Finland-based mobility-as-a-service app developer MaaS Global closed a funding round featuring a range of corporate participants at €14.2m ($16.8m) on Wednesday.
Transport system operator Transdev, consumer electronics producer Veho, carmaker Toyota, auto components supplier Denso, insurance firm Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, technology services provider Swiftcom and commercial vehicle maker Karsan all took part in the round.
MaaS Global has created an app called Whim that enables users to pay for all their public and private transport through a monthly subscription service.
The product is being piloted in the West Midlands region in the UK and will be launched in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, later in 2017. MaaS closed the first tranche of the round at €10m in June this year.
Sadahiro Usui, president and CEO of Denso International Europe, said: “We are very pleased to partner with MaaS Global to jointly develop the emerging mobility service market and ecosystem that revolutionise the way people access to all modes of transportation, and which also contributes to Denso’s core mission to realise a future sustainable automotive society.”
Transdev chief executive Thierry Mallet added: “As (the) first investor in MaaS Global, we strongly believe that we are moving forward to the mobility of tomorrow with Whim. We welcome our new partners in our quest to offer passenger a true alternative to car ownership.”
Karsan, Transdev and fellow transport operator Korsisaari, virtual queuing system producer GoSwift, loyalty card technology supplier Neocard, business automation system developer Good Sign, payment services provider IQ Payments, brokerage Delta Capital Force and government agency Tekes supplied $2.5m for the startup in February 2016.