Amadeus invests in start-up Eccocar to digitise urban multi-modal mobility

The Spanish firm will help the GDS to evolve its content beyond car rental and new forms of micro-transportation are offered in urban areas

Amadeus has become an investor in Spanish start-up Eccocar which is developing technology to digitise multi-modal mobility.

The European GDS and travel tech giant says the travel sector must respond to the emergence of new modes of transport including pooled trips, car sharing and electric scooters.

It says it will work with Eccocar to “tackle disruption coming from changes in shared mobility and the ongoing digitalisation of car rental” by providing multi-modality through smartphones and mobile applications. 

Eccocar offers solutions for micro-mobility and car sharing. Other investors include Ninepointfive, a European venture capital fund partnering with corporations to invest in technology start-ups.

Iván Luarca Gayo, co-founder and chief executive said: “Partnering with Amadeus is a major strategic opportunity for Eccocar, leveraging our industry-leading technology with a global leader in the travel space. 

“We will jointly offer our innovative solutions to customers, and, with Amadeus’ support, our international expansion can now be accelerated, especially in the car rental sector.”

The partnership will allow Amadeus to offer additional mobility content beyond car rental and pre-arranged transfers to customers across its global platforms. 

The firm said in the long term, Eccocar will allow experimentation to enable more seamless travel options. 

Peter Altmann, vice president mobility and travel protection at Amadeus, said: “The strength of the Amadeus Mobility Platform has us well positioned to continue to innovate and create more experiences for travel seller customers and mobility content providers. 

“Now, Eccocar presents an exciting vehicle for further experimentation, and will help us evolve our offering as new forms of mobility arrive in urban areas.”

Suzanna Chiu, head of Amadeus Ventures, added: “Our industry is currently undergoing major changes, with shared mobility and autonomous vehicles bringing opportunity to the market. 

“To meet these changes, collaboration is a great way to ensure our solutions match the growing expectations of the traveller. By leveraging synergies between both organisations, Amadeus will build a seamless end-to-end car rental and urban mobility experience for travellers.”