To understand why taxis have become a problem, which has also alarmed the government, just start from the data of Free Now, the mobility app that celebrates its 8 years of presence in Italy. Racing for white cars grew by 16% in the last year (+20% in May alone) through the application. To which must be added the calls made directly to the various Radio Taxis or reservations through the other apps. In short, if these numbers don’t explain the endless queues waiting at the stations or why a ride is becoming unobtainable, at least they give us a clue.
But in the summer of transport chaos and green controversy there is also another interesting fact, which catches the eye with Free Now. The increased desire to use sharing solutions by users, increased on the app by 146% with over 30,000 new passengers signed up. The demonstration of the strong demand by the Italians for fast and accessible means of transport. “The data tell us that there is enormous development potential for the European multi-mobility market, and we will continue to commit ourselves to offering an increasingly extended quality service and with an increasingly satisfying customer journey,” he says. Umberto Javarone, general manager of Free Now in Italy.
The mobility app
Born in Germany as a service for taxis, the platform has rapidly grown, expanding to over 150 European cities and giving the possibility to book a series of options, ranging from taxis to car sharing to micromobility. Basically, with Free Now you can call taxi rides, like using a rental bike or scooter. In Italy there are over 2 million users who use the app today in the 10 cities where it is active, namely Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples, Catania, Palermo, Cagliari, Monza, Modena and Reggio Emilia. And the goal is to soon expand to new capitals including Florence and Bologna.
“We are currently contacting local stakeholders to identify possible ways to collaborate with them,” confirms Javarone. Because in this, the company underlines, the approach is different from its competitors: the search for collaboration on the territory and not imposition. With particular attention to taxi drivers, for which it was born the Free Now Pass solution, which allows to completely eliminate the commissions applied to the rides. A request that had emerged precisely during the moments of confrontation that the platform had with the category. “Our competitors have a model that requires an annual subscription – explains Javarone -. We offer a more flexible formula, leaving more freedom to taxi drivers”.
The capital of taxis
Still analyzing the Free Now data, it turns out that Rome is the capital of taxis, with 65% of rides made through the platform, while Milan is the city where scooters are used the most. AND uUsing sustainable vehicles, app users have traveled a total of 20 million kilometresthe equivalent of 5 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, saving a total of 30 tons of CO2 which corresponds to approximately 165 Milan – Bangkok air travels.
The offer for companies
The business segment is now also in the app’s sights, allowing companies to better report travel expenses or offer a mobility budget to employees as a benefit. “Mobility is one of the fundamental issues for the future of cities and, more generally, of urban areas. In this scenario, technological innovations and the digitization of the sector will also play a fundamental part within the transport ecosystem. Satisfy users’ need for on-demand consumption with flexibility and simplicity, as well as allowing as many people as possible to immediately access different ways of moving, is a decisive factor for sustainable urban mobility”, concludes Javarone.
The article Freenow, the alternative to Uber focuses on Italy to grow comes from Verità e Affari.