Silicon Canals
TRENDING
  • Mobility
  • AI
  • FinTech
  • Software & SaaS
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • COVID-19
    • Startups
    • Scaleups
    • FinTech
    • AI and chatbots
    • Travel & Mobility
    • Software & SaaS
    • Health & Medtech
    • (Crowd)funding
    • Blockchain
    • Internet of things
    • Hardware
    • Accelerators
    • E-commerce
    • Cybersecurity
    • Gaming & Virtual Reality
    • Drones
  • Features
    • Promoted content
    • How-to
    • Knowledge & Insights
    • Guest Contributions
    • Scaling-up in Europe
  • Amsterdampartner
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Jobs
  • About
    • Partner with Silicon Canals
    • Team
    • Contact
  • Home
  • News
    • COVID-19
    • Startups
    • Scaleups
    • FinTech
    • AI and chatbots
    • Travel & Mobility
    • Software & SaaS
    • Health & Medtech
    • (Crowd)funding
    • Blockchain
    • Internet of things
    • Hardware
    • Accelerators
    • E-commerce
    • Cybersecurity
    • Gaming & Virtual Reality
    • Drones
  • Features
    • Promoted content
    • How-to
    • Knowledge & Insights
    • Guest Contributions
    • Scaling-up in Europe
  • Amsterdampartner
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Jobs
  • About
    • Partner with Silicon Canals
    • Team
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Silicon Canals
No Result
View All Result

COVID-19 catch-up: This Uber competitor in Germany temporarily turns off pooling service in Hamburg, Warsaw and Dublin

Shubham Sharma by Shubham Sharma
March 19, 2020
in News, COVID-19, Startups, Travel & Mobility
0
COVID-19 catch-up: This Uber competitor in Germany temporarily turns off pooling service in Hamburg, Warsaw and Dublin
59
SHARES
LinkedInTwitterWhatsAppFacebook

Ever before coronavirus was declared a pandemic, authorities worldwide sprung into action for mitigating its effects. Similarly, businesses and startups both, small and large, have been working out ways to stay afloat. However, there are some services that will have to go dark for the greater good so that the probability of more people contracting the disease can be lowered. Keeping this in mind, the Germany-based ride-hailing app Free Now, which is the joint venture from BMW and Daimler has decided to temporarily suspend its carpooling service in three regions. 

Free Now suspends its carpool service, Match  

Since transmission rates of the novel COVID-19 pandemic are worryingly high, Free Now has announced shutting down its carpooling service Match. It will be unavailable temporarily in Hamburg, Warsaw and Dublin. However, the ride-hailing apps’ standard services are still operational and the company is taking appropriate steps to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.

 - Partner content -
Cost of software - The Software house
The cost of building software
Marek Gajda, CTO of The Software House, shares his insights on building high-quality...Show More
Marek Gajda, CTO of The Software House, shares his insights on building high-quality software. Show Less
Read more

Commenting on the closure of its Match service, a Free Now spokesperson said, “The FREE NOW services remain available in all of our markets as we offer taxi services via e-hailing. Whilst we are seeing a clear decrease in demand in all of our markets, some passengers are still in need of taxis in order to get to work.” They add,” For example, in some markets, we are already in close collaboration with local health authorities. In Madrid, for example, we have dedicated taxis that are transporting medical supplies and staff to hospitals. We are currently in contact with local authorities so that we can roll this out internationally.”

Currently, Free Now operates in around 100 cities across Europe, with 14 million passengers and more than 100,000 drivers. In the UK, FREE NOW is available in London, Manchester, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Brighton, Reading, Oxford, Derby and Leicester.

Ensuring a safe commute 

While the carpooling service by Free Now is temporarily suspended, as mentioned above, it is still running its standard services. This calls for high scrutiny in terms of hygiene and ensuring that passengers are safe. The company is taking steps to inform drivers and passengers about ride-hailing specific hygiene measures via the newsfeed in its app as well as a landing page and emails. 

“We have given them (drivers and passengers) the official guidance and information on the virus. If drivers or passengers test positive for COVID-19, then we would temporarily suspend them from our service in accordance with quarantine guidelines in order to avoid any spread as much as possible. Last but not least, we are regularly updating our 2,000 employees globally and have reduced all business travel to only absolutely essential travel.” A Free Now spokesperson said.

Founded in 2009, with Europe’s CEO as Eckart Diepenhorst, the Germany company has in total scored €42.7 million funding so far.

Image credits: Free Now

Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news.

close

Want to stay on top of the latest rounds, coolest tech and hottest startups?

Subscribe to our free, daily news blast and stay up-to-date!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

 - Partner content -
Hiring during COVID Intrinsic Search
Hiring SaaS sales executives
Check out the do's and don'ts while hiring SaaS sales executives
Check out the do's and don'ts while hiring SaaS sales executives Show Less
Read more
Tags: featured
Share4Tweet13SendShare28

Partner content | Work with us

Future of coding: CTOs discuss low-code versus custom code software development for their business

Why now is the perfect time to start hiring for 2021

SaaS sales in 2021: 9 predictions from an industry expert

Diversity in hiring for SaaS: the often overlooked topic of ageism

Boost your scale-up’s growth by outsourcing to these top Eastern European software development companies

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Breaking news from Amsterdam | Partner

Amsterdam-based 3D Hubs acquired by Protolabs for €272.1M; here’s what you need to know

Amsterdam-based INKEF Capital leads €5M Series A funding round of this Dutch startup

4 experts predict what 2021 might hold for the startup ecosystem of Amsterdam

Here’s why Just Eat Takeaway wants to remain listed in Amsterdam

Advertisement

Trending

3D Hubs
Amsterdam

Amsterdam-based 3D Hubs acquired by Protolabs for €272.1M; here’s what you need to know

January 19, 2021
London
(Crowd)funding

London tech firms raise €8.6B VC investment in 2020: Report

January 15, 2021
Amsterdam
Amsterdam

9 promising sustainable startups from Amsterdam to watch in 2021

January 20, 2021
  • About Silicon Canals
  • Partner with Silicon Canals
  • Contact us
  • Newsletter
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & Conditions Silicon Canals

Silicon Canals 2014-2020 | Website: Bright Idiots

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • COVID-19
    • Startups
    • Scaleups
    • FinTech
    • AI and chatbots
    • Travel & Mobility
    • Software & SaaS
    • Health & Medtech
    • (Crowd)funding
    • Blockchain
    • Internet of things
    • Hardware
    • Accelerators
    • E-commerce
    • Cybersecurity
    • Gaming & Virtual Reality
    • Drones
  • Features
    • Promoted content
    • How-to
    • Knowledge & Insights
    • Guest Contributions
    • Scaling-up in Europe
  • Amsterdam
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Jobs
  • About
    • Partner with Silicon Canals
    • Team
    • Contact

Silicon Canals 2014-2020 | Website: Bright Idiots

X

This website uses cookies to ensure the best possible experience. We may share this information with our advertising and analytics partners. By clicking 'Accept', you agree to our use of cookies and similar technologies. More info