Whim announces packages ahead of UK launch in West Midlands

Helsinki-based Whim has released packages and pricing for its Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform ahead of the UK launch in the West Midlands, on the 5 April 2018. The MaaS Global solution is designed with the intention of integrating journey planning, reservations, payments and subscriptions into one app. Offers include a pay as you go option as well as the Whim Everyday £99 ($139) per month package which comes with unlimited public transport for taxis and car hire availability. In addition, the Whim
April 4, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Helsinki-based 8727 Whim has released packages and pricing for its Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform ahead of the UK launch in the West Midlands, on the 5 April 2018. The MaaS Global solution is designed with the intention of integrating journey planning, reservations, payments and subscriptions into one app.

Offers include a pay as you go option as well as the Whim Everyday £99 ($139) per month package which comes with unlimited public transport for taxis and car hire availability. In addition, the Whim Unlimited £349 ($491) per month offer will provide Midlanders with unlimited public transport; all taxi rides within a three-mile radius of their location and up to 30 days car hire per month.

The project is supported by mayor Andy Street and organisations such as Transport for West Midlands and the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Whim’s app is said to fit together with the Swift travel card to deliver smart travel solutions that meet a user’s preferred method of transportation. In addition, commuters will have access to a fleet of 5,000 next bike-share cycles.

As part of the launch, Whim is now seeking the first 500 people to sign up to the scheme and as a visual gimmick will bring a three-storey house the size of a parking space to the centre of Birmingham.

Sampo Hietanan, Whim founder, said: “We like cars, we’re certainly not anti-car, and we still offer access to cars when needed, via taxis or through hire. But we are showing people that they don’t need to be so reliant on car ownership. Once people realise this, the benefits are huge – less traffic, less pollution, less stressful journeys, more space in our towns and cities thanks to fewer cars parked on the road.

“Whim will also reward people for greener, healthier options such as walking more and having car-free days. People will also soon start to realise the positive health benefits of walking a little more and driving less - not to mention the time and money freed up by not having to maintain a car or having to sit behind the wheel in a traffic jam. It just makes more sense."

  • Full story will be available in ITS International’s May/June issue.

Related Content

  • May 6, 2015
    Arup’s vision of urban mobility in 2050
    Arup’s vision of the Future of Highways considers a wide range of factors that will impact on mobility towards the middle of the century. In its consideration of the Future of Highways through to 2050, international consultants Arup has taken a broad and pragmatic view of where society is heading and the effects that will have on the transport requirements. In terms of major drivers it not only cites
    Read More
  • April 4, 2017
    Funding for electric taxis in West Yorkshire
    West Yorkshire Combined Authority has secured UAS$2.4 million (£1.9 million) of UK Government funding to support an increase in ultra-low emission electric taxi and private hire operation on local roads. Eighty-eight dedicated taxi and private hire charge points will be installed at key public transport and taxi operation sites across West Yorkshire, thanks to the Combined Authority’s successful bid to the Office for Low Emission Vehicle’s Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) Taxi Scheme. Several major
    Read More
  • May 28, 2014
    Smoothing out city freight movements
    David Crawford welcomes a national first. Urban freight movements, while commercially and socially vital, are a growing logistical headache for planners and people alike. Figures from France’s Lyon Laboratory of Transport Economics indicate that goods transport in major urban areas accounts for: 20% of traffic; 35% of CO2 emissions made by all urban trips; and 50% of the diesel used; while final km delivery runs account for 20% of the total cost of the transport chain.
    Read More
  • March 28, 2017
    Commuting habits come under scrutiny
    Cities have a moral responsibility to encourage the smart use of transportation and Andrew Bardin Williams hears a few suggestions. Given the choice of getting a root canal, doing household chores, filing taxes, eating anchovies or commuting to work, nearly two-thirds of Americans said that they wouldn’t mind commuting into work—at least according to a poll conducted by Xerox (now Conduent) over its social media channels at the end of 2016.
    Read More

Highlighted Content