Mobility Data: German Carsharing Providers Fear for Their Existence

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The planned new regulation for the digital provision of mobility data is causing a stir in the German transport landscape. The federal government wants to drive forward the digital transformation of the sector with the legal framework and implement European requirements into national law. However, a hearing in the Bundestag's Transport Committee on Monday painted a picture of profound uncertainty.

At its core, it is about the mandatory sharing of information via a national access point. According to the government's wishes, corresponding data should be made available free of charge and without any specific purpose.

The Federal Association for Carsharing (bcs) is now particularly sharply criticizing the proposal. Its managing director, Gunnar Nehrke, described the draft as existentially threatening to the entire industry. According to the bcs, Germany is considered a European leading market for shared cars, with around 5.5 million registered users and over 45,000 vehicles. Many medium-sized providers there are among the few worldwide that operate profitably. This success is largely based on years of know-how in precisely controlling vehicle availability and utilization.

Transparency as a Danger to Trade Secrets

The industry now fears that the planned disclosure of dynamic mobility data will make precisely these trade secrets usable for any purpose. If sensitive real-time data becomes freely accessible, the concern is that competitors from Germany and abroad could analyze and copy the previously protected business models in detail. Information about fleet size per location, specific utilization of individual areas, and even revenue estimates could be reconstructed from the data.

This could jeopardize expansion into new areas, the bcs fears. Previously, station-based providers financed less-in-demand locations on the outskirts of cities or in rural areas through profits from urban centers. If competitors could now target only the most lucrative locations with pinpoint accuracy, this system would collapse. Ultimately, this could lead to a massive reduction in supply outside major cities, as there would be no prospect of recouping investments.

Data Protection and Financial Burdens

Data protection is also causing headaches for carsharing experts. By combining license plate numbers and dynamic location data, movement patterns of private individuals could theoretically be reconstructed. This carries the risk that tracking tools could be created to generate movement profiles. The association therefore calls for a registration requirement for data users and the possibility to limit their use to legitimate purposes such as travel information or research.

In addition to these strategic dangers, bureaucratic hurdles are burdening the industry. The conversion to specific data formats as well as new obligations for self-declarations and the examination of third-party IT error messages would cause immense additional costs. The bcs expects a burden of around 4.5 million euros for its members in the first year alone. Since the law simultaneously prescribes free provision, no refinancing can take place. The costs would therefore likely have to be passed on to users.

Digital Sovereignty vs. SME Protection

On the other hand, proponents of the project, such as Felix Gündling from the company Triptix, see the opening of mobility data as an opportunity for Europe's digital sovereignty. So far, primarily US corporations like Google or Apple have had the means to purchase traffic information on a large scale. Open data is a necessary basic building block to enable smaller German companies to develop competitive routing services. The Wuppertal Institute also sees potential for climate-neutral mobility, but calls for an even more far-reaching provision obligation. The debate highlights a dilemma of the mobility transition: while for some the opening of data is considered an engine of innovation, established medium-sized structures are facing a severe test.

(wpl)