Notes from Berlin
Returning to Berlin after a six year absence, it’s amazing both how much has changed and how even more has stayed the same. The city is truly one of the world’s great transit cities, but when it comes to the curb, there’s room for improvement. The bustling metropolis’ great startup scene is helping solve some problems, but there are areas where smarter policy would do well too. While I’ll treat you to a photo essay of street scenes below, first a few more thoughts…
Micromobility has taken off in the German capital in a huge way, with an ecosystem of interesting small devices that makes American micromobility seem staid by comparison. While the city has long had some shared larger-scale mobility, this is a marked change from say 2017, when your single option was essentially the appetizingly named Donkey Republic dockless bikeshare program.
If you want to pick up a shared bike or scooter, you can choose from Bird, Bolt, Tier, Voi, Nextbike and more. But beyond those standard vehicles, there are also specialty providers like Cargaroo, letting Berliners rent cargo bikes with a huge front scoop for hauling items (or perhaps transporting your tipsy friends to the next club.)
And while carsharing is basically on life support in the U.S. (college campuses notwithstanding) it’s absolutely thriving in Germany. You’ve got WeShare, Share Now, Sixt Share, Miles, Cambio, Bolt and Flinkster (although it looks like Miles may be in trouble for forgetting to pay a few million in taxes and fees, whoops…) If you’d prefer a moped there’s Felyx, Tier, and Emmy. If those aren’t enough goofy names for you, the city also hosts a proud startup scene that’s birthed concepts like Delivery Hero, Hello Fresh and The Drivery.
Given the struggles of shared mobility in the U.S. it seems like the problem is that while America has some good transit cities as well as some pleasant biking cities, Berlin combines both those attributes in a way that is hard to find on the other side of the Atlantic. Hopping on a moped or shared bike works great as a “sometimes” solution when you can otherwise rely on a vast network of trains to get you to further distances, and also when you don’t fear you’re going to get run over on an oversized road.
This isn’t to say that Berlin is perfect, in fact there are a few things it might want to borrow from Americans. For starters, while the train network is vast, the national network’s reliability has deteriorated significantly recently. And while the federal government has introduced a discounted monthly pass, less frequent subway commuters have to deal with absurdly high ticket prices: 3,20€ in the inner city, 4€ if you’re riding in from the burbs. That feels all the higher when you consider that average incomes in Berlin are actually rather low. Maybe some fare capping is in order?
And at the literal curb level, there’s room for improvement too. While the city has long had a nice base level of lively curb uses like outdoor dining (what European city doesn’t?) it failed to expand on that much during the pandemic. Far too much of the city’s curbside street space is dedicated to storing cars: it’s totally whiffed the opportunity to take some back for commerce / additional dining areas, or for PUDU zones (especially egregious given the surge in food delivery courier traffic.) And even ancient basics like parking meters are essentially non-existent citywide.
The city is also doing something basically unthinkable in any other urban area (besides Texas) — it’s constructing a new urban freeway. The government is tearing down iconic clubs and historic structures to build a new route for the A100 through the heart of the city. How do you say “time for your own freeway revolt” in German?
HOT INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
Oh shift! Used car marketplace Shift has filed for bankruptcy, a victim of both falling car prices and its own business mismanagement. At this point, is there any SPAC that’s actually succeeded?
Two great jobs in two lovely cities: Boston’s trendsetting Office of New Urban Mechanics is looking for a new Director. Take the Acela down to New York and you can be the new Deputy Director, Freight Corridor Initiatives & Operations for NYCDOT.
Money alert: The Feds are dolling out fresh cash to help cities and transit operators update their fleets. The FTA has $197M in fresh grants for busses and trains — apply now.
CicLAvia turns 10: The open street event, which popularized a concept invented in Bogota, hits the decade mark with a return to its original route from 10/10/2010: Downtown LA, Chinatown and Boyle Heights, this Sunday.
Mama mia! Taxi drivers in Italy are on strike, just after train operators walked out on the job. Their complaint? The city wants to issue new licenses to address a shortage of cabs…
Way more SF service: Waymo is expanding its self-driving taxi service to cover the entirety of SF, while competitor Cruise seems to soak up more negative attention. Technically the expanded service doesn’t cover Treasure Island, since that part of the city is only accessible by freeway, which the cars still won’t navigate.
Chi town, why? While transit ridership is perking up in much of the U.S., it’s still languishing in Chicago. Now the Windy City is doing something sure to make a bad situation worse: it’s cutting service on its subway / elevated system.
Double your yum: Uber Eats launched multi-store ordering, allowing customers to combine items from multiple restaurants and vendors (want a 7-Eleven slurpee to wash down that McDonald’s?) DoorDash has offered a similar service for years now; don’t forget to tip your deliverer a bit more for schlepping a bit further…
Speaking of chain restaurants: Chipotle shared some more details on their robotic assembly line, meant to speed up orders for delivery. 39.4% of the chain’s orders at this point are digital sales, and of those a surprising 65% are bowls or salads (guess folks don’t like the giant burritos?)
Micromobility America returns: Join our friends in the SF Bay Area next Thursday and Friday. Tickets still available!
A few good links: Harry Campbell interviews Revel’s CEO Frank Reig. Just Eat Takeaway expands Grubhub’s celeb-backed ad campaign to European markets. MTA Omny card exploit reveals commuter travel data. Volvo releases new EV truck. New study finds that less parking availability induces less driving. Ola launches parcel delivery service.
Auf Wiedersehen!
- Jonah Bliss & The Curbivore Crew