FREE NOW
✓ Verified by EU AltsMulti-mobility ride-hailing app across Europe — a European alternative to Uber.
Overview
FREE NOW is a Hamburg, Germany-based European company building marketplace and mobility software since 2009. Despite its EU base, EU Alts has verified that FREE NOW owned by Lyft, Inc. (Germany (operating entity); United States (current parent)), so it may still fall under the reach of the US CLOUD Act — worth weighing against well-known US incumbents on this specific point.
Why European teams pick FREE NOW
Teams in Europe still consider FREE NOW for its marketplace product and Germany presence, operating since 2009, but unlike a fully EU-owned provider, FREE NOW owned by Lyft, Inc. (Germany (operating entity); United States (current parent)) — so it does not fully avoid US CLOUD Act exposure the way some other alternatives to well-known US incumbents do.
See more EU marketplace tools or browse other startups from Germany.
About
FREE NOW (formerly mytaxi) is a Hamburg-based mobility super-app founded in 2009, owned by a joint venture between BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Mobility. It provides ride-hailing, taxi booking, e-scooters, e-bikes, car sharing, and public transport integration across 150+ European cities. FREE NOW operates exclusively in Europe and is fully GDPR-compliant with data processing in the EU. It is the leading EU-owned alternative to Uber in European markets, particularly strong in Germany, Ireland, the UK, Spain, and Greece.
Details
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- Hamburg, Germany
- Ownership
- Owned by Lyft, Inc. (Germany (operating entity); United States (current parent))
- CLOUD Act
- Exposed
- Company size
- 200+ employees
Categories
Other EU startups like FREE NOW
- Lexio France — French software for professional vehicle rental companies: fleet planning, online booking, digital condition reports, contracts and Factur-X e-invoicing in one tool.
- Idealista Spain — Leading real estate portal in Spain, Italy and Portugal — a European alternative to Zillow.
- Wolt ✓ Verified by EU AltsFinland — Food and grocery delivery platform across Europe — a Finnish alternative to UberEats.
- BlaBlaCar ✓ Verified by EU AltsFrance — Europe's largest long-distance carpooling and coach platform — a French alternative to Greyhound.
Frequently asked questions
What is FREE NOW?
FREE NOW (formerly mytaxi) is a Hamburg-based mobility super-app founded in 2009, owned by a joint venture between BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Mobility. It provides ride-hailing, taxi booking, e-scooters, e-bikes, car sharing, and public transport integration across 150+ European cities. FREE NOW operates exclusively in Europe and is fully GDPR-compliant with data processing in the EU. It is the leading EU-owned alternative to Uber in European markets, particularly strong in Germany, Ireland, the UK, Spain, and Greece.
What does FREE NOW do?
FREE NOW is multi-mobility ride-hailing app across europe — a european alternative to uber. It is listed under marketplace and mobility on EU Alts because its core functionality serves teams looking for a European marketplace tool with EU data residency, typically as a switch away from well-known US incumbents.
Is FREE NOW a good European marketplace alternative?
FREE NOW is a fit for European businesses evaluating marketplace options where data residency and GDPR alignment matter — typical buyers include EU-based SaaS teams, public-sector projects, regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), and any organisation that needs to demonstrate that customer data does not leave the EU. It also overlaps with mobility use cases.
Is FREE NOW GDPR compliant?
FREE NOW is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany and processes user data under the GDPR by default. Customer data processing is supervised by Germany's data protection authority, the Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit (BfDI). However, EU Alts has verified that FREE NOW owned by Lyft, Inc. (Germany (operating entity); United States (current parent)), which means — unlike a fully EU-owned provider — it may still be reachable under the US CLOUD Act, similar to well-known US incumbents in that respect.
How do teams switch from well-known US incumbents to FREE NOW?
Teams evaluating a move from well-known US incumbents to FREE NOW should note: FREE NOW owned by Lyft, Inc. (Germany (operating entity); United States (current parent)), so this switch narrows but may not fully close the US CLOUD Act gap. Weigh that against the marketplace workflow fit before treating it as a complete Schrems II fix.
Where is FREE NOW based?
FREE NOW is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. The company was founded in 2009. Its main website is https://free-now.com.