Riding on Demand Through Central Carinthia with Ruf:Mi
PRESS RELEASE. 330 stops, 6 municipalities, over 3,500 bookings per month. Ruf:Mi demonstrates how modern on-demand transit works – and what regional collaboration can achieve.
Anyone traveling through Friesach, Kappel am Krappfeld, or Althofen these days will likely spot them: the distinctive Ruf:Mi buses operated by Hofstätter Reisen, making their rounds through the towns and country roads of Central Carinthia. What looks like ordinary regional bus service at first glance is in reality a forward-thinking model for public transit in rural areas – and a success story of regional collaboration.
Behind the name Ruf:Mi lies the principle of micro public transit: buses don't run fixed routes on a rigid schedule regardless of whether anyone boards. Passengers book their ride – via app, the booking website, or by phone – and the system intelligently consolidates multiple requests into the optimal route. A smart response to a structural challenge facing Austria: sparsely populated regions where fixed-route bus lines simply aren't economically viable.
Kärnten Bus and Hofstätter Reisen – A Strong Partnership for the Region
Ruf:Mi's smooth day-to-day operation is the result of a well-coordinated partnership. Kärnten Bus oversees the overall concept. The operational backbone on the road is provided by Hofstätter Reisen – a long-established Carinthian bus company whose fleet of over five dedicated Ruf:Mi vehicles has become the public face of the project.
Thomas Hofstätter, Managing Director of Hofstätter Reisen, on the project's success: „Bookings are going very well and are steadily increasing online as well. Our partnership with Anexia and Kärnten Bus is working out great.” Martin Bacher, Managing Director of Kärnten Bus, is equally positive: „As the project operator, working with Anexia's perfectly functioning booking and dispatch software on one side, and the professional service delivery by Hofstätter on the other, is a genuine pleasure.“
The numbers speak for themselves: the system now records over 3,500 bookings per month – with an upward trend. Passengers from Friesach, Kappel am Krappfeld, and Althofen use the service just as much as those from Guttaring, Micheldorf und Mölbling, whether to reach a doctor's appointment, run errands, or get to the train station. For many – especially older residents and those without a car – Ruf:Mi has become indispensable.
The Digital Side of Success: maas.maker by Anexia
No matter how convincing an on-demand transit concept looks on paper – without the right software behind it, it remains just an idea. For Ruf:Mi, the Austrian technology company Anexia, headquartered in Klagenfurt, provides the digital infrastructure. Anexia combines deep technology expertise with regional understanding: the mobility platform maas.maker – purpose-built for micro public transit operations – consolidates incoming ride
requests in real time, calculates optimal routes, and confirms bookings in seconds. Passengers can book with no technical know-how required – via the smartphone app or through the browser-based booking interface. Calling in remains an option as well. All data is processed on Austrian servers, fully GDPR-compliant and in accordance with the highest data privacy and security standards.
„Ruf:Mi is a prime example of successful collaboration and close cooperation in Carinthia aimed at sustainably strengthening on-demand transportation and driving forward the digital transformation of public transportation“, says Patrick Kulterer, CEO of Anexia Digital, part of the Anexia Group. Central Carinthia is setting the standard as a successful micro public transit model for all of Austria.
Ruf:Mi – on-demand transit in Central Carinthia: The Facts
- Launch: 2018 als „Althofen Mobil“, seit 2019 als Ruf:Mi
- Municipalities: Althofen, Guttaring, Kappel am Krappfeld, Micheldorf, Mölbling, Friesach
- Stops: 330 stops across the entire service area
- Booking: At least 60 minutes before departure | Phone: +43 4262 93 0 83 | Online: rufmi.at | Smartphone app: Ruf:Mi
- Availability: 365 days a year | Monday–Saturday 6 AM–10 PM, Sundays & public holidays 6 AM–8 PM
- Fares: According to Kärntner Linien | 50% discount for seniors (age 65 and older), people with a disability pass, and students | Children 6 and under ride free (when accompanied by a paying adult) | 100% discount, plus a comfort surcharge, applies to season ticket holders: Jugend.mobilTicket, Klimaticket Kärnten/Austria
- Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible vehicle available on request (book at least 1 day in advance)
- Partners: Kärnten Bus GmbH, Hofstätter Touristik GmbH, Anexia | maas.maker
About the Partners
Kärnten Bus GmbH: Carinthia's public transportation company, responsible for coordinating and operating regional bus services. kaernten-bus.at
Hofstätter Reisen: A long-established bus operator from Althofen and the operational partner running the Ruf:Mi vehicles in Central Carinthia. hofstaetter.eu
Anexia | maas.maker: An Austrian technology company headquartered in Klagenfurt, specializing in cloud technologies and custom software solutions, and developer of the micro public transit platform maas.maker for digital booking and dispatch in on-demand transportation. Anexia Digital, the software development arm of the Anexia Group – with 500 employees and locations in Austria, Germany, and the US – combines agile development methods with ISO 27001-certified information security and deep expertise in transportation, mobility, and public infrastructure, providing the technical foundation on which on-demand transit systems like Ruf:Mi operate reliably and at scale. anexia.com | maasmaker.at
