Billed as a 'virtual taste search engine', Aromicon lists thousands of wines categorised by every imaginable detail. Wines can be browsed by region, grape variety or food pairing, as well as searched by keyword. There's also the option to browse according to taste, featuring a huge range of subtleties to satisfy the requirements of the most practiced palette—everything from 'kiwi' and 'butter', to peculiarities like 'animal' and 'blood' (luckily you can opt to exclude those).

Although the site is in German, it's almost navigable by its icons alone—hence the name. And in a visually innovative twist, a short animation graphically displays a wine's unique blend of flavours, showing berries, chocolate, pipes, etc swirling around in a glass. The concept is a spin-off from the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, and features a vintage revenue model: the site essentially functions as a fully-featured affiliate sales portal linking to several German wine merchants. One to serve up for wine-lovers who don't speak German, or to partner with if you're in the wine business?

Website: www.aromicon.com
Contact: kontakt@aromicon.com

Spotted by: Franziska Luh

What's better than reading? Having someone read to you. Even better—having the author read to you. When book lovers visit an author's reading, they generally know his or her work. Aiming to introduce readers to authors they aren't yet familiar with, zehnSeiten (German for ten pages) promotes writers through videos that feature them reading ten pages from their latest novel.

Available both online and as an iPhone app, the videos are simple, fixed-camera affairs. No dramatic introductions or filmed scenes, just black and white recordings of authors sitting at a table and reading from their work. By eliminating frills, the focus is on the author and production time and costs are kept to a minimum. Videos range in length from ten to thirty minutes and feature work from a variety of publishers. New recordings are added weekly. zehnSeiten is the brainchild of five friends from Munich—an idea they had over drinks. It's a concept that's easily adaptable to others categories or other countries, at relatively low cost.

Website: www.zehnseiten.de
Contact: info@zehnseiten.de

Spotted by: Franziska Luh

P.S. For those of you who don't speak German, zehnSeiten adds that Tim Parks' and Paul Beatty's videos are in English.

German airline Lufthansa is relaunching its FlyNet in-flight broadband service. Lufthansa was the first to launch in-flight broadband in 2004, then powered by Boeing's Connexion system, which Boeing phased out in 2006. Now, in partnership with Panasonic Avionics, Lufthansa has announced that it will bring back FlyNet mid next year.

In the meantime, Lufthansa has found an innovative way to get its name pinged around the web. Through its free MySkyStatus service, fliers can sign up for flight status updates to be posted automatically to their Facebook or Twitter profiles. Available for flights on any airline, passengers enter their flight details and Facebook or Twitter login details beforehand, and MySkyStatus will post regular updates about their departure, altitude, location and arrival as they travel. Besides providing social media addicts with a cool new trick, MySkyStatus reminds us of FlightCaster for the helping hand it gives anyone expecting the arrival of a friend or coworker.

MySkyStatus taps into two growing consumer trends: the whole world is engaged in ongoing conversations that smart brands can be part of (foreverism), and 'real-time' is becoming an integral element of many products and services we use (nowism). In using this as a marketing tool (a short "powered by Lufthansa" is tacked on to every update), the airline smartly chose to open MySkyStatus to people flying with any airline, thereby initiating conversations that its competitors might not be part of.

Website: www.myskystatus.com
Contact: konzern.lufthansa.com/en/html/service/kontakt/

Spotted by: Mashable via Raymond Kollau

Real-time price search has arrived, and with it some unexpected bonus features for consumers. German site Apnoti claims to have the first search engine to index prices for the German, American and French markets in real time. Currently in beta launch, the engine crawls over 65 million items in more than 10,000 affiliated stores for each and every search request, presenting users with a comparison of products' price trends over the past four weeks and current prices, accurate (in theory) to the past few seconds. Apnoti differentiates itself from other price comparison services which usually rely on daily updates by their operators, claiming that these services cannot cope with the price fluctuations that often occur throughout the day.

According to Apnoti's creators, sudden price drops and fluctuations of up to 90%—usually due to retailer error—are a regular occurrence. To help their German users take advantage of these mistakes, Apnoti launched another purported web first: Preispanne.de ('price breakdown'), a free email alert service for huge price drops. Users enter their email address and select which product categories they'd like to monitor. When a price drop of over 50% occurs, they will be immediately alerted by email so they can pounce on the super-bargain before the retailer has a chance to correct it. Web store Otto.de recently learned this to its cost, when they received 6,534 orders for a EUR 2,000 MacBook mistakenly reduced to EUR 49.95.

Ethics aside, the services offered by Preispanne and Apnoti meet the demands of two powerful consumer trends: transparency and real-time everything. Online retailers will have to stay on their toes if they're to stay in the game! Meanwhile, opportunities abound for entrepreneurs who can make the most of real-time transparency. How about a cheeky webstore off the back of Preispanne's alerts?

Website: www.preispanne.de
Contact: www.apnoti.com/support

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

In the midst of an explosion of information and choice, are consumers missing out on surprise? The team behind Hipstery, a web store for mystery t-shirts, thinks they are. Which is why there are no t-shirt designs to choose from on Hipestry's site. Instead, customers select a size, pay EUR 17 (plus shipping) and answer a series of questions about themselves. The Hipstery's 'style scientists' run the responses to this quiz through their 'innovative style algorithm'—both concepts which the site's irreverent tone would lead us to interpret loosely—to select the right t-shirt from their exclusive range of designs, many of which are out-of-print shirts from small suppliers.

Leipzig-based Hipstery's openly opaque business model latches onto an anti-trend noted by our sister-site trendwatching in last month's briefing about transparency. While most companies are providing ever more choice and ever more information, a gap is opening for businesses who can relieve consumers of the burden of decision. Acknowledging that this is a big responsibility to hand over, Hipstery will replace any t-shirts that customers don't like, with the option of a refund if they're wrong the second time. Sometimes a lack of choice is a good thing, especially if used to surprise and delight consumers. It's a theme creative entrepreneurs should have fun exploring. (Related: Soft drinks for the undecided — Kashiwa Mystery Café.)

Website: www.hipstery.com
Contact: www.hipstery.com/contact

Spotted by: Andreas Milles

In a world wrapped up in complex supply chains, small farmers are in a catch-22: sell to the supermarkets and get less cash for your carrots, or spend a lot more time and effort trying to sell directly to customers. Consumers, meanwhile, are torn between loyalty to local businesses and the convenience of those established supply chains. Now a German farm, Peter-und-Paul-Hof, has found a solution in the form of... vending machines. The result of a collaboration between the farm and vending manufacturer Stuewer, the specially designed Regiomat machines currently sell fresh milk, eggs, butter, cheese, potatoes and sausage in thirteen German towns and communities.

It's not a solution that sprung up overnight. Initially, Peter-und-Paul-Hof were operating a service delivering milk to their customers. Finding this too time-consuming, they began encouraging customers to collect the milk from fridges on their farm, which proved successful and inspired them to use vending machines as a more versatile solution. The Regiomat machines can be placed outdoors 365 days a year as long as they're under a roof (some have even been placed alongside hiking trails in Switzerland), effectively giving locals a 24-hour farmers' market and farmers a lot more free time. By cutting out the middleman, this system also offers potential savings over retail stores. An update to the traditional farm stand that is beneficial to both farmers and local-loving consumers, this is definitely a concept we can see spreading to other parts of the world. (Related: Vending machines for healthy food.)

Website: www.stuewer.de/automaten/regiomat/index.html — www.peter-paul-hof.de
Contact: automaten@stuewer.de

Spotted by: Franziska Luh

Aiming to grab a share of the growing car-sharing market, Daimler created car2go, which enables customers to order and pick up a Smart car within minutes. The service was rolled out in the German city of Ulm last October, and is expected to launch in Austin, Texas sometime in early 2010.

Cars can be reserved online or over the phone up to 24 hours in advance, costing a maximum of EUR 9.90 per hour or EUR 49.00 for a day. A text message informs the customer of the car's exact location, which, in the urban area of Ulm, is usually no further than 3 minutes' walk away. Once the driver reaches the car, he or she can unlock it with a PIN code provided during registration. As well as being simple and flexible, car2go's use of diminutive Smart cars makes the system more environmentally friendly than most other car sharing systems. Having enticed almost 10% of Ulm's driving population to use the scheme, we're waiting with interest to see how car2go will fare in the US, where it faces tough competition from ZipCar. An obvious advantage for car2Go is its access to cars without having to pay a mark-up. And besides tapping into a new source of revenue, Daimler could benefit from the brand exposure of having its Smart cars in heavy rotation on city streets. (Related: Half-price parking for half-sized cars.)

Website: www.car2go.com
Contact: www.car2go.com/portal/page/community/feedback.faces

Spotted by: Adele Morten

Springwise is all about spreading smart new business ideas, so we're always thrilled to hear from readers who have launched a concept that was inspired by something they spotted here. Like Flashchenfotos—which is German for bottle photos and was recently launched in Munich.

Similar to We Shoot Bottles, Flaschenfotos takes pictures of bottles for beverage manufacturers and retailers: high resolution images of bottles against a white background, retouched so that they're ready for use online and in print. Exactly the type of product image that works well for online retail, and that most bloggers and journalists hope to find on a company's website. (Just a gentle hint ;-) Flaschenfotos operates a simple pricing scheme, with an automatic 10% discount for organic and fair trade products. The venture was created by Moritz Wurfbaum and Catharina van Delden of open innovation consultancy innosabi and photographer Veronika Wurfbaum.

While We Shoot Bottles—which is based in the UK—works for international clients, it makes sense to set up services like this locally. It reduces shipping costs, and communication is easier if all parties are in the same time zone and speak the same language. So, keep spreading those good ideas! Just be sure to respect patents and other types of intellectual property.

Website: www.flaschenfotos.de
Contact: info@flaschenfotos.de

Eco houses may not yet be the norm, but there's no doubt green-minded consumers have increasing options for making one their own. Last year we wrote about FreeGreen's downloadable green house plans, and now a German company has come up with a modular design based on Lego-style blocks that consumers can put together themselves.

The HIB-System is an eco-friendly home design that's soundproof, insulated, energy-efficient and structurally sound without the use of any chemicals or toxins. Based on modular blocks created from naturally cut timber, local Black Forest pine and insulation materials including wood chips, clay, mussel shells and pea shingle gravel, HIB-System homes can be assembled quickly by consumers themselves or with limited help. The blocks, which weigh no more than 25 kg each, are easily handled without the need for expensive lifting devices and lock into each other in Lego fashion. The resulting construction is earthquake- and storm-proof even at three storeys tall, and a concrete floor can be added for even greater strength and stability. Interior and exterior walls can be finished in plaster, wood, brick or metal finishes; they are also mould-proof, and the insulation used achieves energy-efficiency levels 40 percent higher than those attained using standard insulation materials, HIB says. Consumers who use the HIB-System can either design their own houses or choose from an array of models pre-designed by professional architects. For construction, HIB can recommend local, certified partners to provide assistance, or consumers can do it themselves using HIB's pre-planned system whereby components are cut to size and numbered in the factory prior to delivery.

Meißenheim-based HIB is currently seeking partners for planning, building and sales throughout Germany. Alternatively, how about being the first to bring the concept to eco-minded consumers in your neck of the woods...?

Website: www.hib-system.com
Contact: info@hib-system.com

Spotted by: Alexander Maurer

With cycling gaining ground as a regular mode of transportation, flat tires and broken chains are on the up, too. Which creates an opportunity for bike-loving entrepreneurs: mobile bike repair shops.

In the Netherlands, for example, we've spotted companies like Fix Fiets and Bikemobiel, both of which do house calls in vans or trucks outfitted as mobile workshops. Service is even more mobile (and emission-free) in Cologne and Berlin, where stranded cyclists can call a 'Radambulanz'—a cycling mechanic with a small trailer containing tools and spare parts for fixing flat tires and performing other common repairs.

While some mobile repair services tack on a small trip charge for coming to a customer's home or workplace, rates are generally comparable to those charged by brick and mortar bike shops. And although they've been popping up in Europe over the past few years, mobile services are far from commonplace. Time to launch a well-branded Geek Squad of bike fixers? (Related: Vending machines for bicycle parts — In the US, the AAA will be offering roadside assistance for cyclists in Oregon and Idaho.)

Website: www.fixfiets.nl — www.bikemobiel.nl — www.fahrradambulanz.com — www.radambulanz.de

Spotted by: Martina Meng — Raymond Kollau — Judy McRae

On even the most tastefully appointed of houses, garage doors tend to be drab and monochrome eyesores, designed apparently without even the smallest nod to aesthetics. A German company aims to change all that, however, with large-scale posters that transform the doors through highly realistic 3D images.

Style-your-garage.com's photo tarpaulins are available with a variety of motifs and images that are sure to cause neighbours, friends and passers-by to stop and stare. A photographic version of trompe l'oeil, some are designed to give the impression that unusual contents can be found in the garage, such as an airplane, race car or monster-sized kitty. Others aim to provide a glimpse of the world beyond the garage door, such as a Tuscan landscape or what seems to be the home's very own golf course. Another series, meanwhile, aims to give the garage door itself another look altogether, such as through a rustic wooden appearance. Consumers can also upload the digital image of their choice and have it turned into a customised photo tarpaulin. In fact, Style-your-garage.com invites consumers to submit ideas for new designs as well, and promises a share of the profits if their idea gets accepted. The company's posters are designed primarily for up-and-over garage doors but can be adapted for sectional or wing doors as well. Crafted from material similar to that used for truck tarpaulins, they are rip-proof, weather-proof and even come with a fire safety certificate. Special promotional pricing through the end of this month is EUR 169 for all but the customised styles.

Coming soon from Munich-based Style-your-garage.com are Style-your-window.com and Style-your-door.com. One—or two, or three—to get in on early...? (Related: Parking garages transformed by large-scale ads — Sticky car art with a crowdsourcing twist.)

Website: www.style-your-garage.com
Contact: info@style-your-garage.com

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes

German utility company Yello Strom is clearly into accessible tech: it manages its meters directly via households’ broadband connections, and offers access to Google's PowerMeter. Now, it's keeping its customers informed by enabling meters to tweet about energy use.

Each "Yello Sparzähler" smart meter (designed by IDEO) is allocated its own Twitter account, which is automatically updated with energy consumption data. The owner can follow the account to receive regular updates, leading to greater awareness and hopefully lower energy use. DIY power monitors such as Tweet-a-Watt are also capable of tweeting, but Yello Strom seems to be the first utility company to offer the service as an integral part of their smart meters.

While adding Twitter to their mix will undoubtedly give Yello Strom a PR-boost, the larger goal is to feed energy data into any tool customers may be using. As explained by Yello Executive Director Martin Vesper, "Our goal is to use as many different channels as possible to inform our customers about their energy consumption." (Related: Smart thermostat is always online — Home energy monitoring, delivered by Google.)

Website: www.yellostrom.de
Contact: presse@yellostrom.de

Spotted by: Judy McRae

A German laundry service has teamed up with DHL to offer convenient pick-up and delivery. After signing up with Cleenbox, members receive a starter pack consisting of a laundry bag, a plastic box, a manual and an address label. They fill the bag with dirty laundry—no colour separation required—put it in the box and arrange for pick-up (Monday through Saturday). Alternatively, they can drop the box at a post office. After 2 to 5 days, the clothes are returned clean, ironed and folded.

Boxes come in three different sizes; the smallest one holds one smallish load of laundry, while a ‘megabox’ holds two larger loads. Payment works through a credits system, and prices depend on how many credits a customer buys in advance. One credit, or ‘Waschmarke’, pays for one box of laundry, including shipping. Based on advance purchase of 10 credits, prices range from EUR 19 for a small box to EUR 40 for a megabox. Shipment can be tracked online, and delivery addresses and dates can also be changed via Cleenbox’s website. Cleenbox is currently available in Germany and Austria—where it works with the Austrian postal service—and is planning to expand to other European countries.

According to CEO Harry Hohoff, the service is targeting singles, families, internet-savvy seniors and SMBs. Busy consumers will continue to outsource household chores, especially if it’s convenient and affordable to do so. Which spells opportunities for service providers. Staying with the laundry theme, how about adding garment repairs, dry cleaning and alterations for a one-stop solution for clothing? (Related: Laundry service by the locker — Private banking by shoebox.)

Website: www.cleenbox.de — www.cleenbox.at
Contact: info@cleenbox.de — info@cleenbox.at

Spotted by: Aniel Sriram

Adidas is no stranger to the street culture scene, and their latest move seems right on target: the Adidas Urban Art Guide to Berlin is an iPhone travel guide listing Berlin’s best graffiti.

Users download the application for free, giving them access to a Google map of Berlin that’s pegged with the locations of its urban art masterpieces. The map can be navigated in several ways: "Find artworks nearby" provides users with a map of art works in their immediate vicinity; "Tour guide" calls up a curated walking tour of local urban art; and "Gallery" gives users the option to browse the city's street art and then seek out their favourite pieces. Users can click on each marked location to call up images as well as information about the piece, the artist and further references.

The app’s interactive elements including rating and commenting functionalities, and letting users upload their own snaps of new art, which keeps the map cutting-edge at no extra cost to Adidas. Berlin is currently the only city on the Urban Art Guide's map, but plans are underway to develop similar guides for other cities.

Although a growing audience appreciates street art, few traditional guide books make any mention of it. So this is a smart move on behalf of Adidas, getting the brand straight into the hands of its target audience, while reaffirming its street credentials. Other brands—what kind of map-related content can you offer your (niche) audiences on the go? (Related: Free coffee for iPhone users at Swedish 7-Eleven — Louis Vuitton’s walking tours of Beijing, Shanghai & Hong Kong — trendwatching.com's take on mapmania.)

Website: www.urbanartguide.de
Contact: info@urbanartguide.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

They keep popping up: online-offline hybrids that combine electronic mail and snail mail . Latest to appear on our radar? Quabb, a German company that offers both a free and a paid option for sending postal mail.

Users write their letter online or upload a scanned image of a handwritten text. Choosing the 'Freibrief' option, they can send it for free, accompanied by a printed ad (similar to previously featured Gratis-Post). When using Freibrief, 'Quabbers' choose their sponsor from a list to ensure a good fit between advertisement and recipient. Which, theoretically, should improve an ad's rate of success. Alternatively, users can pay as they go for each letter they send: EUR 1.19 within Europe or EUR 2,39 worldwide, which includes postage, a colour print and an envelope. Non-registered users pay EUR 1.59 / 2.79.

Quabb prints the letters and ensures their delivery. Providing added convenience, the company archives a digital version of each letter in the sender's personal mailbox. Quabb can also be used to send faxes—founder Daniel Giersch views his venture as a one-stop-solution for communication. The service is currently available in Germany and Switzerland.

How about niche versions that provide additional benefits and cost-efficient mailing options for specific audiences? Schools, doctor's offices, landlords, children, iPhone users... As long as it continues to be a communication channel for consumers and businesses, opportunities exist for entrepreneurs who can provide smart ways to handle postal mail. (Related: Snail mail sent directly from any app to any country — A paperless alternative to the postal system.)

Website: www.quabb.com
Contact: www.quabb.com/mail_form/new

Spotted by: Martina Meng

Roller coasters and ferris wheels are all very well as entertainment for some groups of consumers, but for others, there's nothing quite like the experience of operating heavy machinery. That, at least, is the premise behind Männerspielplatz, an amusement park for men that lets them get in touch with their inner construction worker.

For EUR 219, visitors to Männerspielplatz can shed their office trappings and get seriously dirty while playing with excavators, wheel loaders, Caterpillars, quads, Jeeps and more. The park, which is situated in an old factory site just outside Kassel, Germany, offers 18 stations for visitors to enjoy to their heart's content. Challenges include using a Komatsu Hanomag excavator to move huge stones; leveling the ground with a bulldozer; off-road riding on a Quad Unimog; and participating in an archery course. Participants must be at least 18 years old. A Class B license is required, and admission is limited to minimize waiting times.

By gratifying a lifelong fantasy that seems fairly universal among boys and men, Männerspielplatz provides an experience that could be taken directly from the pages of Pine and Gilmore's Experience Economy. It's also ripe for emulation in other parts of the world—one to bring to "Tim 'the Tool Man' Taylor" fans at a construction site near you...? (Related: Amusement park puts kids to work — Paying to break stuff at Sarah's Smash Shack — A man's kitchen.)

Website: www.maennerspielplatz.de
Contact: www.maennerspielplatz.de/kontakt.php

Spotted by: Wired via Judy McRae

Technology-enabled hotels seem to be popping up all around the globe, and recently one of our spotters alerted us to a new one in Germany that's aimed specifically at budget-oriented youthful travellers.

Similar in many ways to New York City's Pod Hotel and Parisian Mama Shelter—both of which we've featured in the past year—Superbude is a hotel, hostel and lounge located in the heart of Hamburg. Both double and quadruple rooms are available in the six-floor hotel, with the option of adding extra beds, and a defining design colour for each prevents them all from looking the same. Rooms all feature flat-screen TVs and connections for a variety of tech gadgets, while cordless Skype phones are available for rent at a minimal charge. Superbude also boasts a private theater, Nintendo DS and a Wii sports room, and the self-serve kitchen features three packed fridges from which guests can choose and pay for only what they'd like to eat. Superbude's prices begin at EUR 59 for a double room.

When targeting young travellers, low budget and high connectivity would have to be a winning combination, particularly when presented with a bright, playful style. One to emulate in a tourist destination near you... ? (Related: Hotel offers each guest a favourite book, on Kindle — High design, low touch hotel — New no-frills chic hotel chain opens in Amsterdam.)

Website: www.superbude.de
Contact: info@superbude.de

Spotted by: Franziska Luh

Now that manufacturing, media and music have all been turned into bespoke, personalised concepts, it seems it's time to overhaul the previously passive experience of theatre.

Call Cutta in a Box is a theatre experience for one audience member at a time. As they enter a barely furnished room in a normal office building, a phone on the desk starts ringing. Upon answering it, they're put through to a worker in the Descon Limited Call Centre in Calcutta, but, refreshingly, they're not pitched insurance policies or long distance plans. Instead, the participant spends their time getting to know the person at the other end of the line. And that part isn't play-acting: the person in the call centre really is 10,000 miles away, using their real personal details and stories. And this means that every performance can be unique and, in some ways, more meaningful than a scripted piece.

The installation—dubbed “an intercontinental phone play”—is the work of German theatre company Rimini Protokoll. It began touring last year, visiting Copenhagen, Dublin, Amsterdam and Paris before hitting New York in January and February 2009. It's been a while since we've covered an interesting concept in theatre—the last time was in 2006, with Teatr Rozmaitosci's play that took place in the audience's home. There's clearly a lot of room left to innovate and grab people's attention—budding directors, we look forward to covering your work! ;-)

Website: www.rimini-protokoll.de
Contact: info@rimini-protokoll.de

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Recycled materials give any brand an eco-boost, but a new range of accessories shows that their consumer appeal stretches beyond those planet-saving properties. Fabricated from German gym equipment used in the 1950s, Zirkeltraining's bags, laptop cases and wallets stand out because of the material's heritage, not its greenage.

Zirkeltraining is German for 'circuit training', which makes sense when one learns that the bags are made from gym mats, pommel horse leather and trampoline rescue nets. Each of the handmade products is unique, with the finite amount of raw material providing a refreshingly genuine reason for limited edition status. The previous life of each item is made apparent with Zirkeltraining's assertion that items contain 'a little bit of sweat', Prices range from EUR 90 to EUR 249, and Zirkeltraining products are currently available from selected stockists in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan and Austria.

The range was designed and manufactured by a former gym teacher, and it's a fun example of how eco-friendly products don't always need to be seen as green—sometimes it's more sustainable to focus on the status story. (Related: Virgin Atlantic's seat covers, reborn as bags)

Website: www.zirkeltraining.biz
Contact: www.zirkeltraining.biz/impressum.html

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

Gyms use it, broadband providers use it, DVD rental schemes use it, subways use it... Now it's time for taxis to adopt a flat-rate charge. Swiss start-up Taxmobil is planning to offer unlimited taxi use for a EUR 48 monthly fee. Customers will be able to buy a Taxmobil card online or from sales points around the city, and can call for a car to pick them up at whatever time they choose, travelling to any destination in the city. If two strangers are travelling in the same direction, Taxmobil may combine their journeys.

The key to Taxmobil's strategy is the fact that it doesn't own the cars it uses. Instead, it buys the time of idle taxis that are already out and about, creating a service that's affordable and convenient for customers, and could decrease congestion and parking problems if city dwellers trade in their cars for a Taxmobil card.

Böblingen in Southern Germany is likely to be the first town offering the service, starting early 2009, with other towns across Europe to follow. Travel is only permitted within a city, although members will be able to catch a taxi in other participating cities, too. As well as expanding the service's reach, Taxmobil will soon be extending its package options by complementing its standard EUR 48 subscription with cards for businesses and families. Discounts and member benefits will be made possible with the cards in future, too.

While public transport and bicycles are usually pitched as the green alternative to car ownership, there's something to be said for adding affordable taxis to the mix, offering people the option of individual door-to-door transport around the clock. How the system will work on rainy days, and whether EUR 48/month will leave any room for a profit, remains to be seen. One to watch!

Website: www.taxmobil.ch
Contact: www.taxmobil.ch/cms/front_content.php?idart=13

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie