Skip to main content

Here Mobility opens up the ridesharing market with SoMo at CES 2019

If you’re looking to get a lift into the city or elsewhere, pinging an Uber or Lyft is probably your most likely course of action. But hang on before tapping that app, as there’s another option in town. Here Mobility has taken to CES 2019 to launch SoMo — short for “social mobility” — a ridesharing, all-in-one travel app that brings all your options together.

The crux of the SoMo app revolves around user-created “Gatherings” — essentially just events, they can be set as public or private, depending on the event in question. For instance, if you were heading to a popular beach spot on a sunny day, you might create a public Gathering for that location. Anyone else heading to that location will be able to see your Gathering, and will be able to send a ride request if they’re near your planned route. You’ll then be able to accept or deny your new passenger. If accepted, SoMo’s navigation will automatically change your route to pick them up. Private events work similarly, but you’ll have to invite people for them to be able to see it.

More CES 2019 coverage

Here Mobility posits that this system could also be used to plan daily work commutes, and allow workmates to pitch in and car pool effortlessly — because this app is essentially just the next generation of car pooling. By leveraging the power of social media, SoMo has made it easy to organize trips with your friends and share rides — saving and limiting the impact of fuels.

“SoMo taps into the power of social networks to reimagine the future of transportation,” says Liad Itzhak, senior vice president of Here Mobility. “Increasing the average car occupancy will make traffic jams disappear and will have an enormous impact on our planet, reducing pollution and making it much greener.”

It’s not all about this “social driving” though, and if you’re not feeling particularly social, SoMo can book a taxi to an event, too. After finding a Gathering on SoMo — or creating one yourself — SoMo will display available taxi services, along with an estimate of how long it will take to get to the destination and how much it will cost. Then it’s just a case of waiting for the taxi service to accept your ride request.

If this app has piqued your interest, you can check it out right now. It’s available on both iOS and Android, and Here Mobility is showing the app off at CES 2019. While Uber and Lyft have a stranglehold on ridesharing app services, at least for the time being, it’s possible SoMo will find its niche with car pooling and organizing for community events.

Editors' Recommendations

Mark Jansen
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
I review phones for a living — here are the 10 apps I can’t live without
iPhone 14 Pro with custom home screen on Mickey Mouse phone holder next to flowers

For most of my life, I think I’ve had a pretty unique career path among my family and friends. Ever since I got the original iPhone, I’ve turned my love for writing into writing about technology, specifically mobile phones. Though I’ve pretty much been iPhone-only for most of my career, since I started at Digital Trends, I’ve been opening up to the world of Android.

Now that I’m checking out both iPhone and Android phones, the world of apps for me has expanded quite a bit. But regardless of what device I’m using, there are some apps that I need before anything else. Here are the first apps that I install when I get a new phone.
1Password (iOS and Android)

Read more
5 things the iPhone has to change in 2023 before I ditch Android
iPhone 14 Pro with a black always-on screen.

The iPhone’s operating system is many things, but perfect is not one of them. It’s been two years since I shifted to using an iPhone as my primary device, but I still use an Android as my secondary smartphone. And if I weren’t invested in the Apple ecosystem, I would have ditched my iPhone a long time ago.

I have been hoping desperately for iOS to get better at some things Android has been doing for years. For instance, I love scrolling through Twitter while watching a music video on YouTube. I can do this simultaneously on an Android thanks to multiwindow support, but iOS only offers picture-in-picture at best.

Read more
CES 2023: BMW is going all-in on Android Auto Open Source – here’s why
A concept car at the BMW CES 2023 Keynote.

At CES 2023, BMW announced that its OS 9 platform, slated for release in 2023, will be the company’s first with an infotainment system entirely on the Android Auto Open Source (AAOS) platform. With the update, BMW will adopt a more map-centric approach and weave more third-party apps into its operating system.

BMW has been using Linux for the underpinnings of its iDrive interface, which gave the company complete control of its entire software stack. However, the move to AAOS represents a technological shift and an interface update for BMW. Like Android proper, AAOS encourages developers to create “skinned” versions of Android Auto for their vehicles.

Read more