Daimler & BMW network mobility services
BMW and Daimler are dovetailing their Free Now and Share Now offerings. The vehicles of the Share Now car-sharing service can be booked in France, Germany, Spain and Italy via the Free Now multi mobility platform from the end of July onwards.
Both services were created in 2019 as part of the merger of the Daimler and BMW mobility services: Share Now comprises the former car-sharing services Car2Go (Daimler) and Drive Now (BMW). Free Now bundles other mobility services such as Daimler’s MyTaxi platform, public transport services, and now also electric scooters and electric mopeds.
In Germany, the now-announced cooperation will initially start in Frankfurt and Stuttgart, with further cities in the pipeline. “Car sharing has become an integral part of today’s urban mobility which offers people the flexibility and reliability they need to get around,” says Olivier Reppert, CEO of Share Now. “We do not perceive car sharing as competition to other means of transport, but much more as a meaningful addition. Everyone can create their own mobility mix based on individual preferences.”
“People want flexibility to get from A to B,” agrees Free Now CEO Marc Berg. “This need has even increased after most pandemic restrictions were lifted. Together with Share Now we fulfil this need. We look forward to many more partner corporations in the future – be it in the field of car-sharing or further multi mobility options.”
Rainer Feurer, vice president of corporate investments at BMW Group, emphasized that customer convenience is the key to success for mobility services. “With the upcoming technical integration, both providers can benefit from a broader customer base,” Feurer said.
Free Now offers a mobility portfolio consisting of cabs, electric taxis, chauffeur-driven rental cars, electric scooters, electric mopeds and car-sharing vehicles. The car-sharing service Share Now is present in 16 European cities with around 11,000 vehicles, of which only 2,900 are electric and of these, electric cars are no longer available in all cities.
In October last year, the two German carmakers announced they were selling off parts of their mobility services as they were finding it difficult to turn a profit at the new business. In January this year, the duo announced they were aiming for carbon-neutrality with Free Now by 2030.
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