OREANDA-NEWS. lastminute.com group, a European leader in the online travel and leisure industry, today announced a partnership with Telepass (Atlantia Group), a European leader in the payment systems industry, to bolster the growth of URBANnext SA, a leader in urban mobility services.

URBANnext SA, co-founded by lastminute.com, Emiliano Saurin and Serena Schmidt in November 2015, develops and distributes cutting edge technology solutions for the Urban Mobility market. The company launched URBI, a free mobile app available for iOS and Android, which provides a “one stop shop” place for Urban Mobility, enabling users to search, subscribe, book and pay for different mobility services such as car, scooter and bicycle sharing as well as public transport, taxis and other services.

Under the terms of the agreement, lastminute.com group, Saurin and Schmidt will sell a majority stake of URBANnext SA to Telepass. Saurin and Schmidt will stay on as managers and shareholders whilst lastminute.com group will continue to support the business in its capacity as a minority shareholder and commercial partner.

Fabio Cannavale, CEO of lastminute.com, commented: “We are excited to announce the partnership with Telepass. We believe it will move the business to a next level and trigger a new phase of development. Telepass brings industrial capabilities which are key to enhance technology and finalize the offer of URBANnext SA”.

lastminute.com group, active in the venture space, invests in technology companies that can contribute to accelerate the pace of innovation in travel or travel related sectors and are aligned with its vision.

About lastminute.com group

lastminute.com is among the worldwide leaders in the online travel industry and operates a portfolio of well-known brands such as lastminute.com, Bravofly, Rumbo, Volagratis and Jetcost. Every month, the Group reaches across its websites and mobile apps (in 17 languages and 40 countries) 43 million users that search for and book their travel and leisure experiences.