Finnish company MaaS Global, which lays claim to being the world’s most mature mobility-as-a-service operator, has acquired Quicko, the leading MaaS player in Brazil.
MaaS Global is the company behind the Whim app, which when it launched in 2016 was the first to offer a commercial integrated service model with options from both public and private transportation providers, such as bus, train, tram, bicycle, taxi, and rental car companies.
Whim is currently live in several European and Asian markets and the acquisition enables MaaS Global to gain “a valuable footprint in Latin America alongside a highly respected Brazilian partner”.
Sampo Hietanen, CEO and Founder of MaaS Global says, “We see a huge opportunity to make a big sustainability leap in Brazil. Historically, the number of private cars has risen together with the standard of living. We believe Brazil can make a digital leap, hop over the car ownership stage, and take Brazilians straight to the MaaS services.
“This would improve the well-being of the people, resolve cities’ traffic problems and provide an efficient way to cut down CO2 emissions. We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, which makes the need for action even more urgent. Together with Quicko, we want to provide the people in Brazil a more equitable and sustainable freedom of mobility than car ownership can.”
With over 500,000 users, Quicko currently operates in eight Brazilian metropolitan areas and in over 100 cities. It offers AI trip planning for smarter and more optimised urban travel by combining public and private transport modes available in each city. Quicko also includes full mobility payment integration.
Pedro Somma, CEO of Quicko says, “We are very excited to join forces with MaaS Global in an ambitious global strategy to improve people’s mobility experience. Quicko has been successful in growing in huge Brazilian cities, impacting hundreds of thousands of people every month. There is a massive opportunity ahead of us for MaaS in areas across the country and the continent. We are confident that together we will be able to seize it better, create more value for our customers and change travel behaviors faster”.
Quicko has historically been backed by CCR and J2L Partners, who will both become MaaS Global shareholders. CCR, one of the largest infrastructure companies in Brazil.
“Innovation is a key element in CCR’s strategy to lead the human mobility infrastructure. We are confident that this deal will expand Quicko and CCR’s impact on innovation worldwide and inspire us to keep investing in transforming people’s experience”, says New Business Development Officer, Gustavo do Canto Lopes from CCR.
Líbano Barroso from J2L adds, “With this transaction, we reach global scale and improve our technological capacity and business model while aligning with the best strategies and practices of global urban mobility players.”
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