BP invests in city mobility app

The Whim app aims to transform the way consumers travel around their cities  

BP Ventures is putting €10 million ($11 million) into digital mobility software firm MaaS Global that, through its Whim app, aims to connect consumers with easier and smarter citywide transport.

‘MaaS’ is an industry acronym for mobility-as-a-service – a sector expected to grow significantly to 2030 as transport markets shift towards on-demand access.

The Finnish start-up has developed an app called Whim, which allows customers to search, book and pay for all their city transport needs on a single platform.

• This ranges from taxis and buses to ride-hailing services and shared bikes and e-scooters.
• More than 6 million trips have been made via Whim since its 2017 European launch. 
• The app is currently available in four major European cities: Finland’s capital, Helsinki, Birmingham in the UK, Vienna in Austria, and Antwerp in Belgium, with more coming soon.
• BP’s investment will support plans to roll out the app to further international locations, including Singapore, Japan and the US.
  

MaaS Global CEO and founder Sampo Hietanen added: “BP’s global reach, its long experience in serving customers and technical expertise will be invaluable as we continue to build the ecosystem required to offer a seamless mobility platform to our users.”