Rotterdam-based umob, a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform, announced that it has acquired MaaS Global, a Finnish mobility company operating in several cities, including Vienna, Antwerp, Helsinki, Turku, Tokyo, Birmingham, and Switzerland.
MaaS Global recently filed for bankruptcy.
umob has obtained MaaS Global’s technology through this acquisition. According to the company, umob will not continue the Whim app, instead, they plan to integrate its functionality into the umob app over time.
The takeover party
Founded in 2015 by Sampo Hietanen, MaaS Global, the creator of the Whim app that consolidates travel options in one place, filed for bankruptcy in March.
Whim, launched in 2015, was the first commercial MaaS service and gained popularity with 1 million users and over 30 million rides. The company raised over $75M in funding from investors like NordicNinja, BP Ventures, Toyota, and Mitsubishi, among others. However, it faced financial challenges.
Now, umob is appointed by the curator as the takeover party. umob plans to capitalise on MaaS Global’s 10 years of experience in Mobility-as-a-Service.
Raymon Pouwels, co-founder of umob, says, “The acquisition of MaaS Global represents an acceleration in our mission to make umob a global MaaS platform. We soft-launched in the Netherlands last year so that we could optimise our app, but now we are growing quickly.”
“We successfully integrated shared mobility providers of mopeds and bikes like Cooltra, Donkey Republic and GO Sharing, in addition to public transport and taxi services. Our aim is to integrate all forms of mobility.”
“Joining forces with MaaS Global, who has undoubtedly integrated more transport than anyone on a global level, enables us to faster scale throughout Europe.”
Hietanen, founder of MaaS Global and inventor behind the concept MaaS, adds, “I am happy to see all the hard work and experiences of MaaS Global put into good use with umob. MaaS as a concept is still at its infancy and umob represents the consumer facing approach that will drive the concept forward.”
A single mobility app
umob’s MaaS platform integrates various mobility providers into a single app, enabling users to plan and pay for trips across different services at the same price offered by the providers.
This integration involves close collaboration with mobility providers and government institutions focused on addressing urban mobility challenges.
In October 2023, umob secured $6.5M in funding to advance this integration in the Netherlands, aiming to streamline transportation solutions for users in cities.
Bibi Jorissen, co-founder of umob says, “By integrating all mobility providers in one app, we not only make travelling easier for everyone, but we also make mobility challenges more transparent for municipalities to solve them.”
“We use data – anonymised of course – to map commuting patterns, see where bottlenecks are located and where opportunities are to make transport more sustainable.”
“The acquisition of MaaS Global is also about knowledge and, important to us in today’s labour market, experienced specialists who are able to solve the global mobility challenges.”
Brief about umob
Founded by Raymon Pouwels and Bibi Jorissen, umob is a MaaS platform that combines all mobility providers through full integrations into one app and puts the traveller first.
umob has been operating since August 2023. It provides access to public transport, taxis, and shared mobility options like scooters, bicycles, and cars through a unified account.
The company’s goal is to expand into a European Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform, serving as an intermediary between governments and transportation providers to address urban mobility challenges.
Read the orginal article: https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/travel-mobility/umob-acquires-maas-global/
