Rocket Internet-Backed Ride-Sharing Startup Tripda Comes To The US

It’s not often that you see European startup factory Rocket Internet launch one of its companies in the U.S. More often than not, its businesses take ideas that have been successful here and then leverage its massive development and distribution network to bring them to markets where a U.S. version hasn’t yet launched.

But that’s not the case with Tripda, which is a new ride-sharing marketplace that Rocket Internet is bringing to the U.S.

Tripda was founded to connect passengers who wish to go to a certain place with drivers who are traveling in that direction. But unlike Uber or Lyft, Tripda isn’t about short rides in a particular city — it’s more about long-range trips between cities. In that way Tripda is a lot more like Europe’s BlaBlaCar or Zimride, the ride-sharing startup that eventually became Lyft.

Through its marketplace, users will be able to search for a route between New York City and Philadelphia, for instance, based on when they would like to travel. The company doesn’t specify the cost of rides — those are set by the driver — but eventually it will take a small cut of the transaction, just as Airbnb does when someone completes a stay in a host’s home.

Tripda launched earlier this year, initially going after emerging markets in Latin America and Southeast Asia. It’s currently available in 10 countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, The Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and India. But opening up operations in the U.S. was always a part of the company’s plan, according to co-CEO of North America Adi Vaxman.

That’s because the company sees a huge opportunity to serve a part of the market that Uber, Lyft, and other companies have largely left behind. Vaxman notes that the trend of car ownership going down amongst millennials is creating a largely untapped market segment for people needing to find ways to travel between cities.

Photo Credit: Ilanit Solomonovich Habot

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