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Germany: New app designed to take on Uber and Lyft rolls out

 |  January 7, 2019

HERE Technologies, the automotive mapping company controlled by three German carmakers, is giving ride-pooling a new twist with an app that makes it easier for friends to share a trip to work, games or concerts, reported The Financial Times.

“The current trend in the mobility-as-a-service market has turned out to be very consolidated, concentrated — even monopolistic in many areas of the world,” said Liad Itzhak, head of Here Mobility, whose parent company Here Technologies is majority owned by Audi, BMW and Daimler.

SoMo lets users plan where they need to be, then choose from a host of private and public transport services to get them there, akin to Google Maps. But unlike the dominant ride-hailing groups, SoMo is a social media network, too, connecting friends who are attending the same “gatherings”.

Full Content: Financial Times

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