Mobility and digital participation need to be considered together more than ever before. The example of the Bahnhofsmission (railway station mission) shows this. In all major cities, they are contact points for people in need who urgently need a doctor, accommodation or travel information. What can nowadays almost only be organised online becomes a major challenge for people without access to digital devices or the internet, as is often the case at the Bahnhofsmission. As a result, they are being excluded from more and more areas of public life. How can we help these people, but also the employees of the Bahnhofsmission, to overcome digital hurdles more easily? The solution that began at the ‘Mobility for All’ hackathon in October 2024 has been systematically developed further in our Vision Panel project.

We have developed AskMe, a tablet app for the Bahnhofsmission that is used directly on site. The app supports people seeking help, for example in finding accommodation, arranging medical appointments or planning trips. It offers intuitive, barrier-free use, e.g. through large touch surfaces, high contrasts, simple language and audio interaction via an integrated AI chat assistant that can listen and respond. And in many languages and adapted to the most common needs.