The German ridesharing market is heating up. Moovel, a subsidiary of Daimler AG and parent company of car2go, has acquired U.S.-based RideScout and mytaxi owner Intelligent Apps.
"With the acquisition of myTaxi and Ride Scout we invest in the development of urban mobility in Germany, North America, and other parts of the world," the moovel team wrote in a blog post. "Together we want to simplify mobility radically."
The process is two-pronged: the North American division of car2go bought Austin's RideScout, while the German-based moovel is taking responsibility for mytaxi—all under the Daimler brand.
"We are investing further in the development and growth of urban mobility in North America, Germany and other parts of the world," moovel CEO Robert Henrich said in a statement. "Our mutual objectives are the expansion of our leadership role in the international market and to continue our pioneering efforts to radically simplify the future of mobility."
RideScout, founded in 2011 by Joseph Kopser and Craig Cummings, is available in 69 cities with more than 300 mobility providers, from taxis to bike services and buses to friendly neighborhood ridesharing.
Following the acquisition, the app will continue to operate separately from its Texas headquarters, under the management of Kopser and Cummings.
"Robert Henrich and I share a vision for a better future in mobility for all—one where people travel from place to place seamlessly, rethinking the definition of car ownership," Kopser said. "Our partnership enables us to build a better product for our users and our customers, helping people make better transportation decisions in an emerging transportation marketplace and improving quality of life for all."
Moovel, meanwhile, intends to use its new partnership with Intelligent Apps to accelerate the international expansion of its taxi-booking app.
"With moovel behind us, we are now an enormous step closer to [realizing] our vision of becoming the biggest and best taxi app—not only in Europe, but around the world," CEO Niclaus Mewes said.
The news, however, comes as a Frankfurt court ruled this week that car service Uber lacks the necessary legal permits to operate in Germany. Despite the nationwide ban, the firm plans to continue operations in the country, telling BBC News that the restrictions are not enforceable during the appeal process.