SmartRyde operates a marketplace that provides pre-booked airport transfer services to over 700 airports worldwide. The company recently launched a "Demand Partner API" that lets OTAs and airlines access its airport transfer network to offer services during hotel and flight bookings. SmartRyde aims to build a global distribution system (GDS) for airport transfers to connect OTAs, airlines and other travel providers and to modernize inventory and vehicle allocation in the taxi and limousine industry. With the new API and its GDS ambitions, the company plans to expand partnerships with large OTA networks to increase inbound tourism to Japan. SmartRyde also intends to support domestic taxi operators by improving profitability and enabling cost reduction through streamlined operations. The company is headquartered in Tokyo. SmartRyde is a Japanese online pre-booked airport transfers service platform and marketplace that connects travelers to local transportation operators and online travel agencies. The company was founded in 2017 by co-founder and CEO Sota Kimura after he experienced difficulty getting a taxi from an airport. SmartRyde operates airport transfer services in 150 countries across 700 airports, and has collaborated with roughly 650 taxi companies and more than 25 OTAs including Booking.com, Expedia, Trip.com, Traveloka and Despegar. Unlike ride-hailing companies, SmartRyde offers a one-stop travel service that includes sightseeing and booking airline tickets and hotels, and it plans to continue promoting partnerships with OTAs, travel agencies and mobility companies. The company plans further expansion in major cities and tourist destinations such as Mexico, Spain, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, the U.S. (Honolulu, Las Vegas, Miami) and Japan. SmartRyde saw a significant decrease in reservations after March 2020 due to COVID-19, but bookings have been increasing since December 2020, particularly from U.S. tourists; its market was described as about $10 billion, with peers including Talixo, Holiday Taxis, Transferz's Taxi2Airport and Huangbaoche.

Total raised

$5M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Apr 2023