HERE Mobility Launches the First Social Ride-Sharing App Called SoMo

author: FutureCar Staff    

LAS VEGAS – HERE Mobility, the mobility unit of mapping company HERE Technologies, announced today the launch of their new all-in-one mobility app called SoMo, which is short for "social mobility".

SoMo is a first-of-its-kind mobility app that gives the freedom to choose how to move from point A to B by allowing drivers to invite people in their social circles, such as friends, family and co-workers, to share a ride with them. Unlike Uber Pool where you typically ride with strangers, SoMo allows all users to choose who they want to ride with.

The growth of ride-sharing underscores the shift from a traditional transportation ecosystem to one rooted in the sharing economy and is one way get more single-occupancy vehicles off the road.

"SoMo is the bridge to today's sharing economy," said Liad Itzhak, SVP, Head of HERE Mobility. "Consumers should have freedom of choice in how and with whom they travel. That's why SoMo brings people together based on common social interests and mobility demand, whether they're traveling to a holiday party, basketball practice, or a Beyoncé concert."

"Just as platforms like LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Facebook have leveraged social connectivity, SoMo taps into the power of social networks to reimagine the future of transportation," Itzhak added. "Standing at the forefront of the social mobility revolution, SoMo enables users to plan, share, and ride in a way that's simple and hassle-free. Increasing the average car occupancy will make traffic jams disappear and will have an enormous impact on our planet, reducing pollution and making it much greener."

Among the features of SoMo is that a user can create a ride and invite others to join along.

One feature of the app is a function called "Gatherings". Gatherings can be events that are defined by location, time, attendees and intent. Users can connect with friends and social circles based on common activities and ride together to a Gathering of any size.

A Gathering can be a one-time event, like a local concert, a wedding, a night out with friends or a recurring event, such as a daily commute to work. SoMo allows event organizers and participants to find the best way to get to a Gathering. By utilizing the Mobility Marketplace or sharing rides with other participants, SoMo makes coordinating and riding easy and social.

SoMo gives users full access to the HERE Mobility Marketplace, an open and competitive smart mobility marketplace that aggregates all mobility services and transportation options in real-time such as taxi, private hire, public transport and bike-sharing. Users have the freedom to choose from a variety of transportation options from the Mobility Marketplace to best fit their needs, all in one place.

SoMo provides a single-app experience, allowing users to book and plan a ride alone or with people in their social circles. The app makes it easy to discover Gatherings happening nearby and find a friend who's driving there. In a recent McKinsey survey, 50 percent of ride sharers said social experience is a key motivator for sharing rides – and SoMo is working to deliver that experience.

SoMo also functions as a standard navigation app offering turn-by-turn directions and real-time traffic updates. The app factors in rider locations to determine the most efficient pick-up and drop-off routes based on full-route waypoints, time, and distance.

SoMo sends updates to riders about driver location and ETA, so drivers can navigate safely without texting while driving—there is no need for a driver to have to share their location and arrival time, it happens automatically.

The SoMo app is available for download globally on Google Play and the App Store.

FutureCar Staff