Daimler Buys Two Smartphone Apps

Daimler AG's Moovel GmbH unit has acquired two smartphone apps that help users arrange transportation.

The company bought Intelligent Apps GmbH, whose Mytaxi app is used in Europe to hail a taxi, track its progress and pay for the ride via a smartphone. It also acquired RideScout, an Austin, Tex.-based app that helps users compare ground transportation options.

Mindful of the controversy around the ride-sharing service offered by Uber Technologies Inc., Moovel emphasizes that its apps complement rather than challenge the established taxi industry.

The Daimler unit also operates car2go, a car-sharing scheme with more than 850,000 customers worldwide, and Park2gether, a system that helps drivers find empty parking spaces.