Karhoo announces partnership with Spanish rail operator Renfe

Taxi and private hire firm to provide first and last mile transport

Taxi and private hire firm Karhoo will provide first and last mile transport for Spanish rail giant Renfe’s new one-stop shop transport app.

The app, which is due to launch in November, will integrate the 3,000 Karhoo suppliers into the ‘Renfe as a Service’ (RaaS) mobile channel.

This will enable Renfe clients to organise their journey from start to finish, aggregating any transfers through a single payment, all within the application.

The RaaS app is currently being piloted for journeys between Madrid and Barcelona and will be fully rolled out across Spain in 2020, integrating train, subway, taxi, PHV and scooters, among other means of transport.

Renfe transported 507 million passengers during 2018 making it the highest volume operator in Spain.

The Raas app will provide users with live waiting times, journey modifications alerts, and additional services during the trip.

Karhoo aggregates 1.8 million vehicles on its platform across 150 countries. They have been expanding rapidly in Spain with 180 fleets signed up across the country’s cities and towns.

Last month, Karhoo partnered with Iomob, a software provider for Mobility as a Service (MaaS), to offer these vehicles as part of its projects throughout Europe.

Earlier this year, Karhoo also partnered with major Spanish corporate mobility provider Taksee to extend the latter’s e-hailing and booking capabilities across Europe.

Karhoo Co-chief executive Nicolas Andine said: “Mobility as a Service is going to transform how we travel all around the world in the years to come.

“People are increasingly looking for quicker, cheaper, more sustainable and more convenient ways to get from A to B, and the first and last mile of a journey can often be the most stressful.

“Through this innovative partnership with Renfe we will enable Spanish travellers to seamlessly plan their travel from the moment they step foot outside their front door until the moment they reach their final destination.”