Mobility apps are great for people who don't have their own car.
Depending on the route and options, they combine different means of transport, from train to bus to car sharing or rental bikes, in order to get from A to B as smoothly as possible.
Ironically, however, Deutsche Bahn stands in the way of the development of such offers, according to the Bundeskartellamt.
Among other things, the Office accuses the railways of not providing sufficient forecast data on delays and the course of the journey, train cancellations or platform changes.
But they are a prerequisite for developing such digital services.
Currently, DB only gives a few selected providers such as Google access to the required data.
Helmut Buender
Business correspondent in Düsseldorf.
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The cartel office warned the railways on Wednesday.
With her behavior she abuses her market power on the rails and hinders competition.
"Many of these mobility services would be unthinkable without the involvement of DB," said President Andreas Mundt.
“Otherwise the business models cannot work”.
The competition authorities initiated proceedings at the end of 2019.
According to the interim status that has now been announced, several DB contract clauses also impede online partners.
When selling train tickets, for example, they would have to do without discount campaigns, bonus points or cashback programs, while Deutsche Bahn advertises its own offers on its bahn.de portal and its DB Navigator app accordingly.
In addition, the Cartel Office takes issue with the fact that the railways forbid their contractual partners to advertise the full range of railways.
Finally, the regulations for ticket sales on mobility platforms are criticized.
It is questionable whether DB will pay sufficient commission for this.
Indirectly, the railway also hinders smaller competitors, for whom the mobility platforms could be an important sales channel.
Deutsche Bahn and the platforms involved in the process now have the opportunity to comment.
It's about new questions about online sales, "on which there has been a lack of established case law and official practice," said a railway spokesman.