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A ride-sharing bench (usually referred to in Switzerland as 'Mitfahrbänkli') is a public bench with a particular purpose: a person who sits on this bench signals that they want to hitch a spontaneous, free ride in a passenger car to a certain destination.
File:Mitfahrbank Selbstgeschnitzter Nahverkehr Aidling.jpg, Ride-sharing bench of the 'home-made local transport' in Aidling
File:Mitfahrbank Harkenbleck.jpg, Ride-sharing bench in Arnum
File:Hitchhiking bench Taunusstein Bleidenstadt.jpg, Ride-sharing bench in Bleidenstadt
File:Mitfahrerbank Flensburg.jpg, Ride-sharing bench in
A ride-sharing bench (usually referred to in Switzerland as 'Mitfahrbänkli') is a public bench with a particular purpose: a person who sits on this bench signals that they want to hitch a spontaneous, free ride in a passenger car to a certain destination.
Description
Since the mid-2010s, an increasing number of ride-sharing benches have been installed in German cities and communities. In areas or times with infrequent public transport, this aims to improve the mobility of people without cars (young people, the elderly, etc.). Better networking between districts and the capital district is also an incentive for communities to adopt this concept. As part of a new mobility concept, the ride-sharing benches should also contribute to theprotection of the environment
Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...
, as many vehicles are often occupied by just one driver. The European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
encourages these types of projects in rural areas through their LEADER
Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations.
"Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
action programme.
The benches are made from wood or metal, and are usually placed on streets with high by-traffic and near bus stops or lay-bys. They are characterised by a noticeable colour and signage, which can vary from place to place.
At some locations, large fold-out or slide-out signs with place names make it possible to clearly signal the desired destination to approaching motorists. In the district of Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen (; Alemannic: ''Duttlinga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Tuttlingen. Nendingen, ''Möhringen'' and ''Eßlingen'' are three former municipalities that belong to Tuttlingen. Tuttlingen is located in Swabia ...
, an App for smartphone
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
s was developed, with which the locations of the ride-sharing benches in the area can be retrieved.
There are also numerous ride-sharing benches in Austria, especially in Lower Austria
Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...
and Tyrol
Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
. The Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism
In Austrian politics, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism (German: ''Bundesministerium für Landwirtschaft, Regionen und Tourismus'' or ''BMLRT'', although often called ''Nachhaltigkeitsministerium'')
is the ministry in char ...
promotes the introduction of ride-sharing benches as part of its climate protection initiative ''klimaaktiv''. The Tyrolean network ''MobilitäterInnen'', initiated by Carmen Brucic, published a ''Handbook for a successful introduction of ride-sharing benches'' in 2018.
Ride-sharing benches have also been placed in the German-speaking Community of Belgium
The German-speaking Community (, , DG), also known as East Belgium ( ), is one of the three Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, federal communities of Belgium. The community is composed of nine municipalities in Liège Province, ...
.
Photo Gallery
Flensburg
Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein.
Flensburg's ...
File:Mitfahrerbank Freienwill.jpg, Ride-sharing bench in Freienwill
File:Nimm mich mit Häusle in Hinterzarten.jpg, ''Take-me-with'' hut in Hinterzarten
Hinterzarten is a resort village in the Black Forest (German: ''Schwarzwald''), located in the southwest of the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Although Hinterzarten is mostly famous for its ski jumping, it has many other tourist attractions. ...
File:Nimm mich mit Häusle in Hinterzarten, Tafel.jpg, Board with explanations at the ''Take-me-with'' hut in Hinterzarten
File:Mitfahrbank Nersingen Seybold 01.jpg, Ride-sharing bench in Nersingen
Nersingen is a municipality in the District of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria, Germany. The neighbours are Neu-Ulm, Elchingen, Bibertal and Pfaffenhofen an der Roth.
Geography
Geographic location
Through the area of Nersingen flow three rivers: The Da ...
File:Mitfahrerbank Rosendahl-Osterwick 03.jpg, In Osterwick explanations are also provided.
File:Mitfahrerbank Rosendahl-Osterwick 01.jpg, Ride-sharing bench in Rosendahl
Rosendahl is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately north-west of Coesfeld.
In this municipality is located the Castle of Darfeld, internationally famous for havi ...
-Osterwick
File:Mitfahrerbank Aixer Straße Tübingen.jpeg, Ride-sharing bench in Tübingen
Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...
File:Mitfahrbankerl.jpg, Ride-sharing bench near Rothau in the Bavarian Forest with the option of selecting the desired direction of travel.
See also
* Flexible carpooling *Slugging
Slugging, also known as casual carpooling and flexible carpooling, is the practice of forming ad hoc, informal carpools for purposes of commuting, essentially a variation of hitchhiking. A driver picks up these non-paying passengers (known as " ...
References
External links
* {{YouTube , id=9nTrS32Z9IU , title=Die Vorstellung der Mitfahrbank auf ORF Tirol Road transport Energy conservation Sustainable tourism Street furniture Chairs