Innovative model project launched: Heuking team advises on digital on-call bus “Loop Münster”
A new chapter in local transport was opened in Münster on September 1. The procurement team led by Ute Jasper and Laurence Westen successfully advised the city on the “Loop Münster” model project, a digital on-call bus that may be requested by app or phone in certain city districts. The bus is based on user needs and runs without fixed routes and schedules.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was so convinced of the benefits offered by the developed concept that it awarded the maximum amount of subsidies of EUR 5 million in the state competition “Mobil.NRW – model projects for innovative public transport in rural areas.”
“The project opens up entirely new perspectives for Münster’s rural districts. In developing the project, it was important for low-emission hybrid vehicles to be used to strengthen climate-friendly local transportation,” said Ute Jasper, Partner and Head of Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek’s Public Sector & Public Procurement Practice Group. “We are proud to have supported one of the largest “on-demand projects” in North Rhine-Westphalia,” added Laurence Westen.
“Loop Münster" may be requested on weekdays from about 5:00 in the morning to 2:00 at night and 24 hours a day on weekends. The operating area covers about 40 square kilometers with stops at more than 700 street corners and points throughout the city. The project software was developed by Berlin-based developer door2door.
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek’s “Public Sector & Public Procurement” department has been one of the market leaders in public procurement law for years. Its lawyers hold top spots in German and international lawyer rankings. Since 1991, they have advised on awards, restructuring, large-scale projects, and cooperations in the public sector and have accompanied several hundred large-scale projects of federal, state, and local authorities and their subsidiaries with a total volume in excess of EUR 40 billion without any procedure having been successfully challenged to date.
Dr. Ute Jasper is one of the most renowned lawyers for procurement and infrastructure projects in the public sector. She advises federal and state ministries, municipalities, and businesses, particularly on innovative and complex projects. Ute Jasper heads Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek's “Public Sector & Public Procurement” department. For years, she has been ranked number 1 with her team in JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms. According to “Law Firms in Germany,” she is the “premier contact on the market” for infrastructure. In October 2016, she received the JUVE Award for Regulated Industries with her team.
Dr. Laurence M. Westen is a lawyer and has been a Partner in the “Public Sector & Public Procurement” practice group, Düsseldorf, since 2020. His practice focuses on advising contracting authorities on the award of large-scale projects and on defending against applications for review.
