Uber just won a legal battle to continue operating in London for the next 18 months and seeking to grow its European footprint.
According to Bloomberg, the company considering snapping up Free Now, the joint ride-hailing business owned by Daimler and BMW.
The coronavirus pandemic thwarted Free Now’s momentum with investors. To date, about $ 100 million has been invested in Free Now, according to Crunchbase.
Daimler told Forbes via email: "We do not comment on market speculation", while BMW and Uber have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Although Uber has withdrawn from some of its global stakes in major travel apps in Asia, Russia and Europe in recent years, the idea of buying Free Now presents an opportunity for the company to further increase its European presence. , since London represents its largest market on the continent.
Free Now formerly operated as MyTaxi and now owns a series of ride-hailing firms across Europe including Beat, headquartered in Greece, Kapten and Clever Taxi. Altogether, the firms operate across 130 cities across the world.
Any such deal with Uber could also be a boost for Daimler and BMW, which are in the midst of a restructuring due to the effects of the pandemic. The joint Free Now venture is part of the firms’ bigger Your Now venture, which holds five separate mobility ventures under its umbrella and appears to be a bid for the car making giants to move beyond construction, which is in decline, to enter a more competitive ride-hailing market.
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