FREE NOW becomes first private mobility platform to integrate public transport tickets into its app
FREE NOW have announced a major milestone at the Web Summit 2022; users can now book public transport services through its app as well as taxis, private cars, eScooters, eBikes, eMopeds, and car sharing.
As a result, FREE NOW offers all modes of transport from a single source, strengthening its position as a leading European mobility platform offering the largest amount of travel options in one app.
The first partnership enabling access to public transport via the FREE NOW app was signed with Rheinbahn in Germany. FREE NOW users will be able to book tickets for buses, trams, and underground trains directly in the FREE NOW app for all tariff zones of the Rhine-Ruhr Public Transport Association (VRR).
The integration completes FREE NOW's offering of on-demand mobility in what is seen as one of Germany's most important metropolitan regions. With almost 1,100 lines, around 7.8 million inhabitants, and an area of around 7,300 square kilometres, the cooperation with FREE NOW provides access to Europe's biggest transport network and the largest urban transport area. That includes major German cities like Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen, Bochum, Wuppertal, and Duisburg.
To begin with, users will be able to buy single tickets, day passes, and 48-hour passes. The technical integration has already begun. The ticket sales are possible thanks to a partnership with the Dutch aggregator Tranzer.
Further partnerships with other transport companies in Germany and across Europe are planned for 2023.
FREE NOW has continuously expanded its own mobility offering for its users since 2020, in partnership with leading mobility players in Germany and Europe. Through this, the FREE NOW app brings together more than 400,000 vehicles in Europe. This consists of ride-hailing services like taxis and private cars, as well as carsharing, eScooters, eMopeds, and eBikes.
The new travel option is primarily aimed at remote workers who only travel to their place of work occasionally, as well as business travellers or tourists. For example, almost 30% of all FREE NOW passengers use the app in cities they travel to occasionally. As a platform that's active across Europe, the company can contribute to strengthening both public transport and the environmental alliance in the long term.
FREE NOW users do not need to create a new account to book and pay for public transport. They can simply use their existing customer account.
Thomas Zimmermann, CEO at FREE NOW, said: "We're pleased that we're now the first private mobility platform to be able to offer our users public transport tickets in the biggest population and the largest urban transport area in Europe. This is an important next stage for us and, for the first time, we're enabling end-to-end ticketing for different modes of transport in our app. Linking different mobility offers is crucial to succeed in transforming transportation in Europe. FREE NOW actively supports this as a partner of public transport. Our goal is to make urban mobility in Europe more sustainable, intelligent, and interconnected."
Susanne Momberg, Chief Financial Officer of Rheinbahn, said: "We want to make travel easy. That's why we like to work with a wide variety of partners in the mobility industry to create a diverse and modern offering. Now that selected VRR tickets are available in the FREE NOW app, our passengers can buy public transport tickets easily, and benefit from FREE NOW's offering at the same time."
Leila Laidani, Country Director DACH at Tranzer, said: "We are delighted to count FREE NOW, the largest European mobility platform, among our partners and to bring its users access to public transport tickets. In line with our philosophy of 'all green mobility, for everyone, anywhere, anytime', millions of users now have direct access to tickets for Germany's largest transport association. Even more offers will be introduced in the near future. This is another significant step in our mission to make sustainable mobility as easy and convenient as possible, helping to transform travel."
