Mitsui Fudosan Concluded a Collaborative Agreement with
the World’s First True Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) Platform “Whim”
Towards the Practical Use of MaaS in Neighborhood Creation

April 24, 2019
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

Tokyo, Japan, April 24, 2019 – Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, announced today that it has concluded a collaborative agreement with MaaS Global Ltd. (hereafter “MG”), developers of the Whim platform, towards the practical use of MaaS in neighborhood creation. Mitsui Fudosan has also invested in MG in accordance with the agreement. Going forward, the two companies will work together with transportation operators and other partners to conduct verification testing in the Tokyo metropolitan area in 2019, along with accelerating future initiatives for MaaS services.

Mitsui Fudosan positions “Innovate business models by harnessing real estate tech” as an important measure under its long-term vision, VISION 2025. Along with utilizing the knowledge that MG has developed globally in the MaaS business and strengthening its connection to a broad range of business fields that fall under the scope of the Company’s neighborhood creation such as buildings, retail, residences, hotels, and logistics, Mitsui Fudosan will undertake initiatives towards the practical use of MaaS from a perspective of neighborhood creation that is not simply limited to commuting experiences, to create a comfortable lifestyle for people living and working in the area.

Reason for Investment

MG is expanding the area of its services towards the practical use of MaaS alongside partner companies not only in its hometown of Helsinki, but also in Belgium, the UK, and Singapore as the world’s most advanced MaaS company. Mitsui Fudosan has decided to invest in MG in pursuit of practical use of the service in Japan by utilizing the expertise MG gained from around the world.

Comment from MaaS Global Ltd.

“At MG, we work with the intent of evolving mobility through the practical use of MaaS in society. We are undertaking lots of different trials, one of which is pursued under the theme of ‘real estate × MaaS.’
Mitsui Fudosan has assets in many business categories, which is rare in global terms. Along with its uncommon characteristic as a company that develops businesses overlapping each phase of real estate development, it has an extensive record regarding neighborhood creation in Japan.
For this reason, we believe Mitsui Fudosan will be a great partner that can explore possibilities in the various phases of social implementation of MaaS in urban areas.”

About Whim

Whim is an integrated MaaS smartphone app offered by MG. It has been featured as one of the first examples of the practical use of MaaS in metropolitan transportation, launching in cities such as Helsinki in Finland, Birmingham in the UK, and Antwerp in Belgium, with plans to launch service in Singapore in the near future.
In addition to offering an optimal travel experience with an array of transportation methods, the app combines transportation methods aside from public transportation, such as taxis, rental cars, car-sharing, and bike-sharing. The app’s paid service also introduces the world’s first fixed-price subscription model to encompass different methods of transportation.