duration of the project fell largely during the time of the corona pandemic, around 1.85 million passengers have used the offer so far, the BVG further announced. The Berlkönig project almost ended prematurely around two years ago due to a dispute over public funding.
In the future, the BVG is planning a dial-a-bus, which will also be in operation around the clock in the east of Berlin. The service is designed to take passengers to regular stops and pick them up there. “However, direct journeys in the service area will also be possible,” it said. Trips should also be bundled.
The second project is called “Alternative barrier-free transport”. Here, passengers should be given a transport alternative, especially at train stations that are not yet barrier-free. “By the end of 2023, the U8, parts of the U5 and the Marienfelde S-Bahn station are to be connected in a pilot project. From the beginning of 2024, the offer will then apply throughout Berlin.”
