Daimler Purchases Two New Apps to Help People Without Cars

Sep 04, 2014 01:20 PM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Daimler has purchased mytaxi and RideScout, two smartphone applications that could help the Mercedes-Benz limousines maker provide services to people who do not own cars.

The company emphasized the acquisitions on Aug. 3, saying it wouldn't disrupt the existing taxi industry, which is a large client base for Mercedes-Benz. It also hopes to avoid the controversy caused by U.S.-based chauffeur business Uber.

A German regional court issued a temporary injunction against Uber this week, claiming that its network of drivers lacked the necessary commercial licenses to pick up passengers.

The San Francisco-based company, which allows users to summon taxi-like vehicles on their smartphone devices, can be accessed in 150 cities around the world.

Through its subsidiary moovel GmbH, Daimler purchased Hamburg-based mytaxi, which allows customers to hail a cab, track its progress, and rate the service. Customers can also pay for the ride using a smartphone device, according to Reuters.

"The acquisition of mytaxi and our existing holding in Blacklane, the rapidly growing limousine booking service, is by no means an attack on established taxi operators," said Robert Henrich, CEO at moovel GmbH, according to Reuters.

Instead, Moovel is hoping to work in close partnership with taxi businesses, Henrich said. The pledge was welcomed by the German association of taxi services and rental car agencies BZP.

Daimler also purchased RideScout, a company based in Austin, Texas, which helps customers find the best way to reach a specific destination by using public and private transport options, and car-sharing services, according to Reuters.

Moovel GmbH already owns car2go, which is a car-sharing service with more than 850,000 customers, and Park2gether, a service which helps users look for empty parking spots.

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