Creating a Smart Village in Rural Germany

Our Opportunity 

The Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm is one of the most rural regions in Germany, and the local authorities are committed to addressing the mobility-related challenges together with TMF. Can we work together with local administration and public transport authorities to address mobility challenges, creating a smart community to resolve various issues and creating a sustainable model to share with other regions?

Our Approach

Our vision is to help people with reduced personal mobility, like older adults and the disabled communities in rural areas. As a proof of concept, Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) is developing a platform that is first helping students, from elementary to high school and vocational students in the Bitburg region. Students can utilize customized mobility solutions to reach their schools and training companies. These are based on innovative mobility mapping and platforms and combines a multi modal portfolio from public transport to sharing solutions to private mobility solutions by volunteers such as a citizens’ bus.   

This project is part of a large digitalization effort of the region Bitburg. For example, in the future this will allow citizens to book appointments with local authorities online and mobility will function seamlessly within the system. Alongside TMF’s contribution, the government of Bitburg secured funding from the federal Ministry of Transport for this holistic digitalization approach. TMF will play a major role in helping develop innovative solutions with the selected target group as early adopters so that the solutions can be rolled out by the regional government to other areas step by step.

All developments will be open source and will be available to share as best practice examples and proofs of concept.