Rethinking child mobility
The aim of the Mobility Initiative for Kids & Youngsters (MIKiYo) is to create a mobility service suitable for everyday use, specially tailored to the needs of children and young people and their parents or guardians. In rural areas, parents often provide transport to sports and leisure activities. These "parent taxis" mean a lot of time, more traffic and additional emissions. This is where the MIKiYo project comes in: the aim is to develop a digital ride-sharing platform that enables safe, flexible and climate-friendly mobility solutions for children – and takes the pressure off parents.
Results of the mobility survey
In spring 2025, over 300 families were surveyed. The results show that
- 60% already coordinate pick-up and drop-off services with other parents.
- Over 90% are willing to take other children with them when dropping off their own child.
- 75% would also let other parents take their child.
- Three quarters accept a detour of up to 10 minutes.
- The car is currently by far the most important means of transport for carpooling services.
"The demand for organised carpooling services for children is clearly evident," emphasises Pamela Nolz, project manager at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences. “For us, it's not just about shared journeys, but above all about active and sustainable mobility, the independence of children and a noticeable relief for parents.”
Next step: mobility data collection via app
Starting in autumn 2025, the newly developed MIKiYo app will be used to record the specific mobility needs of families in the region. Parents can indicate when they are available to drive, cycle or walk their children. This data is fed into an algorithm that calculates optimised carpooling arrangements – always in strict compliance with data protection guidelines.
"In this way, we want to enable children to get to their leisure activities safely and on time, while at the same time reducing traffic volume and protecting the environment," explains Christian Ecker, project manager at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology.
From autumn 2025, the newly developed MIKiYo app will be used to record the specific mobility needs of families in the region. Parents can also indicate when they are available to provide transport by car, bicycle or on foot. © AIT
Implementation: a step towards sustainable mobility
Over the two-year project period, an accompanying and carpooling platform for children and young people will be designed and tested in terms of social acceptance, practicality and impact. At the same time, the effectiveness of the measures in terms of reducing car traffic will be examined. The project thus makes an important contribution to sustainable and climate-friendly mobility and helps to further increase the attractiveness of the region.
Attractive family prizes raffled off as part of the mobility survey
As part of the mobility survey, the "Wir 5 im Wienerwald" region also organised a competition: three attractive prizes for family activities in the region were raffled off among all participants. The lucky winners received a family season ticket for the Wienerwaldbad Purkersdorf, a family season ticket for the Gablitz outdoor pool and a voucher for the Purkersdorf climbing park.
"With this campaign, we not only want to show our appreciation for participation in the survey, but also highlight the importance of spending leisure time together in our region," emphasised Michael Cech, Mayor of Gablitz in his role as Chairman of the Wir 5 im Wienerwald micro-region, at the prize-giving ceremony.
As part of the mobility survey, the "Wir 5 im Wienerwald" region organised a competition with regional prizes. The prizes were presented on 10 September 2025 in Purkersdorf. In the back row, from left to right: Mayor of Tullnerbach Paul Porteder, Deputy Mayor of Wolfsgraben Christian Rothbauer, Deputy Mayor of Purkersdorf Viktor Weinzinger, Mayor of Gablitz Ing. Michael Cech, Christian Ecker Front row, from left to right: the three winners: Denise Neuherz, Martina Maroschek, Marijana Corkovic.
Project partners
The small regional association "Wir 5 im Wienerwald" is the regional project partner. Under the leadership of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, other partners include the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Goodville and Digitalsunray. While the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences focuses on the social aspects and needs of the young target group, Goodville is working on active forms of mobility such as accompanied cycling. Digitalsunray contributes the technological expertise for the digital carpooling platform. AIT contributes its comprehensive expertise in the areas of mobility and transport optimisation with a focus on assessing environmental and traffic effects. The project is supported by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). https://www.ait.ac.at/themen/energielogistik-transportoptimierung/projekte/mikiyo-mobilitaetsinitiative-fuer-kids-youngsters
About "Wir fünf im Wienerwald": In the small region of "Wir 5 im Wienerwald", the municipalities of Gablitz, Mauerbach, Purkersdorf, Tullnerbach & Wolfsgraben have joined forces to respond to infrastructural challenges and work together in a resource-efficient manner. Small region Wir 5 im Wienerwald – Wir 5 im Wienerwald