Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei

What Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei does

Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei (legal name: Berlin autofrei e.V., operating as Verkehrsentscheid or Verkehrsentscheid Berlin) is a Berlin-based civic initiative and registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in September 2019. The organization advocates for the adoption of the 'Berliner Gesetz für gemeinwohlorientierte Straßennutzung' (Berlin Law for Public Welfare-Oriented Street Use), which would transform all streets within Berlin's S-Bahn ring into car-reduced streets after a four-year transition period, with each resident permitted up to 12 days of private vehicle use per year via a QR-code exception system. Its primary deliverable is the collection of 240,000 signatures by May 8, 2026 to trigger a public referendum scheduled for September 2026.

The organization operates a grassroots organizing model that combines a central action office at Rigaer Straße 85 in Friedrichshain (open daily 11–21h), more than 50 decentralized drop-off locations (Soliorte) across Berlin's districts, mobile collection units (Omnibus für direkte Demokratie), and official state collection points at Bürgerämter. Signature collection is supported by district-level volunteer coordination via Signal messaging groups, neighborhood-based trainings, and a bicycle courier service (Fahrradkurier-Staffel) for signers who cannot travel. The initiative is funded entirely through donations and crowdfunding, with no commercial revenue; crowd contributions cover materials production, events, translations, accessible communication, and collector training.

The initiative's constituencies are Berlin residents across all 12 districts, with emphasis on families, elderly, disabled residents, and people dependent on public transport, cycling, or walking. On June 25, 2025, the Berlin Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof) issued a landmark ruling validating the Volksbegehren as constitutional and proportionate, removing the legal barrier to the binding signature-collection phase. A first signature round in 2021 collected over 50,000 signatures—more than double the 20,000 quorum—demonstrating the campaign's mass-mobilization capacity. The initiative maintains a strategic partnership with Volksentscheid Berlin Werbefrei, with which it shares its action office and logistics.

Name

Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei

Legal name

Berlin autofrei e. V.

Website

https://www.volksentscheid-berlin-autofrei.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei is a Berlin-based civic initiative advocating for car-reduced streets within the city's S-Bahn ring. It collects signatures for a referendum on a proposed law limiting private vehicle use in the zone to 12 days per year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Advocacy & Direct Democracy Campaign

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Civic advocacy campaigns
• Citizens referendum initiatives
• Urban mobility advocacy
• Grassroots signature collection
• Car-free street policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei operates a citizens' initiative (Volksbegehren) campaign to collect 240,000 signatures by May 8, 2026 for a public referendum on the "Berliner Gesetz für gemeinwohlorientierte Straßennutzung," which would transform all streets within Berlin's S-Bahn ring into car-reduced streets after a four-year transition. The organization runs a grassroots signature collection infrastructure including a central action office, decentralized drop-off points, mobile collection units, and a bicycle courier service, funded entirely by crowdfunding and donations.

Product overview

Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei is a civic initiative campaign (not a technology product) focused on reducing car traffic within Berlin's S-Bahn ring. The organization operates a grassroots signature collection campaign, maintains an action office (Aktionsbüro) for drop-off of signature lists, and provides an online exception request system for residents to obtain QR codes allowing limited Kfz usage within the auto-reduced zone. No separate named product modules exist; the initiative's activities center on the citizen's referendum itself.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Verkehrsentscheid Berlin Autofrei (Citizens' Initiative Campaign) A citizens' initiative (Volksbegehren) campaign advocating for car-reduced streets within Berlin's S-Bahn ring, enabling citizens to collect and submit signatures for a referendum on the "Berliner Gesetz für gemeinwohlorientierte Straßennutzung" (Berlin Law for Community-Oriented Street Use). Targets 240,000 signatures by May 8, 2026 for a September 2026 referendum.
• Berliner Gesetz für gemeinwohlorientierte Straßennutzung (Proposed Law) A draft law that would transform all streets within the S-Bahn ring into car-reduced streets after a four-year transition period, with each resident permitted up to 12 days per year (24 hours each) of vehicle use within the environmental zone, and clear exemptions for essential vehicle use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Traffic-related deaths and injuries reduced through car traffic reduction
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Volksentscheid Berlin Werbefrei (Berlin Ad-Free)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2025The Verkehrsentscheid and Berlin Werbefrei (Volksentscheid Berlin Werbefrei) jointly operate the action office at Rigaer Straße 85 and organize logistics together for their respective signature collection campaigns. This is a mutual cooperation between two civic initiatives pursuing complementary goals - traffic reduction and advertising-free public spaces.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Volksentscheid Berlin Werbefrei: Direct peer and active partner - runs a parallel citizen's initiative in Berlin to ban outdoor advertising, shares the Rigaer Straße action office, and uses identical grassroots signature collection infrastructure. Operates the same legal mechanism (Volksbegehren) for a different civic goal.
• Changing Cities e.V. Berlin-based civic organization that supports Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei and has helped spawn similar 'Radentscheid' (cycling referendum) initiatives in cities across Germany. Operates the same civic participation model and is closely aligned with Volksentscheid's urban mobility goals.
• Radentscheid Hamburg: Hamburg's sister civic initiative using the same direct-democracy mechanism to push for cycling-friendly urban planning. Closely comparable in structure, mechanism, and goals, just in a different city; both are part of the wider 'Volksentscheid' / 'Radentscheid' movement.
• Radentscheid Frankfurt: Frankfurt's analogous civic initiative pursuing car-reduced and bicycle-friendly streets through the same referendum mechanism. Directly comparable in scope, legal framework, and operating model to Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei.

Regional players

• ADFC Berlin (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club): Berlin's regional cycling advocacy organization that hosts one of Volksentscheid's drop-off points (Velokiez in Kreuzberg). Operates in the same urban mobility advocacy space but focuses on cycling infrastructure rather than car reduction legislation.

Others

• Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH): Large German environmental and consumer advocacy NGO that litigates and campaigns on urban air quality, traffic emissions, and sustainable mobility. Indirectly comparable through overlapping environmental advocacy goals and similar NGO-style campaigning, though at a much larger scale and broader scope.
• Mehr Demokratie e.V. German non-profit dedicated to promoting direct democracy and participatory processes; provides consulting and advocacy infrastructure for Volksbegehren-style initiatives like Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei. Operates in the same civic participation / citizen initiative ecosystem.
• Campact e.V. German civic campaigning platform that mobilizes citizens around progressive causes via petitions and donations. Operates an adjacent model - digital petition-based advocacy - that complements the offline Volksbegehren approach used by Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei.
• BUND Berlin (Friends of the Earth Germany): Berlin branch of Germany's leading environmental advocacy organization, hosts one of Volksentscheid's drop-off points (BUND Jugend in Prenzlauer Berg). Shares environmental and emissions-reduction goals with the initiative, but operates as a broader environmental NGO rather than a single-issue civic campaign.
• Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD): German transport and environment advocacy organization promoting sustainable mobility and reduced car dependence. Operates in the same thematic space (urban mobility, traffic reduction, environmental transport policy) as Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei, but functions as a broader advocacy NGO rather than a single referendum campaign.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VBerlinautofrei

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei