Since we're on buses and trains every day ourselves, we know the structural problems of public transport in NRW better than we'd like to. Anyone who regularly depends on lines like the S11 or the RE1 knows that cancellations and delays are often part of everyday life. Out of this constant first-hand experience, we decided to build a solution that makes commuting more predictable.
About Us
We're Frank, Lewin, Olivia and Ben – four software and product development students from Cologne.
How it started: helping out friends again and again turned into RechtMobil
The concrete idea came about in 2023. On days of chaos across the rail network, we often used the NRW Mobility Guarantee (Mobilitätsgarantie NRW) ourselves to still reach our destination. Word got around among our friends, and we found ourselves getting more and more calls asking us to explain in which situations the guarantee applies and how to submit an application.
Out of these recurring questions came Frank's idea to automate the process. Together with Lewin, who kicked off the technical implementation as a developer, we started working on a first prototype of RechtMobil.
Putting it to the test in everyday life
Our own track record shows that the Mobility Guarantee works when you know how to use it: by now, well over €1,000 in taxi costs have been reimbursed to us without any hassle.
How important the guarantee is in everyday life is something we recently experienced ourselves before a Germany match in Cologne: the last train to the stadium pulled away right in front of us, and shortly after, the line was completely closed due to a police operation. Our match seemed lost. The rescue? A taxi. We made it to kickoff completely relaxed – and thanks to the guarantee, the taxi costs were reimbursed without any hassle five days later.
Our vision is to automate exactly this smooth process. When the train doesn't run, every passenger should be able to book an alternative in just a few clicks and make use of the NRW Mobility Guarantee without any paperwork.
The technical challenge
The biggest hurdle in development was the technical infrastructure. To automatically compile the facts relevant to the conditions of the guarantee, RechtMobil needed reliable real-time data. The existing interfaces, however, often delivered incomplete or hard-to-process information. We tested a lot and tried countless interfaces. In the end, the solution was to combine many individual data queries in the background to get a complete and reliable picture of a single journey.
Our Team
Since 2026, there have been four of us.
Frank
Product Development / Communications
Lewin
Technical Development
Olivia
UX / UI Design
Ben
Design, Development & Communications
Olivia is responsible for the UX/UI design and makes sure the complex data processing behind the scenes stays simple and intuitive to use. Ben supports us across the board in design, development and communications. Frank focuses on product development and communications, while Lewin leads the technical development.
Our Funding
Along the way, RechtMobil has already won over some important supporters. We convinced the jury of the Kickstart funding program at TH Köln (Cologne University of Applied Sciences) and reached the final of the SYIC. We are currently funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the NRW Gründungsstipendium founders' grant.
Contact
Do you have questions, or would you like to learn more about rechtmobil.nrw?
Write to us: info@rechtmobil.nrw