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copyright 2002 by the ARTS Consortium. ARTS is a project within the fifth framework programme of the European Union - competitive and sustainal growth.
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Austria / Federal Province of Upper Austria
Place: Klaus an der Pyhrnbahn,Province of Upper-Austria, Austria
Beschreibung in deutscher Sprache
Description of the demonstration in several languages
de | en | es | fi | gr | hu | sw
1. General Description of the Demonstration
A demand responsive transport (DRT) system is organised by volunteers of a private non-profit association in Klaus (Upper Austria. For this new DRT service the association has chosen the name Dorfmobil which consists of the words Dorf = village and mobil = mobile, as well as Auto(mobil) = car.
The main objective of the system is to give inhabitants a possibility to reach basic supply (grocer, doctor, post office,...) and public transport stops independent from car availability.
2. Description of the Area
The demonstration takes place in Klaus which is situated in a mountainous region in the south of Upper Austria. The municipality Klaus consists of three villages: Klaus, Steyrling and Kniewas. Because of the disperse settlement structure people have to overcome long distances up to 8 km to reach basic supply or PT stops. This causes problems for people without car availability.
3. Characteristics of Services
The Dorfmobil covers the settlement area of Klaus. The service operates on working days from Monday to Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. A ride has to be pre-booked by phone at least half an hour before it is wanted. The average duration of a trip will be about 10 minutes. The Dorfmobil does not operate when a bus is available at the same time. The Dorfmobil offers a door-to-door service. At the moment it is not clear if the provincial government could co-finance a door-to-door service after the demonstration year. So existing bus stops are included as meeting points. They are equipped with information boards where the service is described (working hours, phone number,...) After the test period of ALMA the meeting points can change into stops if it would be needed.
4. Vehicle in Use
The DRT service is done with a new van which was bought in October 2002. It has a capacity of 6 seats (5 passengers and the driver). The driver on duty has the car, the booking-book and the mobile phone at his house.
5. Fares
The fare for a ride is EUR 1,50 per person, which is declared as financial share. Members of the non-profit association pay EUR 20,- for their membership per year. They get 10 tickets free and they have the possibility to buy a monthly ticket for EUR 20,-.
6. Operator
The operator is a private non-profit association. It was founded by 12 members in July 2002. Every inhabitant and guest of Klaus is invited to become a member. Active members are responsible for the organisation of the Dorfmobil, financial and organisational aspects as well. They meet each other whenever it is necessary to make decisions. Once a month a meeting for all drivers takes place where problems etc. can be discussed.
7. Public Authorities
In Austria the legal framework for PT is federal competence, though the organisational competencies for regional and local transportation are by the provincial government. The provincial government of Upper Austria is involved in the organisation of the Dorfmobil. The provincial government finances two third of the demonstration costs for the first year and helps to overcome legal barriers. The press and TV was informed by the provincial government.
The private association is also supported by the municipality. All political parties decided to support the Dorfmobil. The association is allowed to use the technical infrastructure of the municipality: computer, fax,...
There were no special contracts with public authorities necessary. The demonstration year is seen as a test year also for the provincial government.
8. On-demand services
The booking is done by phone. The driver on duty has the mobile phone of the Dorfmobil. He notes when the ride is pre-booked: time, meeting point and destination. In some cases he will also note the name and the phone number of the passenger. The latest possible time the customer can request the Dorfmobil is half an hour before the ride is wanted. If it is wanted before 6:30 a.m. it is necessary to book the day before. If more passengers want a ride at the same time the driver find an agreement with them. Trips to a train or a bus connection have priority.
9. Volunteer schemes
Volunteers drive the vehicle of the private association. The drivers are inhabitants of the municipality of Klaus. The president of the association made a list with persons who were fit for driving the Dorfmobil (housewives, retired people). These persons were called by BOKU in October 2002. Some of them were already informed very well, others had never heard anything about the Dorfmobil before. 15 potential drivers were invited to a first meeting where they got detailed information. 12 of them decided to become a Dorfmobil-driver.
The compensation for drivers is a fixed rate about EUR 1,15 per hour and EUR 1,- per trip. But the maximum they can get is EUR 2,20 per hour.
The association concluded a full insurance which includes all damages by the car, a passenger insurance and an insurance for the drivers. So there is no financial risk for the drivers themselves.
In Austria taxation issues were identified as a barrier particularly for small services, which do not run as traditional (licenced) public transport or taxi operators, but as private non-profit organisations or associations or as private individuals. When it comes to neighbourhood services, in particular, nobody wants to get mixed up in formal taxation difficulties. It seems to be absolutely unclear, however, under which conditions taxation can be avoided for these services. The national law actually provides no clear taxation roles for non-profit neighbourhood-organisations.
The insurance of cars, drivers and passengers in Austria is regulated very clearly, if the demand-responsive system is organised by a public transport operator or a taxi company. However, the insurance is not that clear when the rural demand-responsive system is organised and operated by associations or private persons as a non-profit organisation; the responsibility is not very clear in the case of an accident involving damage to persons or property. One problem is that the driver is also liable (together with the third party insurance and the ‘holder” of the car) with his private property. This situation reduces the motivation of potential private drivers and passengers to participate in non-profit organised demand-responsive services.
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