Austin, Texas-based RideScout and Portland, Oregon-based GlobeSherpa recently announced their merger and the creation of two new companies: moovel transit and RideTap.

“moovel is working to create a future for urban mobility. We want all forms of transportation, from public transit to rideshare to on-demand ride apps, to break out of their silos and become organized into one well-connected experience, with public transit as the foundational core,” said Nat Parker, CEO of moovel North America.

“Transportation is no longer just a question of options, but of convenience and ease of use. Our exceptional teams in Portland and Austin are in pursuit of the most seamless experience for both transportation providers and consumers to define the future of mobility.”

The solutions provided by moovel work to organize all transportation information and booking/payment options into one connected experience for transportation providers, app companies, and consumers through these two products:

• moovel transit: The industry leader in public transit mobile ticketing and payment solutions. The moovel transit platform, formerly GlobeSherpa’s TransitSherpa platform, is a suite of white-labeled mobile ticketing and payment solutions for the most innovative public transit authorities in North America. moovel transit also helps public transit apps integrate with the rest of the urban transportation ecosystem, including first/last mile options like bike share and on-demand car services. Mobile ticketing is ushering the future of transportation, bringing every transit provider and millions of riders into the ecosystem of modern, urban mobility.

 

• RideTap: A software development kit (SDK) that allows any app to leverage a network of transportation partners in one easy integration. An evolution of the RideScout app’s functionality to power shared-use mobility, people using apps with RideTap installed will be able to easily find nearby ride options based on where they are right now. For example, transit apps can use RideTap to solve common first/last mile issues, or a messaging or restaurant review app can integrate RideTap to help their users get to their final destination.

Through the RideTap network and the RideTap SDK, both transportation and non-transportation apps can provide a frictionless, real-time multimodal experience to their users. Currently operating in private beta, RideTap is piloting its first program in Portland through the TriMet Tickets mobile app, where riders can request a Lyft or reserve a car2go. The product will launch to a broader audience later this year.

moovel Group GmbH was founded by Daimler, parent to Mercedes-Benz. moovel is trying to solve urban transportation challenges and discover new technologies to affect future mobility. The global urban population is projected to grow approximately 1.84% per year between 2015 and 2020. This is in addition to the already demanding needs of public transportation riders who in 2014 took more than 10.8 billion trips on public transportation, the highest annual ridership number in 58 years. Daimler recognizes that increasing urbanization combined with the rise of the sharing economy has presented a new way to create transportation services for commuters of tomorrow.

“At moovel, we believe that mobility should be an ecosystem; a group of interconnected transportation modes that form the fabric of our cities. Our goal is to innovate within this ecosystem, providing more choices and convenience to customers worldwide,” said Jörg Lamparter, global CEO moovel Group GmbH. “Through moovel, Daimler is in pursuit of the best advancements that push the status quo with interoperable products built for transit agencies, app developers, and end consumers.”

Co-founders and former CEOs of GlobeSherpa and RideScout will take executive roles at moovel. Nat Parker, co-founder and former CEO of GlobeSherpa, is now CEO of moovel N.A.; Joseph Kopser, co-founder and former CEO of RideScout, is now president of moovel Group GmbH. Both report to Lamparter.

“The bottom line is, we’re not anti-car, we’re anti-system—aiming to disrupt the “system” that keeps people stuck in traffic with limited options. As moovel, we are creating a future for urban mobility and we hope you’re ready for the ride,” said Lamparter.