Ioki was created with the aim of promoting autonomous public transport.

“We are taking solid steps in the right direction,” says Manuel Manzoni, International Sales & Business Development Manager of the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary.

Their main product is a platform that can operate with both drivers and autonomous vehicles in on-demand scenarios.

This mode is designed for areas where public transport request is very low and not profitable.

It is characterized by irregular service provision based on need, making it highly flexible and adaptable to user preferences, benefiting both service providers and users.

“For example, in Italy, where there is a shortage of bus drivers, this transportation method could lead to greater efficiency and optimization,” details Manzoni.

Thanks to Ioki’s years of experience in on-demand transportation and their pioneering work in data-based mobility analysis, they have in-depth knowledge of the challenges of the public system.

Therefore, their goal is to create cost-effective solutions as a partner in integrating new technologies and in planning and optimizing traffic in the autonomous ecosystem.

According to Ioki, these self-driving on-demand offerings will revolutionize the mobility industry and sustainably change its behavior.

As a platform provider, the subsidiary holds a prominent position in the digital ecosystem, serving as an essential interface for the new passenger mobility paradigm.

In this way, they are shaping the future of transportation, focusing on the new generations.

“We notice that they care a lot about sustainability, and for them, it doesn’t matter how they move, but simply getting from point A to point B,” asserts Manzoni during the Sustainable Bus Webinar.

Ioki success story

In May 2022, the German Federal Council adopted the regulation presented by the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Affairs.

This aims to regulate the operation of motor vehicles with automated and autonomous driving functions, as well as modify road traffic rules, completing the national legal framework for self-driving.

As a pioneer in autonomous shared rides, Ioki has achieved milestones in mobility since its founding, making it accessible to public transport.

An example is in the spa town of Bad Birnbach, in Lower Bavaria, where the first autonomous bus line in Germany on public roads started operating in 2017.

With Ioki’s operating system used in this locality, all modes of shared transport can be controlled by a single software.

Just one week after the launch of the two buses in this Bavarian town, the Bundesrat approved the regulation for this driving.

Ioki: Leader in the driverless on-demand market

Ioki was founded in 2017 as a corporate startup of the Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s main railway company.

It is considered a software-as-a-service and technology company with a broad portfolio, with its main product being the Ioki platform.

This provides an optimal digital solution for integrating autonomous vehicles into demand-based public transport, considering new systems for both driverless and driver-operated transfer.

This makes it a reliable partner for smart and sustainable mobility solutions, especially in suburban and rural areas.

It consists of an operator management tool, a vehicle application, and a customizable passenger app.

It supports cities, transportation companies, and municipal authorities on their path to digitized and demand-based local transport.

In parallel with the platform, they also offer a set of packages “that can help the customer develop the best option in a data-based mobility analysis.”

As a technology expert, Ioki enables sustainable and efficient shared rides as an alternative to motorized private transport through the use of intelligent algorithms.

It not only relies on existing technologies but also advances future-oriented concepts.