A hard-to-Greek reality bet on electric bikes that their users will be able to rent and pick up from public parking lots, Free Now will aim to achieve in the coming days. This is the evolution of Beat, the mobile phone app that, like Taxibeat, revolutionized the taxi search in 2011. A few days after the official presentation of the new form of the app, Free Now Greece CEO Aspa Topalidou, in an interview with K, says that the new app carries the Beat’s “legacy” by providing more opportunities for movement.

– Beat was founded in 2011 as Taxibeat, in 2017 it was acquired by the then Mytaxi and from 2019 it was decided that it would operate in Europe under the Free Now brand, while in Latin America it would remain Beat. We may lose a very strong and beloved brand, but there are many other benefits. These include mobility as a service, which Beat does not provide in Latin America. We are also becoming a member of the European family because Free Now users in Greece, for example, do not need to install another application on their mobile phone when they are in Europe. This feature is especially important in a tourist country such as Greece, which leads to an increase in demand for our car partners. In addition to this, we have an application that is constantly evolving, offering new innovations for the benefit of passengers and drivers. The cost of the rebranding is estimated at around 2.5 million euros.

– The Italian company Ride Movi, with which we cooperate, is a leader in Europe with operations in five countries and 16 cities. We will start with 600 bikes in Athens and Thessaloniki and the company plans to increase its fleet to 1,000 bikes in the next two months. Today the conditions are different: the Greeks have become more mature in making decisions in the field of micromobility due to the increase in traffic on the roads. It is no coincidence that many suppliers have expressed interest in starting operations in Greece. This time we believe that there are all conditions for the success of the project.

We plan to provide combined transportation options in addition to taxis and e-bikes, e-scooters and public transportation.

– Bicycle stations with a range of 35-40 km will be located at a distance of 200 to 500 meters from each other, depending on the area. They will be deployed from mid-October within the administrative boundaries of the municipality of Athens and peripheral areas up to the coastal front, Kallithea, Faliro, Moschato, Tavros and Nea Smyrni. The fee will range from 0.20 euros per minute and we will have daily, monthly, etc. Our goal is to encourage the use of bicycles.

– The decision was made in the interests of both passengers and the company. It was based on the fact that after the pandemic and in the first half of this year, the demand for taxi rides increased by 40% compared to 2019. As a result, we were unable to serve more than six out of 10 passengers. Before we introduced a premium fee that allowed us to serve 9 out of 10 app users, we received a lot of backlash on social media. Let’s not forget that tourists are now arriving in Athens all year round, which means supply is unlikely to match demand with the taxi industry shut down. Another aspect related to the degree of use of the application concerns tax evasion when taxi drivers pay VAT to the client and the platform.

– Our expansion beyond Athens and Thessaloniki, attracting other micromobility solution providers and further investment in human resources. Free Now has moved the center of the German-speaking markets to Athens and will soon be strengthened by other countries. We also plan to provide combined transportation options in addition to taxis and e-bikes, e-scooters and public transportation. The Greek market is one of the least profitable in Europe.

“This is a constantly growing industry, the size of which is constantly improving. In addition, many markets, such as Greece, are mature and show significant opportunities for user growth depending on the integration of different and more services. The industry is maturing and moving towards profitability, and today, compared to five years ago, there are far fewer players. It is no coincidence that Free Now brought together four European companies.

Taxi rating.

“Beat created an important legacy that carries over to Free Now. Users love the app for its reliability. This is also the goal of switching to Free Now, that is, finding a taxi quickly and reliably, which is achieved through our cooperation with a large and reliable taxi fleet. In addition, we have created a “comfort” fleet to meet the existing demand for transportation with more modern and “greener” vehicles. With regard to the evaluation of the service, it is also possible through written comments, but it will be carried out by both the customer and the driver. He also stands out for the quality of the car and the service provided by the driver, because it has happened that excellent drivers have been given a low rating due to the poor quality of their car.