The underground line 2 takes you from Frankfurt city center to the Nieder-Eschbach district in the north.

It's a cold December morning, the temperatures are well below zero.

Arrive at the subway station, but that is only a stopover, the actual destination: the north-eastern district of Nieder-Erlenbach, a good three kilometers away, which cannot be reached by train.

The number 29 bus going in this direction is just roaring off the subway station.

He only comes here twice an hour, so the next one is in thirty minutes.

With a cold nose and frozen toes, even the bus stop offers no protection.

But there is Knut, the new offer from the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV): a minibus available on demand.

Carlota Brandis

volunteer

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The "knoutbare" area includes seven northern districts of Frankfurt and the Bad Vilbel train station.

The shuttle picks up passengers and drops them off at their destination, as long as it is within the operational area.

The RMV describes it as an "additional feeder function to the subway lines" - instead of bus or private car.

Mobile local transport

The shuttle service is intended to make local transport more mobile and spontaneous - just "on demand", i.e. available.

The offer is primarily aimed at residents of urban peripheral regions who are particularly dependent on buses and cars.

Knut has several siblings, all part of the RMV mobility project.

"Emil" vans take care of Taunusstein, "Siggi" drives in Kelsterbach, and in Darmstadt residents order the "Heiner-Liner".

There are also shuttles in Offenbach, Hanau, Limburg and Hofheim.

If you want to use one of the vehicles, you can download the “RMV On Demand” app onto a smartphone.

A shuttle can be booked in just a few steps, but you have to enter your own telephone number and a declaration of consent.

Alternatively, users can also book Knut via the RMV service telephone.

You register beforehand at the Frankfurt Mobility Center at the Hauptwache.

According to RMV, the public transport offer should be expanded and emissions reduced.

In this sense, the Frankfurt mobility department head Stefan Majer (Die Grünen) sees the "On Demand" project with a total of 100 vehicles as an "important contribution to the mobility turnaround".

Back at the bus stop in Nieder-Eschbach.

The pick-up address is automatically determined by the app.

Enter the destination address in Nieder-Erlenbach by hand, confirm the fare, and Knut is booked.

Immediately a driver was found who came to the train station.

Exactly four minutes later, the automatic door of the electrified Mercedes van slides open at the crossroads.

The journey is paid for right at the start - cashless via a card reader or with "Paypal".

An RMV ticket makes the 3.8-kilometer route to Nieder-Erlenbach one euro cheaper: this time it costs 2.50 euros.

The customers stay loyal

Here we go.

The navigation system in the "On Demand" app guides the driver to the fastest route to the destination address.

Five of the six seats for passengers are still unoccupied, but two women are still waiting on the way to Nieder-Erlenbach.

Journeys that go in the same direction are connected – without a major detour.

Knut turns off the main street into a side street, the two passengers are already waiting and getting on.

Again, payment is made first - per boarding passenger.

For the women, the almost ten-minute journey costs a total of five euros.

The two women, who are around 70 years old, come from the area and say they often use the shuttle service.

He makes a lot of things easier, whether shopping in the supermarket, running errands at Ikea or going to the train station.

"We walk 15 minutes to the nearest bus stop, which is very difficult in this icy weather and slippery ground," says one of the women.

And the shuttle is even exciting for the grandchildren: spacious, brightly painted and with a special service.