MaaS Global and Mitsui to trial Whim in Japan

The Finnish company says both parties will collaborate with local transport service providers and conduct a ‘proof of concept’ trial in the Greater Tokyo area, prior to a planned launch later this year.

The partnership allows MaaS Global to employ what CEO Sampo Hietanen calls “our Real Estate x MaaS vision: the next evolution phase to combine living and mobility”.

Mitsui Fudosan wants to incorporate MaaS into its building projects, “enhancing comfortable living for those who live and work in its communities”.

In a statement, the Japanese firm says: “The company will endeavour to enhance collaborative relationships between its wide-ranging business areas for urban development, such as office, retail, residential, hotel and logistics, and MaaS Global’s expertise in the MaaS business.”

Last October, MaaS Global <%$Linker:2External<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary />000link-external deployedfalsehttp://www.itsinternational.com/sections/general/news/comfortdelgro-to-deploy-maas-global-app-in-singapore/falsefalse%> its Whim app in Singapore, allowing users to have access to Comfortdelgro’s fleet of taxis.

The company plans more launches in cities across Europe, the US and Asia in 2019.