GoTo , the world’s leading multimodal mobility service provider, landed in Spain last April and seeks to become the key to urban mobility. The application offers its users access to shared mobility solutions that include cars, motorcycles, scooters and bikes. elEconomista spoke with Marie Lindström , the company’s country manager in Spain, to find out how the first months of operations have been and what its challenges are for the future.
How have these first months of operations in Spain been?
Very good, the citizens of Madrid have received us very well and we have started to increase our user base. We have a multimodal fleet, we have users of cars, motorcycles and scooters, and the truth is that thanks to the fact that there are many actors in Madrid, citizens are already users who are used to shared mobility. Therefore, when entering we have not had to teach the user how to use it.
We come with an offer a little different from the competition, multimodality, you can access everything in the same operation and that is something that the user wants. We are very happy.
What customer base does GoTo have?
We cannot give the exact numbers, but they are growing week by week in double digits.
What type of transport does the user prefer?
It depends. We see that it depends on the type of trip you are going to do. We have free floating cars , for trips within the city, we have roundtrip cars that you can take out of the city and they are used a lot now in summer to go to the beach or anywhere; and we have scooters and scooters, which are for the last mile, for shorter trips.
It depends on the time of day and the type of consumer. We have a large number of users who use various modes of transport.
What customer profile does GoTo use?
There is a bit of everything, something more male, I think derived from the fact that the motorcycle user is predominantly male. The average age is between 20 and 40 years old, we have some younger and others older, but the most typical profile is that.
What sets them apart from the competition?
We have done studies in which it is seen that the user wants easy access to all types of transport without having to download different types of applications, compare prices, etc. You download an application, GoTo, create a user and you can access the entire fleet of vehicles.
In addition, we have a multimodal price, 3 euros for the first 15 minutes, regardless of which mode of transport you choose. It is a very easy to use platform, we own the technology, a very transparent price … and that is something that the user wants.
GoTo landed in Spain through Madrid, what plans do you have in the short and medium term?
Madrid is one of the largest cities in Europe in terms of shared mobility, more than two million users, and for now we are focusing on Madrid, on growing. We believe there is a lot of ground to explore here, the whole industry is growing here.
It is a city that is betting on sustainable mobility, on electric fleets. For now, our focus is Madrid and beyond that, we will see where we are going to grow. At a global level, we are now in a growth phase in Europe and we will see where our next steps are going to be.
“The focus now is Madrid, we have a lot to explore”
So there is no short-term plan to reach other cities?
No, we are still building the plan. For now the focus is Madrid.
Do you plan to incorporate any other type of vehicle?
We have deployed a fleet of more than 1,100 vehicles and now we are looking at where the demand is, where our users are, to see where to grow. We are operating within the area there is more transport, within the M30. Our algorithm is analyzing the demand and based on that we will see if we expand the area or put more vehicles.
Do you have a target for the number of vehicles in Madrid?
No, we do not have a goal yet, rather it depends on the demand and the flow of the vehicles, where it moves in the morning and in the afternoon to ensure that we can meet the demand. We are learning every month. The plan is to grow.
On a financial level, what objective does GoTo have in Spain?
The goal is to become the leader in shared mobility in Spain in three years. Our fleet will increase in number and variety of vehicles and our users will grow. I cannot give figures.
All shared mobility companies seek to become a leader, this dispute is going to be very close.
Yes. We have done several studies and we are seeing that 70% of the citizens of Madrid are already multimodal, which means that they are already traveling with more than one mode of transport. 89% of respondents say they want an easier option to access multiple types of vehicles in one application.
We are sure that our offer will help us grow. There are many actors with only one mode of transport and the user has to change applications to take another. What GoTo offers makes life easier for the user.
I said that there are many actors, and indeed there are. Do you see the possibility of consolidation in the sector?
Possibly yes. I think we are going to see consolidations. There are many actors and the question is how many can there be. I do not rule.
What future do you see for multi-mobility in a city like the capital of Spain?
It will continue to grow. All citizens today want to become more sustainable, all large cities in Europe seek to reduce traffic to create a more livable city for the citizen and for sustainability issues. I think electric fleets are going to have a great future. We are going to see more support from city councils and governments, which favor this type of mobility. I am convinced that it will grow.