Potential Analysis for a New Vehicle Class in the Use Case of Ride-Pooling: How New Model Developments Could Satisfy Customers and Mobility Makers

Due to changes in mobility and the emergence of new services, it is becoming necessary to establish new vehicle classes between conventional buses and privately owned vehicles. New mobility scenarios need concrete specifications to develop the most user-centered shuttle buses. As a result, we are looking for the requirements and needs of operators and customers. Initially, we want to determine the status quo, as there is no preliminary work in this regard. During the course of extensive literature research, expert interviews, and follow-up workshops, the respective solution space was highlighted and narrowed down. Services such as ride-pooling require adapted vehicle concepts to ensure optimal implementation of their offer. Due to its optimized processes, the automotive industry depends on producing vehicles in a certain quantity and manner. Faster changes and extensive experiments are not possible with the current production approach. Purpose-built vehicle concepts can make mobility services more attractive to customers while facilitating business operations. For instance, potential improvements can be identified in the seating concept.