In addition to the objective of providing a complete and accessible platform for mobility, umob wants to help municipalities improve the integration of shared mobility.
In a new financing round, the Dutch Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform umob has managed to raise no less than €6 million in investment capital. With this capital, the app, launched in August, can enter the next phase of its strategic expansion. The platform fully integrates the use of shared mobility, taxis and public transport, and positions itself as a central mediator between municipalities, mobility providers and companies.
Umob makes a variety of travel options seamlessly accessible through a single interface. After obtaining an account, users can plan, book and pay for trips at the same rates offered directly by the providers, all without the need for separate apps for each service. This development comes at a time when the popularity of shared mobility services is growing in the Netherlands, but still represents a small part of the total transport mix.
Raymon Pouwels, co-founder of umob and former founder and CEO of GO Sharing, emphasized the importance of increasing the accessibility of shared mobility as a viable alternative to owning your own car. “To make shared mobility an attractive option, a vehicle must always be available within a three-minute walking distance. Single providers cannot achieve this alone, but by integrating them all into one app, we offer users access to over 200.000 vehicles,” explains Pouwels.
However, umob's ambitions extend beyond just bringing together different transport services. The platform aims to play a key role in coordinating municipal efforts to increase the acceptance of shared transport modes. This includes identifying optimal locations for mobility hubs, facilitating conversations between providers and sharing anonymized data and insights.
Co-founder Bibi Jorissen underlines the importance of this collaboration: “In addition to a broad and diverse offering, we must address practical matters such as parking spaces and hotspots. With the data we collect, we can play a valuable role in designing the future mobility infrastructure of municipalities.”
Moreover, umob wants to expand its footprint beyond the Dutch borders. The recently raised €6 million follows an earlier investment of €2 million in 2022 and will be used to scale the platform internationally. “Our platform is ready to offer our service internationally. We will start with Belgium next year and our three-year plan includes activities in six different European countries,” says Pouwels.
