DIAGORAS-Shared mobility service for touristic islands
About this good practice
DIAGORAS is a co-funded initiative by the Region of South Aegean aiming at the deployment of electric car and e-bicycle sharing service for the island of Rhodes. E-mobilty sharing gains in popularity as assists cities towards climate neutrality, as well as citizens, who are more inclined in paying for the short-term access to a service or an asset on demand, rather than owning them. Main innovation is the introduction of a new business model approach for e-car/e-bike sharing for tourist islands: the shared mobility business is linked with tourism enterprises through synergies. Main audience is tourists, who can pick-up and drop-off the shared vehicles at places with high demand i.e. commercial&cruise ports, hotels, marinas, archeological sites, museums. The user is also proposed with tourist routes. While the sharing scheme is primarily driven by the private sector, it operates under the auspices of the city, which is dedicated to fostering sustainability initiatives that align with smart tourism principles. This collaboration not only enhances the efficiency and accessibility of transportation options but also integrates advanced technologies to improve the overall visitor experience (totally aligned with TAAS cycle phase C). Impacts are multi-fold: the service has a higher penetration rate due to increased number of pick up/drop off locations and sales channels, the tourists get added value travel services right where they need them, and the island reduces CO2 emissions.
Resources needed
The total project cost including pilot operations is 543 k euros.
Evidence of success
The DIAGORAS practice is considered successful due to strong stakeholder engagement and positive user feedback. Five major entrepreneurs in Rhodes expressed strong interest in continuing and enhancing the services provided. Additionally, a user survey with over 500 respondents revealed high satisfaction levels (tourists included), underscoring the positive impact and value of these services.
Potential for learning or transfer
Road transport is responsible for the 20% of the overall GHG emissions. The promotion of greener transport modes and new innovative mobility services enabled by digital platforms, similar to DIAGORAS one, within the urban areas will assist the European cities towards the climate neutrality. At the beginning of 2021, the cities offering shared mobility schemes have been increased to more than 4,100. A lot of those schemes are private sector driven. Also, quite a few are deployed at tourism areas, especially islands, and are associated with sustainable tourism objectives. DIAGORAS has proven that there is a very good case in collaboration between the mobility and the tourism eco-systems leading to both market success and sustainable development. The DIAGORAS results also, conclude that Cities would become essential facilitators of the scheme by providing Public space for vehicles’ parking/charging and networking between the stakeholders.
Further information
Good practice owner
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