The aim of the young company is to bundle numerous forms of mobility solutions offered by various providers on one digital platform. Among others, these include car and bike sharing offers, e-scooters, shared taxis and public transport services. Users can plan and book their journeys individually via the app.
The service is aimed at companies that want to offer their employees individually bookable mobility offers as an additional service. For this purpose, companies can provide their employees with a so-called “mobility budget” via the app. RYDES' first customer is the flexible workplace provider WeWork, which offers office space and co-working space to freelancers and companies. Organisations and individuals who have a WeWork membership will therefore be able to take advantage of the RYDES offer in the future. WeWork will make the service available as soon as it is possible to use it, in compliance with the applicable Corona guidelines.
“The Lufthansa Innovation Hub is an authority on the development of new business models. We look forward to successfully developing RYDES together with this strong partner and the experienced founders René Braun and Martin Miodownik,” says Christian Knörle, Head of Company Building at Porsche Digital.
Simple app usability and a compensation option
RYDES was developed in the Lufthansa Innovation Hub in 2018. Initially, the platform offered a loyalty program that rewards the use of different mobility offers. With the mobility budget, RYDES is now expanding its business model. Booking and control are combined in one app and therefore significantly simplified. The CO2 emitted by the journeys is also automatically offset via the “Compensaid” platform. RYDES is currently available in German-speaking countries, with other European markets to follow.
“The spin-off and subsequent financing of RYDES is a great success. Once again, we are proving that start-ups from digital units can catch up with market conditions,” says Gleb Tritus, Managing Director Lufthansa Innovation Hub. “With Forward31, we have gained an important strategic partner that shares and enriches our vision of a seamless mobility chain.”
About Forward31
The company builder Forward31 is a business unit of Porsche Digital GmbH. Its focus is on building up a portfolio of digital platform business models. These are founded, accompanied and sustainably developed together with entrepreneurs as independent companies. The Berlin-based global team includes experts from design, product, software and business development. Further information can be found here: www.forward31.com
