Daimler OEM Invests in Bus Ride-sharing Startup

Rally to use funding for expansion

Have you ever been in a group too large to call an Uber? Or maybe you just wished your bus would take you directly to an event? Well, it turns out there’s an app for that. Rally, a bus ride-sharing app, has been called “Uber for buses,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

The app connects people in the United States. and Canada traveling to the same destination or event with “crowdpowered” buses. According to a press release from the startup announcing the funding round, Rally networks together “fragmented and underutilized” existing bus operators to charter luxury motorcoaches for ride-sharing.

“Rally brings new customers to the industry which primarily services churches, schools and corporations,” according to the release.

Recently, the startup announced a “$5 million Series Seed funding round” to expand its business across the U.S. The biggest investor in this round is Daimler Buses, the famous German manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz, Setra and BharatBenz buses. Daimler sells luxury buses in the U.S. through REV coach, a subsidiary of REV Group.

Alexander Pöschl, the head of strategy and Daimler Buses Innovation Lab, has joined the Rally Board of Directors in the U.S. He and his team at the “Mobility Solutions” department at Daimler work together with startups like Rally towards a strategically aligned future, according to the release.

In a FAQ sheet, representatives of Rally said that the company plans to use the financing to grow its business in the U.S. by enhancing its core bus ride-share product. The startup also plans increase awareness and reach through marketing channel partnerships. This will be based on the strategy used to partner with NASCAR and the NFL — Rally is the official fan shuttle of seven NASCAR tracks and recently launched its first NFL partnership with the Buffalo Bills.