SHARED MOBILITY: SMART & ECO-FRIENDLY WAYS TO GET AROUND
Villach is a progressive city that cares about the future and the environment, and which continues to support eco-friendly innovations. This small city is developing fast and is trying to find solutions to manage these huge changes.
One example is transportation - getting around in Villach and the surrounding region is becoming easier as the city improves its mobility tools. Villach is working on a new 2035 mobility concept with intensive public participation. Let’s discover new methods of sharing mobility in our city!
RAIL&DRIVE
The first car sharing service to come to Villach is provided by the Austrian federal railway, the ÖBB. Although this service is run by the ÖBB, you can use the cars without any sort of train ticket or pass (but if you have a yearly train pass or are a member or ÖAMTC or ARBÖ you will get free credit towards Rail&Drive rentals!).
To use Rail&Drive cars, there is a one-time registration fee of €19.90 which is applied to your account as credit towards your first rentals, and you pay based on how far you drive and how long you use the car. These cars are conveniently found at the Villach train station, and the company also has a 24-hour support hotline.
TRAIN SHUTTLE ÖBB
If you arrive by bus or train to Villach’s main train station, you can use the Bahnhofshuttle Carinthia, which will bring you to your accommodation, or to selected excursion destinations in the region, for a very low price.
Register online by 6 p.m. the day before your arrival on their website.
CAR SHARING
In December 2019 a new car sharing service came to Villach. Motor Mayerhofer has helped Villach to grow its car sharing service by giving people the chance to do short-term rentals of Hyundai i20s. This service is very simple: download the “Hyundai Carsharing Austria” app (iOS or Android), register for free, and then you’re ready to go!
You can find these cars in three different places around the city:
- Hans-Gasser-Platz disctrict
- Westbahnhof (train station west)
- Hauptbahnhof (central station)
After your trip, return the car to where you borrowed it and the fee will be charged directly to your app account. Easy, smart, useful!
AIRPORT SHUTTLE
There are several providers of shuttle and taxi services that connect the Villach region with surrounding airports.
Kärnten Transfer will pick you up at the Klagenfurt airport, or from surrounding regions (Slovenia, Friuli, Styria, Salzburg, Tyrol, etc.), and take you to your destination in Carinthia
Get in touch with Touristik Kärnten Transfer for information about daily bus connections between Villach/Klagenfurt and the Ljubljana airport. They can also do personal transportation service between all regional airports (Vienna, Munich, Treviso, Zagreb, and many more) and locations in Carinthia.
If you need to get back and forth from Klagenfurt to Ljubljana, then AlpenAdriaLine is a great bet. When combined with a train to Klagenfurt, this can also be a good way to get to Ljubljana from other parts of Carinthia.
TIER: SCOOTER SHARING
2019 brought Tier scooter sharing services to Villach, and 90 electric scooters are available to rent for trips around the city.
Scooters are available in Villach from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and the cost is €1 + €.15-.19 per minute. Download the app (iOS or Android) to see where the scooters are and how to use the service. And don’t forget - scooters follow bicycle riding regulations, and are only available for those 18 years and older.
EBIKE RENTAL SERVICE
Since May 2018 Carinthia has had an intra-regional bicycle rental system and is the first province in Austria to be able to offer comprehensive bicycle hire. Through a cooperation of Papin Sport and Carinthian tourism regions, there are now about 50 bike rental and return stations throughout Carinthia, northern Slovenia, and north-eastern Italy. Whether you need a bike for a few hours or a few days or more, you can now rent where you want and return where you want!
