ioki expands into the US: first customer won, own US subsidiary established

ioki has established its own US company and is building a local team • Market entry is the first concrete step of the international growth strategy • First ioki customer in the US: on-demand service for Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

FRANKFURT, Germany, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ioki, a European provider of software for the digitalization of public transit, is expanding into the United States. The Frankfurt-based company has won Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. as its first customer in the US. Starting in October, the university will use the ioki platform for its new on-demand shuttle service.

ioki has set out to advance individual public transit in the car-centric US market, combining mobility simulation with digital public transport solutions. As in Europe, ioki primarily addresses public transport authorities that want to automate their services and expand them on a financially sustainable basis. To this end, the company has established its own US subsidiary and is building a local team to offer its public transit products in the US market over the long term.

Dr. Michael Barillère-Scholz, co-founder and CEO of ioki, says: "The idea for ioki was born during a visit to the US. We were founded and grew in Germany, and today ioki is active across Europe. Now we are coming back and launching our first US project with Georgetown University. This step into a new market shows that our platform works outside Europe and adapts to different local mobility conditions. We see a clear opportunity to help cities and transit operators in the US make individual public transit more digital and, above all, more efficient."

Tobias Liebelt, CEO of BENTELER Mobility: "When BENTELER acquired ioki earlier this year, we named international growth potential as a central perspective. With the entry into the US market, we are now delivering on that promise. For us, ioki is a core building block of our strategy to support cities and operators in the economically viable integration of autonomous mobility."

Public transit in Europe and the US faces similar challenges

In the US, transit authorities and operators face the same questions as in Europe: How can a service remain economically viable when funding programs expire and cost pressure rises? This is where ioki's expertise in data-based transport planning and mobility simulation comes in, alongside its software platform for on-demand and fixed-route services. In more than 230 planning projects, ioki has analyzed and simulated billions of mobility patterns and trip distances, deriving efficiency potential in existing public transit networks. This expertise is as relevant in the US market as it is in Europe.

The Georgetown University project is expected to be followed shortly by further services running on the ioki Platform and by mobility concepts based on ioki Analytics.

The US public transit industry will have the opportunity to get to know ioki and its products for the first time at the APTA 2026 TRANSform & EXPO. The American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) flagship trade show takes place October 4 to 7 in Chicago. HOLON and BENTELER Mobility will also be on site.

About ioki

ioki is Europe's leading technology company for digital mobility and the market leader for on-demand transport in the DACH region. With more than 230 projects, we are among the pioneers in data-driven transport planning and operations simulation. With our holistic solutions, we digitalize public transport and drive the sustainable mobility transition forward – together with our partners from cities, municipalities, and public transport operators.

www.ioki.com 

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