13 June was a ground-breaking day for urban travel. It will see the unveiling of Whim, the world’s first ever all-inclusive mobility service. Whim, an app based on the Finnish MaaS (Mobility as a Service) concept, gives people instant access to virtually every kind of transport, from brand new cars to taxis, buses, trains and bike share. It takes care of everything, from finding the best way to get there to ticketing and payments. That’s exactly what MaaS is all about, too – fulfilling all people’s mobility needs in one place.
“Whim will change the way we move forever,” says Sampo Hietanen, the CEO and Founder of MaaS Global, the Finnish startup behind Whim. “It’s the 21st century equivalent to the Model T, which gave people the freedom to go wherever and whenever they wanted. In today’s world, Whim will be better than your own car.”
Whim offers both monthly mobility packages and travel on a pay as you go basis. The app syncs with the users’ calendar, helping plan journeys in advance. Still, it can also be used to go places at the press of a button – literally on a whim.
Currently in pilot testing, the Whim app will be launched for Helsinki region, Finland after the summer. The next step is fast global expansion, with two more cities added this year and many more lined up. Hietanen is confident that Whim will make mobility infinitely easier, but that’s not all.
“It will encourage the use of public transport, which means cleaner cities with less traffic jams. There’s huge business potential for transport providers, too, as more convenient mobility will bring them more customers. Our aim is to join forces with as many providers as possible, because together we’ll be able to offer an amazing service.”
Source: MaaS Global
