SoMo, for Social Mobility, is a carpooling service launched earlier this week at CES by HERE Technologies.
With Uber’s near-monopoly on ride-hailing services, one can understand companies trying to get their share of the pie. This market is starting to be more and more oversaturated if it is not already.
The problem with all that? We are at the mercy of all these companies. If they increase their rates, we must follow since we have no other solution. That’s what SoMo wants to change.
With the mission to improve the way get around, HERE Technologies created the SoMo app. In their words, “SoMo merges mobility with sociability in a way that is simple, hassle free and good for the planet.”
SoMo allows you to plan, share and ride with your friends, family, or even the parents of other children. Basically, the application aims to match you with people you know to carpool.
Interviewed by Bloomberg, the Head of HERE Mobility, Liad Itzhak, said: “HERE is betting that tying together people who know each other or have similar interests will help SoMo overcome those concerns ” Which concerns? Most people’s fear of riding with total strangers.
The application works as follows. You create a “social circle”. Afterwards, you can share with your circle of contacts the car trips you plan to make as well as the specific destination.
The scope of the application is endless whether it’s to carpool to work, to go to a show or even pick up the teammates of your kids on the way to their next hockey practice.
Available in only 15 cities for now, the company mentions that SoMo will be launched in 10 new cities every month.
