Episode 23: How a Taxi App became a European Smart Mobility Giant, with FREE NOW's Silvia Fischer

Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast

GUEST: Silvia Fischer, VP Smart Mobility, FREE NOW
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Mobility super apps are something we’ve talked about before on the podcast – these are apps which combine all forms of travel in a city to enable you to plan, reserve, and pay for your journey, regardless of the mode of transport and operator.

We’ve seen the likes of Uber and Lyft add food delivery to their apps – and Uber is understood to be preparing the addition of long-distance travel bookings such as intercity trains, buses and planes. It already offers escooters, ebikes, and boats. And it has its sights set on becoming a one-stop shop for travel – a mobility super app.

But it’s not alone – and one of the largest such apps in Europe is FREE NOW. The company grew out of the Daimler/BMW mobility joint-venture of 2019 that pooled the two companies’ mobility services, but FREE NOW traces its roots back to taxi hailing apps mytaxi and Hailo.

FREE NOW is a fully integrated multi-mobility platform, providing access to eScooters, eBikes, eMopeds and car sharing, including partnerships with SIXT and Dott.

FREE NOW has more than 54 million users in 16 markets and in over 170 cities - and it has 1,850 employees, including Silvia Fischer, FREE NOW’s VP Smart Mobility.
Connect with Silvia Fischer on LinkedIn

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