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Autonomous Mobility: How MOIA Creates Societal Value

Autonomous mobility is not just a technology project. It is a lever for society. It is about reducing CO₂ emissions, improving road safety, enabling inclusive mobility, and creating cleaner, more livable cities. Since 2019, MOIA has been demonstrating in Hamburg how trips can be bundled efficiently and intelligently with its ridepooling service. Today, MOIA is working to deploy autonomous mobility to support a more sustainable and inclusive society.

Autonomous Mobility: How MOIA Creates Societal Value

Autonomous Mobility as a Lever to Reduce Transport Emissions

According to the European Environment Agency, the transport sector accounts for around 22 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. Across the EU, the share is close to 30 percent, with the majority stemming from road transport. While industry and the energy sector have succeeded in lowering emissions, transport emissions have stagnated for years. 

When deployed effectively, autonomous mobility can be a powerful tool for reducing emissions in the transport sector. 

It brings together electrification, automation, and shared use in one integrated system that delivers multiple climate benefits at once. Shared autonomous fleets can replace a significant number of privately owned cars, reducing the total number of vehicles in cities. Ridepooling increases vehicle occupancy by matching passengers with similar routes. 

At the same time, autonomous systems enable smoother and more efficient traffic flow, with fewer traffic jams and a more anticipatory driving style that saves energy. Fully electric operation further reduces CO₂ emissions. Thanks to the 24/7 availability of autonomous mobility services, vehicles can be deployed flexibly based on demand, operate at higher frequency, and become a compelling alternative to private car ownership. 

Life cycle assessments show that battery electric vehicles generate significantly lower CO₂ emissions than vehicles with internal combustion engines. Autonomous systems can further increase this efficiency, for example through more precise route planning, fewer empty trips, higher vehicle occupancy, and reduced idle times. A scientific simulation on the future development of mobility in Hamburg concludes that under ambitious ridepooling scenarios, transport related emissions could decrease noticeably. 

What is clear is that autonomous mobility holds significant potential to reduce emissions when implemented as an electric, shared, and integrated system. 

More Livable Cities: Fewer Cars, More Space 

According to mobility studies, private cars remain unused for around 90 to 95 percent of their lifetime. Especially in large cities, this occupies vast amounts of space. Across Europe, various initiatives are addressing this issue. In Amsterdam, for example, 11,200 parking spaces are set to be removed by 2025 to make room for sidewalks, cycling infrastructure, and green spaces. 

This is exactly where autonomous ridepooling comes into play. Shared mobility reduces the need for permanently parked vehicles. MOIA uses an algorithm to bundle trips with similar routes, increasing vehicle occupancy and improving overall efficiency. Fewer individual trips can translate into fewer vehicles within the transport system over time. 

Ridepooling therefore complements public transportation effectively, enabling users to combine different modes of transport within a single journey. 

Shared rides ease traffic congestion and therefore reduce transport emissions.

Technology for Greater Road Safety 

According to the World Health Organization, around 1.19 million people lose their lives in road traffic each year worldwide. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that roughly 94 percent of all crashes are linked to human error, such as distraction or misjudgment. 

Autonomous vehicles continuously monitor their surroundings using sensors such as LiDAR, radar, and camera systems. They do not get tired, they are not distracted, and they can react within milliseconds. MOIA is testing autonomous vehicles in real urban traffic across several cities worldwide in order to continuously refine its autonomous driving system and further enhance safety features.  

Social Participation: Mobility for Greater Inclusion 

A society needs inclusive and flexible ways for people to get from point A to point B. As Europe’s population continues to age, the demand for accessible mobility services is rising, as shown by Eurostat population data. For older adults or people with disabilities, losing a driver’s license often also means losing a degree of independence. Shifting the focus from car ownership to inclusive mobility solutions can help counteract this. 

Studies on On-Demand Ridepooling indicate that integrated, wheelchair accessible services, such as those implemented in Hamburg, significantly improve accessibility and generate high levels of satisfaction among users with limited mobility. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of scalable and inclusive mobility solutions.  

At the same time, it is becoming clear that expanding traditional public transportation alone will not be enough to address today’s transport challenges. Flexible and convenient services are needed to close gaps, cover off peak hours, and reach people in areas where fixed routes reach their limits. Complementing public transit, ridepooling can create societal value as an integrated part of the public transport system by acting as a feeder service and further reducing barriers for people with limited mobility. 

MOIA already demonstrates how digital On-Demand Mobility works: bookable via app, with flexible pick-up points and pooled rides. When embedded into public transportation, ridepooling can strengthen and enhance the existing network. Autonomous mobility can further increase this flexibility in the future, for example by extending operating hours. Mobility becomes less dependent on private car ownership and more accessible as a reliable service for everyone. Since 2023, MOIA has been offering a low barrier mobility service in Hamburg. 

Autonomous Mobility Creates New Jobs and Career Fields 

MOIA views autonomous ridepooling as part of a long-term mobility strategy that connects technological innovation with societal benefit, making mobility more efficient, sustainable, and accessible. Autonomous driving is not only transforming transportation itself, but also creating forward looking career paths and new job opportunities, ranging from fleet management and software development to remote support roles. Behind every technological innovation are the people who develop it, operate it, and continuously improve it. 

Interested in shaping the mobility of tomorrow with us? Check out our current job openings here.

Autonomous mobility creates new job opportunities and opens up new perspectives.

Autonomous Mobility Is Becoming a Reality 

Autonomous mobility is no longer an abstract vision. MOIA demonstrates how societal value can be put into practice: through lower emissions, greater safety, increased inclusion, and more efficient use of urban space. The future of mobility is not created in a lab, but in real world city operations.

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