EUROPCAR Group has expanded its foothold in the car sharing market by acquiring GuidaMi through its Ubeeqo subsidiary.

GuidaMi is a station-based car sharing reference company in Milan. With more than 150 cars already available in Milan’s streets with dedicated car park spaces, it is one of the established car sharing players in the city.

The purchase gives Ubeeqo, the innovative mobility start-up in which Europcar owns a majority share, access to a sixth market. Ubeeqo already operates in France, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain.

Benoît Chatelier, Ubeeqo’s co-founder, commented on the acquisiton: “Milan is one of Europe’s most dynamic cities in the field of mobility solutions providing an alternative to private cars.

“The acquisition positions Ubeeqo to provide businesses and individuals with a ground-breaking alternative to car ownership and encouraging those who still own cars to sell them.”

Ubeeqo’s mobility app will also be available for Milan-based users of GuidaMi. The platform allows users to both book and pay for solutions like car sharing, car rental and taxi/chauffeur services.

Fabrizio Ruggiero, Europcar Group deputy CEO sales, marketing, customers & InterRent, added: “Just a few months after the acquisition of Bluemove in Spain, the Europcar Group is once again, through Ubeeqo, expanding across the car sharing market and is making a lively entry into yet another European country where our group can capitalise on a solid position.

“This new acquisition marks a key step in our drive to become a global mobility solutions leader.”