FREE NOW uses Google Maps Platform to save drivers and passengers time
About FREE NOW
FREE NOW is the multi-service mobility joint venture backed by BMW Group and Daimler AG. Next to ride hailing, FREE NOW also offers micro-mobility services and car sharing. These different services currently attract 45 million users in 17 markets and more than 150 cities. FREE NOW is therefore the biggest multi-service mobility provider in Europe and the fastest-growing ride-hailer in Latin America. FREE NOW works with various third party providers to offer their customers an even wider range of options to get from A to B.
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Contact usFREE NOW improves the accuracy of their estimated arrival time with the Google Maps Platform On-demand Rides and Deliveries solution
Results:
- More accurate driver locations including roadside position
- Integrated, always-on navigation optimizes routes for current traffic conditions and the average ride time is now 4% shorter
- Drivers are no longer distracted by switching between apps so passengers are likely to feel safer during the ride
Arrival time accuracy increased by 23% on average, and as much as 48% in some cities
Niclaus Mewes and Sven Külper originally launched mytaxi — now FREE NOW— in 2009 with the goal of redefining the international taxi booking system. The app directly connects riders with drivers, independent from any central dispatch office. The company has since expanded to 1.200 employees in 35 offices across Europe and Latin America, offering the service in more than 150 cities. Since summer 2020, FREE NOW users can also book e-scooters, e-bikes and car sharing services via the app.
The original app used GPS to support the navigation system, but from their own research and driver feedback, FREE NOW learned this approach wasn’t as accurate as it could be, resulting in slower service. The app would often have inaccurate driver locations — the driver might be facing the wrong way or on the wrong side of the street — which was frustrating for both the driver and the passenger.
“Let's imagine you're a passenger and a taxi company would tell you, ‘Oh yeah your car is there in five minutes.’ And then it takes 8, 9, 10 minutes,” says James Brooke, CPO at FREE NOW. “After those 5 minutes you’re looking at the watch and you could still see the driver on the map, but you naturally start to question accuracy and lose faith in the app. If you tell him something will arrive at a certain time, it should arrive at that exact time or at that time that you promise. And we felt that we could definitely improve on that.”
“Before we integrated Google Maps Platform On-demand Rides and Deliveries solution, our drivers opened other apps such as Google Maps or Waze to navigate to the destination. Our drivers lost sight of the FREE NOW app while navigating to their destination. With Google Maps navigation embedded into our app through the Google Maps Platform ridesharing solution, we keep our drivers engaged and improve driver and passenger experience through more accurate locations and ETAs.”
—James Brooke , Chief Product Officer at FREE NOWFREE NOW found it was underestimating arrival times by as much as 64%. They also found drivers would switch out of the app to use Google Maps or Waze to navigate, not only slowing them down, but starving the app of valuable travel data.
The FREE NOW team reached out to the Google Maps Platform team to better understand how to improve the driver and passenger experience by providing more accurate driver locations and arrival times, and to use integrated navigation to optimize routes and get passengers to their destinations more quickly.
Partnering for improved navigation
The FREE NOW app determines a user’s location and transmits it to the nearest available taxi driver. It informs users which taxi and driver will be picking them up, and exactly how much a designated trip should cost.
Working closely with the Google Maps engineering team, the FREE NOW product team used Google Maps Platform Driver/Nav SDK to integrate Google Maps directly into their apps customized navigation screen. Instead of having to switch back and forth between apps, their drivers could efficiently control their queue and see passenger info all in one place, making it easier to manage rides.
“With the accuracy of the Driver/Nav SDK, we moved away from obfuscating the offer,” explains James, “to always being transparent to the driver.” Drivers can still use Google Maps for turn-by-turn navigation, but without having to leave the FREE NOW app. This now only is safer, because drivers are less distracted, but because Google Maps reroutes based on real-time traffic, they complete trips faster and get more rides in.
“Reliability is the basis of our company, and with the Google Maps Platform On-demand Rides and Deliveries solution we’ve improved reliability for both customers and our drivers — the ETA is much closer to the ATA. We get more passengers to where they want to go quickly and safely, and our drivers have a better experience because they pick up passengers on time and get them to their destinations faster.”
—James Brooke , Chief Product Officer at FREE NOW“Integrated navigation helps us provide optimized routes to our drivers based on real time traffic,” says James. “Even the most seasoned drivers, who may not have used a navigation app before, benefit from the fully integrated, always-on navigation with routes optimized for current traffic conditions. Thanks to a higher usage of navigation, more accurate positioning and bearing provided from the Google Maps Platform On-demand Rides and Deliveries solution, our ETA accuracy increased an average of 23 percent — as high as 48 percent in some cities. We also saw our average ride duration drop by 4 percent. Having the shortest direct duration is much better for the passenger. ”
Making the ETA the ATA
Going forward, FREE NOW plans to put the increased data to use to gain a better understanding of driver patterns in each city. “In Europe every city has local differences,” says James. “London drivers have a different approach than drivers on the roads than Paris. We can now learn much more from our drivers than we could before, and provide them with an app to match the local needs.”
"Thanks to a higher usage of navigation, more accurate positioning and bearing provided from the Google Maps Platform On-demand Rides and Deliveries solution, our ETA accuracy increased an average of 23 percent — as high as 48 percent in some cities. We also saw our average ride duration drop by 4 percent. Having the shortest direct duration is much better for the passenger. ”
—James Brooke , Chief Product Officer at FREE NOWThe FREE NOW team plans to continue working closely with the Google Maps Platform engineering team to improve their app, and make the most of the Google Maps Platform On-demand Rides and Deliveries solution. “Reliability is the basis of our company, and with the Google Maps Platform ridesharing solution we’ve improved reliability for both customers and our drivers — the ETA is much closer to the ATA. We get more passengers to where they want to go quickly and safely, and our drivers have a better experience because they pick up passengers on time and get them to their destinations faster.”
Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.
Contact us
About FREE NOW
FREE NOW is the multi-service mobility joint venture backed by BMW Group and Daimler AG. Next to ride hailing, FREE NOW also offers micro-mobility services and car sharing. These different services currently attract 45 million users in 17 markets and more than 150 cities. FREE NOW is therefore the biggest multi-service mobility provider in Europe and the fastest-growing ride-hailer in Latin America. FREE NOW works with various third party providers to offer their customers an even wider range of options to get from A to B.