3 min read • April 23, 2025
With stations primarily at train stations, Flinkster, as the carsharing service of Deutsche Bahn, complements public transport and creates connected mobility for travelers in Germany and beyond its borders. Partnerships with other carsharing providers play an important role in this. In this interview, Nils Reißig, Head of Carsharing at Deutsche Bahn Connect GmbH, explains the motivation behind the collaboration with carsharing partners and how it works.
Market
In October 2024, Flinkster, along with 14 existing carsharing partners, successfully moved from an in-house booking system to the MOQO platform. As before, by registering with Flinkster or one of its partners, users have access to all vehicles on the platform - with just one user account. What connects Deutsche Bahn Connect GmbH and MOQO is the vision of a network that changes mobility sustainably. At the summit, Nils Reißig reports on the migration and the initial effects for providers and drivers.
What is your motivation to continue working closely with carsharing partners even after switching to the MOQO platform?
Nils: With the Flinkster app, rail travelers throughout Germany and beyond should have easy access to connecting and everyday mobility. We can only achieve this goal with strong partnerships that provide a local offering that goes beyond the station.
Strong partnerships and cooperations in shared mobility →
How important are the carsharing partners for your customers?
Nils: Very important - the larger the offer in the Flinkster app, the better the availability and flexibility when using it in combination with other means of transportation. It's also great to have a strong local partner and to be able to simply fall back on other offers when you're traveling.
How do carsharing providers benefit from a partnership with Flinkster?
Nils: The partners benefit in particular, of course, from “our customers” who are looking for mobility at their destination and become aware of carsharing through our marketing activities in the rail environment.
Collaboration: Achieving more together →
What rights and obligations do carsharing partners have?
Nils: There are a few standards for the setup and presentation of the sharing offers as well as a style guide for communication measures that must be adhered to. However, the partners are free to set their own offers and prices.
Has the switch to the MOQO platform changed anything in terms of cooperation with carsharing partners?
Nils: From a contractual and operational point of view, this is of course a great deal for the Flinkster team, as we have handed over technical support for the partners to MOQO. However, there is still an informal network for exchanging best practices. The community concept is not lost and we continue to live it, for example at the MOQO Summit. Ultimately, the network is now even more powerful thanks to the MOQO partners and we can provide input together to make MOQO's sharing products even better.
In May, sharing providers, service partners and market experts will come together at the MOQO Summit 2025 in Aachen to inspire each other, learn from each other and develop new solutions together. Take the opportunity to present your questions and topics and make valuable contacts.
.jpg)
Education
Marketing for shared mobility providers is crucial in order to attract new users and remain relevant in a dynamic mobility market. Typical challenges for sharing providers are high barriers to entry for customers and entrenched mobility habits. Effective strategies are needed - from a targeted user approach to emotional storytelling. In this article, we show three best practices for successful marketing.
Best Practice
In a pilot project in Detroit, the US carsharing provider Sway Mobility is turning to remote driving for the first time. Drivers use the app to select the right vehicle from all those available, which is then teleoperated to the station. The aim is to make carsharing as convenient as possible - and for providers to benefit from higher capacity utilization and reduced costs at the same time.
Market
This spring, the MOQO network once again came together in Aachen to inspire each other, develop solutions and learn from experts - because the challenges of our time are too great to tackle alone. Together, we addressed the question of what is needed to future-proof individual services and shared mobility as a whole. Keynote speeches on autonomous driving and the key success factors of Airbnb as a high-flyer in the sharing economy provided exciting perspectives.