THE CULTURE NEWS strongly recommends you to 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 Uberpop ban in France, a legal mobile application of cab and carsharing provides an alternative for travellers 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 and which benefits to everybody, allowing 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 the public transports?… 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 towards the same direction at the same time without knowing it. This said, and in a context where 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 neighbourhood.
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), users can give ratings on other members or share their experience through a selfie. Hugo is a secured and friendly service, allowing you to share a cab with neighbours you will likely meet again. In other words, Hugo is as much convenient as it is fun as dividing a cab fare by two (or more) remains the best way to save money. Illustration: a trip Roissy-CDG à Paris will cost only 32€ (vs. 64€ without Hugo) and would allow to save 5kg of CO2.
A threat for traditional taxi drivers? Clearly not. Unlike UBERPOP, the low cost service of Uber who was recently banned in France, Hugo offers a real service of cab and carsharing, connecting people heading towards the same direction. They will then be able to share their own car, taxis or private drivers (like Uber), proving 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 travellers 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 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 on the basis of 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 in 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 are too expensive
Only 1.12 passenger by taxi on average
90% of people using public transports 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
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