*This is a machine-translated text of the original article.

Toyota Tsusho Corporation announced that it had invested in and entered into a business alliance with WhereIsMyTransport Ltd (“WIMT”) in a Series A funding round to promote the development of mobility services and MaaS businesses in emerging countries.

WIMT is a U.K. startup company that operates public transportation data platforms in 39 emerging cities based in Cape Town, South Africa.

In emerging countries in Africa, public transportation is underdeveloped, and many people live while relying on “supplementary public transportation” such as minibuses operated by private businesses called paratransit.

It is said that such informal transportation was difficult to grasp the actual situation even in administrative agencies, and there were problems of lowering of travel efficiency and safety in the whole city.

Under these circumstances, WIMT has enabled it to collect and visualize traffic data (routes, fares, etc.) for all public transportation, including paratransit, through its proprietary approaches that use digital technologies, and to provide it as a public transportation data platform that accommodates the transport environments specific to emerging countries.

WIMT’s data platforms support the mobility of about 10 million users and promote improved traffic accessibility, the development of safe and efficient mobile services, and the resolution of social issues through the construction of MaaS infrastructure specialized in emerging countries (traffic integrated data and functions).

By investing in WIMT, Toyota Tsusho aims to leverage its business know-how and global networks to support the development of public transportation data platforms and accelerate its expansion into emerging countries.

Through the promotion of this project, the government aims to realize sustainable urban transportation in emerging countries through MaaS projects and contribute to solving social issues.

Original Text: https://ampmedia.jp/2020/03/09/toyotatusyo/