The City of Berlin Will Launch New Travel App

The city of Berlin is about to launch a new app that will allow travelers to access local public transport, rental bikes, car-sharing and even taxis all from one portal.

Called Jelbi, the new app is being created by Lithuanian startup Trafi and will be the first such offering in Europe, according to the Associated Press.

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Known as a “deep integration” app, Jelbi will handle billing for all transportation services for travelers on just one platform, rather than travelers having to deal with multiple providers. The app is also seen as an important measure to help prevent people from hopping in their own cars and adding to congestion on the roads in big cities.

Though Berlin is the first example of the offering in Europe, similar services are already available in Vilnius, Rio de Janeiro and Jakarta, the Associated Press reported.

“This goes in precisely the right direction,” Andreas Knie, a mobility expert at the Social Science Center Berlin told AP. “Transport services need to be connected, just like cellphone networks, so you can easily roam from one to another.”

Berlin, in particular, is plagued by an aging transport system that includes underground lines, trams, buses and commuter rail.

The city is led by a left-wing government that has been working to integrate forward-thinking solutions, including integrating such offerings as ride-hailing firms and car-sharing services, among other options.

However, Knie expressed skepticism that the city’s large, publicly owned BVG, which transports more than one billion passengers annually, would do anything that might impact its business.

Among the car-sharing companies already on the platform are Daimler’s car2go and BMW’s DriveNow. Uber, however, is not on the app. More are expected to join by the time Jelbi launches this summer.