Volkswagen’s mobility subsidiary Moia has ceased its ridepooling operations in the German city of Hanover, effective immediately, as the company redirects its focus toward Hamburg and its emerging autonomous mobility strategy.
Moia launched its Hanover service in July 2018 and gradually expanded operations to cover the entire city by 2019. From August 2020, it operated exclusively with gold-yellow, fully electric vehicles. However, service was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in mid-2021 with a significantly lower profile.
The sudden termination of the Hanover service was confirmed on Friday, when users were notified via the Moia app that bookings were no longer available. A company spokesperson cited staffing constraints and a strategic shift as key reasons behind the decision. “As part of Moia’s ongoing transformation process in Hanover, almost all employees accepted a voluntary redundancy offer,” the spokesperson told German news agency dpa.
Moia had previously indicated it would not apply for a new operating license in Hanover. “Against this backdrop, Moia will not apply for a new licence for the service in Hanover,” the spokesperson said, confirming the withdrawal was part of a broader repositioning.
The VW subsidiary is evolving from an operator of ridepooling services into a provider of autonomous mobility systems. Moia now aims to supply public and private operators with turnkey solutions for autonomous ride services. Two years ago, it began licensing its electric ridepooling model to external partners.
Operations in Hamburg, where Moia first launched in 2019, remain unaffected. The city is a key testing ground for autonomous shuttles, including projects like ALIKE, which will see approximately 20 autonomous electric vehicles deployed in collaboration with Hamburger Hochbahn and Holon.
Moia’s ambitions extend beyond Germany. In the U.S., it has partnered with Uber to launch a fleet of robo-taxis based on Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz platform. The pilot, slated to begin later this year in Los Angeles, is the first phase of a longer-term plan to deploy thousands of autonomous vehicles across North America.
In addition to international expansion, Moia has established collaborations in Europe, including with Swiss mobility provider AMAG and Berlin’s public transport operator BVG, both of which are piloting ridepooling services based on Moia’s platform.
Source: spiegel.de, heise.de