Working together, the City and District of Kassel together with the Kassel Public Transport Company (KVG) have put together a wide-ranging and varied program of activities and offerings in connection with European Mobility Week from 16 - 22 September. And this year they are receiving special support from the Kassel-based HÜBNER Group, a major supplier of the bus and rail sectors.
A particular highpoint of the European Mobility Week in North Hesse will be a Free Ride Day on September 18, which will be taking place on the occasion of HÜBNER's 75th company anniversary. On this day, the Kassel-based company will pay for all passengers to use all means of public transport in North Hesse. No matter how often, no matter where, HÜBNER will be paying the fare – a special invitation to everyone who would like to get on board on that day.
This initiative fits together perfectly with additional activities planned in Kassel for European Mobility Week, when environmentally friendly mobility will have the central focus. Offerings of many different types will be featured to give examples of how transport can be organized in ways that are better for the climate and the environment in the long run. Under this year's motto “On the move – actively, safely and in good health”, the involved parties have put together more than 50 offerings in a program booklet that can also be accessed digitally at www.nvv.de/emw.
In addition to mobility training for seniors, the re-purposing of street space in Kassel's Unteren Königsstraße, tours with a gas-powered park train at the Sababurg Zoo, guided hikes in combination with a tree donation campaign, there are numerous other possibilities and innovative approaches that show how various means of transport can be used in environmentally friendly ways now and in the future.
"This year in Kassel we are pleased to have a great variety of initiatives for the European Mobility Week in which many different groups and institutions are participating. The week offers a good occasion and context to deepen our discussions about mobility in our city. This is important because we want to reach as many people as possible and convince them that a new era of transport can succeed through more intensive use of our public transport possibilities."
Christian Geselle, Mayor of Kassel
"Only if we are all willing to pull together will we succeed in transforming mobility in our society." Andreas Siebert, District Administrator of the District of Kassel
"If we really want to implement new forms of transport in North Hesse, we will need lots of support, more use of our public transport and further development of the system. With our involvement in the European Mobility Week, we are showing not only what all is possible but also what is necessary to do. At the same time, the NVV (North Hesse Public Transport Association) benefits from the ideas that emerge through such activities. On this basis we can learn for the future and better align our corporate strategy with the customer wishes of our passengers. We all can learn from each other. That's what makes this week so special for me," says NVV Managing Director Steffen Müller.
"Without the users of public transport, our success as a company would have been inconceivable in its present form. That's why we also want our home region to share in our company anniversary - and have developed the Free Ride Day campaign together with the KVG and NVV," explains Helge Förster, HÜBNER General Manager and responsible for the company's Mobility business segment. "We wish happy travels to everyone who is riding with the buses and trains and trams of the local transport system on September 18." Helge Förster, General Manager HÜBNER Group
"For us at the KVG, European Mobility Week is a good opportunity for us to show how we are making a strong contribution to transforming mobility in Kassel. We are also very pleased with the initiative from the HÜBNER Group to sponsor a free day of public transport on September 18. After all, we at the KVG share a long-standing and trusting relationship with the HÜBNER company. Particularly in the bus sector, we have helped with the testing of numerous HÜBNER products and contributed in this way to their final market versions, and we operate our vehicles with many HÜBNER components. Our most recent cooperation project is the KVG’s takeover of the original HÜBNER plant in Bettenhausen. This is where we will develop our new mobility location." Dr. Olaf Hornfeck, Board Member KVG AG
EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK – What is it?
EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK is a campaign of the European Commission. Since 2002 it has been offering municipalities throughout Europe an ideal opportunity to inform citizens about the complete range of sustainable mobility options that are locally available. Activities take place across Europe in more than 2,500 cities and towns. It is all part of the world's largest campaign for sustainable mobility.
Each year, always from 16 - 22 September, innovative transport solutions are tried out in connection with the EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK and creative ideas for sustainable mobility are promoted in the municipalities. For example, this includes re-purposing parking lots and street spaces, opening up new foot paths and bicycle routes, testing electric vehicles, as well as initiating school competitions and other initiatives for better climate protection in transport. Through such activities, municipalities and their citizens can demonstrate that sustainable transport is possible, that it is fun and that it can actively be put into practice. In Germany, European Mobility Week has been coordinated by the Federal Environmental Agency since 2016.
