How a Viennese Start Up is making mobility fit for the future on three continents.
“Ubiq” wants to conquer the US and has found a new partner in this country to be able to reduce the number of private cars in the city.
With more than 5,500 vehicles in more than 15 cities on three continents, Ubiq (formerly Parkbob), based at the A1 Startup Campus in Vienna, is one of the most successful startups to have embarked on its successful journey from the federal capital.
With the help of data and forecasting models, it is possible to predict how, where and when demand will be. For example, historical data is used for this, but app opening dates, weather, holidays, special events and parking regulations are also taken into account in the forecasting models. Ubiq’s artificially intelligent platform uses the demand forecasts and, on a vehicle-specific basis, makes recommendations for repositioning vehicles, as well as recommendations for electric vehicle charging times.
Knowing where demand is highest offers benefits for both customers and operators: on the one hand, vehicles are more readily available for users, and on the other, operators’ fleets are better utilized, saving vehicles and increasing revenue by around 20 percent.
“Urban mobility offers many opportunities to reduce the burden on the environment and establish a better standard of living in cities. At Ubiq, we believe that innovative solutions can only be both sustainable and profitable through a data-driven approach. We are confident that with our products and our services we can play a crucial role in shaping the future of mobility,”
Christian Adelsberger, CEO and Founder of Ubiq.
Efficiency and scalability
The Ubiq platform provides shared fleet operators with insights into demand in their city and vehicle task recommendations on how to improve fleet availability and utilization. However, for these insights and recommendations to have an impact on revenue, the recommended vehicle tasks must be performed by a service team. That’s where Ubiq’s StreetCrowd comes in. It matches the recommended vehicle tasks with the crowd (anyone and everyone, including shared fleet operator customers) on the Street Crowd platform.
By completing the recommended vehicle tasks, such as moving, charging, and pulling from charging stations, the Crowd contributes to a sustainable ecosystem in their area while receiving additional income from Ubiq. Because the crowd is decentralized, meaning users can be found anywhere and at any time in a city, the StreetCrowd platform enables shared fleet operators to achieve unrivaled efficiency and scalability.
“The foundation of a sustainable city is digitalization. Our goal is to use A1’s smart city solutions to make cities more sustainable, efficient and livable. Ubiq, with its sustainable and profitable mobility offering, is the perfect complement to our services and a showcase example of great collaboration at A1 Start-up Campus,”
Mario Mayerthaler, Head of Innovation and A1 Start-up Campus
Another partner in Vienna
In the next twelve to 18 months, Ubiq aims to open up 15 new cities in several countries worldwide. Ubiq is currently seeking Series A funding to support the company’s ambitious plans. #
In Vienna, a partner was recently found in the form of Eloop, which aims to take shared mobility to a new level. This is expected to reduce the number of private cars in the city, contributing to Vienna’s green and sustainable innovations. Eloop’s all-electric and zero-emission vehicles can be rented for a few minutes or up to several days.
