THE CULTURE NEWS strongly recommends you share and write about this new application full of features and very convenient to use. It is starting with high success in France and will soon come to the U.S.
Following the Uberpop ban in France, a legal mobile application for cab and carsharing provides an alternative for travelers leaving an airport (or a train station) heading towards the same destination … as well as for taxi drivers looking for new customers. Hugo is an innovative idea that benefits everybody, allowing them to save money and make new friends.
The concept: How will I get back home from the airport or the train station? How much will I have to pay for my cab fare? How can I save money without using public transport?… So many questions which usually cross our mind when we are coming back from holidays. Each year, 4 billion passengers pass through airports and train stations in Europe. Among them, many are heading in the same direction at the same time without knowing it. This said, and in a context where the collaborative economy is booming (Uber, BlaBlaCar), two friends came up with the concept of Hugo: a mobile application allowing to find instantly through geolocalisation other people leaving airports and train stations at the same time and heading to the same neighborhood.
Hugo stands out from its competitors thanks to its social DNA: Matching only occurs between members who mutually like each other, Facebook friends in common are indicated (cf Tinder), and users can give ratings on other members or share their experience through a selfie. Hugo is a secure and friendly service, allowing you to share a cab with neighbors you will likely meet again. In other words, Hugo is as convenient as it is fun as dividing a cab fare by two (or more) remains the best way to save money. Illustration: A trip to Roissy-CDG à Paris will cost only 32€ (vs. 64€ without Hugo) and would allow us to save 5kg of CO2.
A threat to traditional taxi drivers? Not. Unlike UBERPOP, the low-cost service of Uber which was recently banned in France, Hugo offers a real service of cab and carsharing, connecting people heading in the same direction. They will then be able to share their car, taxis, or private drivers (like Uber), providing them with additional customers.
More savings for clients; more clients for taxis, This is where Hugo differentiates from its competitors, creating a win-win situation for all players. More than 90% of travelers at Roissy-CDG interviewed in November 2013 and not using a taxi or a private driver admitted they would be keen to do so if they could halve the cost.
Hugo's key functionalities:
Restricted to Facebook users
Only users who MATCH can talk to each other (cf Tinder)
Each discussion costs 1 credit (0,3 to 0,6 euro), ridiculously low vs. savings made on the cab fare
Possibility to filter results based on age, gender, or marital status
Possibility to launch a search 24 hours before landing
Possibility to share a cab OR a car
Can also be used by students leaving a campus (for the carsharing side)
Works everywhere around the globe
Available in English and French
Available for iPhone only. Android version under development
Key figures:
Only 20% of passengers leaving an airport use a taxi to get back home
78% of French nationals consider taxis to be too expensive
Only 1.12 passengers by taxi on average
90% of people using public transport to leave Roissy-CDG would be keen to share a taxi instead
Useful links: www.hugo-app.com https://www.facebook.com/hugocabshare
D.S