Community car sharing service YouTaxi uses Invers CloudBoxx for mobility in rural areas

The new car sharing pilot YouTaxi, launched by Tobit Laboratories AG, is built on digital rental processes and active user involvement in day-to-day operations. To ensure reliable digital access to vehicles and relevant vehicle data, the provider relies on car sharing technology from Invers. Combined with a community-based approach in which users charge, refuel, clean and, if needed, relocate the vehicles to the next customer, the service operates without any dedicated operations staff of its own. The pilot project aims to close mobility gaps typical of rural areas with an affordable offering.

Siegen/Ahaus, 1st September 2026 – Since April 1, electric vehicles have been available in Ahaus, in the German Münsterland region, which can be booked and used via the city’s SuperApp. The Ahaus SuperApp is a central platform for the self-proclaimed “digital city” of Ahaus, bringing together municipal services, local retail and dining options, clubs, and recreational activities in a single application. The car sharing platform from Tobit Laboratories AG aims to demonstrate that municipalities like Ahaus can fill gaps in public transportation in rural areas with an innovative digital mobility concept, without maintaining their own car sharing fleet, complex administrative processes, or staff.

Digital solutions for flexible mobility

The Tobit Laboratories team ensures digital vehicle access and automated rental processes using the CloudBoxx from Invers and its own chaynsOS-based software. They also use detailed data from Invers Driving Analysis to reward good driving behavior and issue warnings for suspicious behavior. “A seamless, fully digital rental process is the foundation of our car-sharing concept,” says Niko Schaten, Tobit’s CEO. “Invers car sharing technology provides us with a developer-friendly interface, the most reliable connectivity, and access to all relevant vehicle data, allowing us to manage fleet operations flexibly and efficiently.” The service is proving popular, especially among younger demographics. Since April, YouTaxi has seen monthly increase in bookings. The average driver age is 32, with about 64 percent under 35.

Community credits and rolling advertising messages

YouTaxi relies on a community credit model for its day-to-day operations. The community handles operational tasks. Users earn credits by moving vehicles to different parking spots, charging them at charging stations, cleaning them, and delivering them to other users. The platform coordinates these processes digitally, from booking the car to assigning tasks and automatic billing. YouTaxi finances the expansion of its fleet through a marketing concept. Local businesses can book vehicles as mobile advertising space at attractive rates to send their messages throughout the town. In doing so, they finance the leasing costs and receive a kickback based on the revenue generated by the car. Since the project’s launch, more than ten retailers, restaurants, and small businesses in Ahaus have supported the mobility service this way, making an additional ten vehicles available alongside YouTaxi’s twenty-two cars. The first vehicles are also on the road in the neighboring towns of Vreden, Stadtlohn, and Legden, and the network continues to grow. “We often hear that car sharing cannot be implemented in rural areas in a cost-effective way,” says Bharath Devanathan, CBO at INVERS. “The Tobit team has developed an interesting concept with YouTaxi that involves local stakeholders through advertising partners and users, and it could offer municipalities a new, effective approach to sustainable car sharing. After all, some experienced mobility researchers emphasize that local solutions firmly rooted in urban environments are more likely to succeed. We’re eager to see the results of this pilot.”

Another attractive aspect for municipalities is that they can combine funding programs, such as LEADER grants, the BMDV’s “Stadt und Land” emergency program, and electric mobility subsidies, to finance the launch of a community car-sharing service.