History
“Me, the red Opel Kadett from 1987”
09.09.2020
I am delighted to have the floor here. After all, I was the first vehicle from Mobility, or more precisely the Auto Teilet cooperative (ATG) at the time. God knows I’ve seen a lot in my over 30 years. I am happy to share some of my most memorable memories with you, dear readers.
My first months of car sharing in 1987 were lonely. I rode around Central Switzerland, divided and driven only by the eight ATG founders. They turned me into “a vehicle instead of a stationary tool,” as founding father Conrad Wagner explained to me. Environmental motives and sustainability were paramount. Three years later, I already had 38 red colleagues, which made me part of a real fleet. When I think about the fact that “my” Mobility has 3,100 vehicles to 1,500 stations which are moved by more than 220,000 people throughout Switzerland, I can’t help but have a blast of joy. Of course – I myself have long since retired, watching the scenery from my garage, but awake and with great interest.
From paper to app
Anyone who wanted to drive me in the early days entered their reservation in a list by hand and wrote down the kilometres travelled in a logbook. It was also time-consuming to get the keys: They were hanging in a box on the wall of the house, for which separate keys were required. Complicated, huh? In 1993, telephone reservations became possible, and Internet reservations were made at the turn of the millennium. Anyone wishing to reserve my fleet comrades today simply taps on their mobile phone display. Even Bluetooth openings should soon be possible. I have to be very careful that I keep up with all these digitization steps at my age, but after all, “kadett” means “volunteer help with traffic control” – and that’s an obligation!
From ATG to Mobility
From April 1997 onwards, my colleagues wore the word “Mobility” on their wings, a name that fascinated me right from the start. The cooperative emerged from the merger between ATG and Zurich-based ShareCom, which had launched a car sharing model at the same time. The impressive “start-up capital” therefore encompassed 700 vehicles and 17’400 customers.
From solo performance to networking
As I mentioned, I spent a few months on my own for ATG during the pioneering days. Under “Mobility,” my owners started major collaborations with major “players,” as they say today. “Networking” became the key strategic vocabulary. Business car sharing was established in 1998 in collaboration with Migros, and in 2006 the offer (excluding Click & Drive) which works without a subscription. Other cooperation partners with resounding names include the Libero fare network, Swiss universities and colleges and the Swisspass for the public transport sector. As a classic car, this successful development makes me proud. I would immediately like to take part again and get my accelerator pressed!
From petrol to e-car
For a long time, “my” fleet was driven by petrol or diesel across urban and rural areas. “Electric” and “hybrid” were at best buzzwords in a long-term vision. But now everything is different. In 2011, Mobility joined forces with m-way, SBB and Siemens to bring electric cars into operation – in other words, those colleagues you can no longer hear and who drive emission-free. And now the awesome: In ten years’ time at the latest, Mobility will only have electric cars. This protects the environment and invests in sustainability. A great vision!
Also, I almost forgot to bring my tailgate when I learned that there are now minibuses that are so smart that no one needs to touch their steering wheel. Such self-driving vehicles should belong to the future. In 2017, my owner joined forces with partners such as the SBB Pilot project with autonomous cars in Zug. Conclusion: Their time has not yet come. With an emphasis on “still”.
From pioneer to innovation driver
I had to learn a lot of English to stay up to date with Mobility’s steady expansion of its services. Her innovative strength is so impressive that it shakes my exhaust every now and then. Fancy some examples? Mobility Flex for the opening of car sharing stations to order, “Pool car sharing” for business customers with their own fleet of vehicles, Mobility Go for free-floating car sharing, or One-Way for one-way trips from city to city. Actually, there is nothing here that does not exist.
“Share more, get more.”
Despite all the innovation and ongoing digitisation processes: My owner has remained true to her founding values. ShareCom’s former credo of “share instead of own” is as relevant today as it was then. Sustainable, traffic- and cost-reducing mobility solutions will continue to be a major focus in the future. Each of my great-grandchildren, i.e. every Mobility car, replaces eleven privately owned cars. In addition, each user saves CHF 4,000 compared to owning a private car. The cooperative and thus also the community concept is still cutting-edge. And if people are increasingly seeing car sharing as a lifestyle, I think: These are beautiful views.
Your Opel Kadett from 1987.