Start-up Omio is angry with Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn releases live data of its trains to Google. A start-up from Berlin is not considered. Now the Federal Cartel Office is investigating the case.

The founder of Omio is angry with Deutsche Bahn. The latter has announced that it will share live data of its trains with Google Maps in the future, so that travelers can track and book trains without the DB app. Omio is a travel and booking portal that can also be used to compare journey times. However, Deutsche Bahn is not cooperating with the start-up so far. "This anti-cooperation from Deutsche Bahn is a blow to us," Omio founder Naren Shaam tells the Handelsblatt. The problem for Omio: customers cannot yet combine train journeys and flights, for example, cannot see whether the train is on time and cannot book across borders. Omio is active in 37 countries and is particularly popular with international travelers.

The Bundeskartellamt is now investigating the case and examining "the extent to which mobility platforms actually need access to current departure and delay data in order to be able to offer new mobility concepts such as end-to-end, intermodal travel chains," Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt tells Handelsblatt: "Access to real-time data is a key point of the investigations and proceedings." He added that the investigations had already been completed to that extent, and both sides could now comment. When a public result is to be expected, is not yet determined.The railway speaks of the latest cooperation of a "partnership on an equal footing", means: both sides must participate financially. "One thing DB does not do is provide real-time and forecast data to platforms as a matter of course and without any consideration," a Bahn spokeswoman tells Handelsblatt. Omio, on the other hand, would love to earn money from Bahn's ticket sales via its own platform.