What does it take to design a public transport system that truly reflects how people move through a city, not just in theory, but in real time?
This is the question Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), the main public transport company of Berlin, set out to answer. And we at motiontag are proud to be at the center of a new data-driven initiative that aims to do just that.
From surveys to seamless insights
Until now, transport authorities have relied on manual surveys and isolated data sources to understand mobility patterns — a method that’s costly, slow, and too static to keep up with modern mobility behavior.
Together with BVG, we’re changing that. By integrating the motiontag SDK into the official FahrInfo app, we’re enabling voluntary data donation from Berliners who want to help shape the future of their city’s transport, under data protection regulations.
Once activated, the SDK automatically recognizes travel modes, lines, and transfers, seamlessly capturing up to 12 different modes of transport and complete intermodal routes, with minimal battery use and full GDPR compliance. No survey fatigue. No guesswork.
What BVG gains and why it matters
With continuous, multimodal data, BVG gains a dynamic picture of how passengers truly move:
-
Smarter, demand-oriented planning
-
More precise impact measurement (e.g. Deutschlandticket use)
-
A solid base for performance-based revenue allocation
-
Real-world, scalable alternatives to traditional traffic surveys
BVG itself has called the result “a new basis for data-driven decisions in public transport” and noted that this level of automatic, anonymous, and intermodal detail is something “classic surveys have never been able to deliver.”
Building a smarter future of mobility together
This partnership isn’t just about technology, it’s about enabling sustainable, human-centered urban mobility. With experience from large-scale projects such as Klimaticket Austria and Deutschlandticket tracking, we’re proud to bring our technical and strategic expertise to Berlin.
Next up? A potential incentive program for sustainable travel, and plans to expand this solution into BVG’s multimodal Jelbi app.
We’re excited to support BVG in this journey and to help shape a mobility system that’s smarter, fairer, and truly reflects the way Berlin moves.
Want to learn more or work with us?
Get in touch: info@motiontag.com