On 5 November the city of Munich's Department of Public Order invited all relevant stakeholders to a first project group meeting. Munich’s public transport companies, representatives of older people's organisations, the transport police and NGOs participated in the meeting to discuss the approach of the direct marketing campaign and their capacity for cooperation.

The city of Munich is planning a direct marketing campaign in order to influence the mobility behaviour of older people towards more sustainable modes. However, besides this aim the campaign also pursues the objectives of improving road safety and ensuring the social participation of older people by maintaining individual mobility.

Although some good approaches can be found in Munich on the part of local NGOs, the police and other organisations with respect to information, training and advice for older people, these are only individual initiatives, each with a small impact. Moreover, getting in contact with the target group still sometimes appears to be problematic. The Department of Public Order therefore decided to launch a direct marketing campaign to promote the entire offer in terms of mobility services.

Older people will be sent a personal letter in which the portfolio of the various mobility services, information events, advisory services and training possibilities relevant to the mobility of older people is presented and promoted. As a second step, recipients of the letter will be contacted by phone and offered personal advice about the mobility possibilities offered in Munich – and motivated to participate in one or more of the trainings, information events etc. The aim is to allow each senior citizen to select the offer which seems the most interesting and useful from their individual point of view.

Source: City of Munich