1001 Smart Cities
🇫🇮 Helsinki

Whim — Mobility-as-a-Service App

🤖 AI-generated summary of the sources below · 🔎 Last verified · ◆ 11 sourced claims, none individually verified yet

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

✎ Corrected 27 Aug 2026 Publication date recorded for 5 sources. What changed →

Whim, launched by MaaS Global in Helsinki in 2016/17, let subscribers pay one monthly fee covering public transit, taxis, bike-share and car rental — widely credited as the world's first commercial mobility-as-a-service app. MaaS Global discontinued Whim and filed for bankruptcy in March 2024; acquirer umob has not relaunched the service in Helsinki.

Completed 📅 2016–2024
Outcome🪦 Failed
Evidence🏛️ Official
what does this mean?The strongest source is the operator's or the city's own reporting — an official report, dataset or press release. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byMaaS Global
Scale🏙️ City-wide

📊 Impact

A white paper Ramboll produced at MaaS Global's invitation, on the operator's own 2018 data from a service with over 70,000 registered users, found Whim users making 73% of trips by public transport against about 48% for Helsinki residents of similar demographics, and combining a taxi with a public transport trip three times as often as the typical resident. Ramboll states the limits itself: first-year data, high user growth, a sample skewed to early adopters.

🎓 Lesson

The product performed and the business did not. By 2022 MaaS Global was losing 9.3 million euros against 3.8 million of turnover, and its headcount had fallen from a peak of 120 to 38; about 10,000 people were using Whim monthly in Helsinki when it folded. And the evidence that it changed how people travel is a white paper on the operator's own first year, whose authors say the questions people actually ask about MaaS are not answerable from it.

🚲 MobilityShared mobilitySmart ticketingPublic transport

Sources

↗ Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)Published March 2019The study behind every travel-behaviour figure quoted for Whim. Ramboll states in it that MaaS Global invited the work and supplied the data, and sets out the limitations of a first-year data set.
↗ CCAM-TAC (independent)Published 21 March 2024The company's finances at the end: losses against turnover, headcount, and monthly active users in Helsinki.
↗ Sifted (independent press)Published 14 March 2024Independent reporting of 14 March 2024 under the headline 'Mobility startup MaaS Global files for bankruptcy'.
↗ umob (acquirer, operator)Published 18 April 2024The acquirer's own announcement of 18 April 2024 that it had bought MaaS Global, the Finnish creator of Whim.
↗ EU-Startups (independent press)Published June 2025What the acquirer went on to do, for the question of whether Whim came back in Helsinki.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: 2016–2024. 5 of 5 sources carry a publication date, from March 2019 to June 2025.

When the sources were published

  1. Kollektivtrafikkforeningen · industry associationRamboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)
  2. Sifted · pressSifted (independent press)
  3. Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center (CCAM-TAC) · ngoCCAM-TAC (independent)
  4. umob · operatorumob (acquirer, operator)
  5. EU-Startups · pressEU-Startups (independent press)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Entered the record
  2. Sources last read
  3. Publication date recorded for 5 sources

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 11 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence Passport · public beta 11 addressable claims, 5 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The passport is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 11

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-3ac6ce231ea1a879 quantitative
Whim, launched by MaaS Global in Helsinki in 2016/17, let subscribers pay one monthly fee covering public transit, taxis, bike-share and car rental
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Ramboll: 'Maas Global soft-launched its MaaS application "Whim" in Helsinki, Finland in late 2016, followed by a full commercial launch in November 2017' and 'the user is able to combine, plan, and pay for public transport, taxi, car rental, car sharing and city bike trips.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)
Claim 2 clm-644adc1098ef2c01 quantitative
MaaS Global discontinued Whim and filed for bankruptcy in March 2024
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
CCAM-TAC's report of 21 March 2024 covers MaaS Global declaring bankruptcy and the end of the Whim app.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CCAM-TAC (independent)
Claim 3 clm-40cf24407e352b6f descriptive
acquirer umob has not relaunched the service in Helsinki
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The acquirer's own announcement describes buying MaaS Global out of bankruptcy and folding the capability into its own app; the later funding coverage describes umob's own platform, with no Helsinki relaunch of Whim.
Caveat
An absence rather than a statement: no source read for this entry reports a Helsinki relaunch, and none reports that there will not be one.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. umob (acquirer, operator)
  2. EU-Startups (independent press)
Claim 4 clm-9c8cc6cc63e5af3c quantitative
A white paper Ramboll produced at MaaS Global's invitation, on the operator's own 2018 data
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Ramboll states it plainly: 'MaaS Global has invited Ramboll to study the 2018 Whim Data Set and share our findings in this white paper.'
Caveat
The atlas previously described this as an independent evaluation. It is not: the operator commissioned it and supplied the data.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)
Claim 5 clm-0d3e82c3c9935ad5 quantitative
a service with over 70,000 registered users
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Ramboll: 'In late 2018, the service had over 70 000 registered users.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)
Claim 6 clm-15625d161bba714e quantitative
Whim users making 73% of trips by public transport against about 48% for Helsinki residents of similar demographics
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Verbatim: 'Approximately 48% of all trips by Helsinki residents with similar demographics are made by public transportation. Whim users ride public transportation significantly more, at 73% of all trips.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)
Claim 7 clm-47b202b66ff0906e descriptive
combining a taxi with a public transport trip three times as often as the typical resident
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Verbatim: 'Typically in Helsinki, 3% of all taxi trips are made in combination with public transportation trips. With Whim, 9% of all taxi trips are made either 20 minutes before or within 30 minutes after a public transportation trip', summarised by Ramboll as 'Whim users combine taxis 3x more often with public transport compared to the typical Helsinki resident'.
Caveat
The atlas previously carried a 42% bike-share combination figure for this study. It appears nowhere in the report and has been removed.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)
Claim 8 clm-4f7a4322bfc9f657 descriptive
Ramboll states the limits itself: first-year data, high user growth, a sample skewed to early adopters
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Verbatim: 'there are however a host of limitations to the available data set which restricts the framework of our analysis. Foremost among these is that the data reflect the first year of operations of the MaaS service. This means that the data are characterized by both a high growth-rate in users and being highly skewed towards early adopters.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)
Claim 9 clm-4f62b9da4efe6cf8 quantitative
By 2022 MaaS Global was losing 9.3 million euros against 3.8 million of turnover, and its headcount had fallen from a peak of 120 to 38
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Verbatim: 'In 2022 these were reported to be EUR9.3m against a turnover of EUR3.8m. At the time the company employed 38 individuals, though this was much reduced from its workforce peak of 120 at the start of 2020.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CCAM-TAC (independent)
Claim 10 clm-0d2dac910166ef79 quantitative
about 10,000 people were using Whim monthly in Helsinki when it folded
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Verbatim: 'despite amassing approximately 10,000 active monthly users in Helsinki, MaaS Global has struggled with financial losses for some time.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CCAM-TAC (independent)
Claim 11 clm-3797deb14ce33ddc descriptive
whose authors say the questions people actually ask about MaaS are not answerable from it
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Ramboll lists the standing concerns - 'Will MaaS lead to a car-dependent city? Does MaaS steal ridership from public transport? Is MaaS only attractive to a niche group of urbanites?' - and adds 'none of which are identifiable in the first year of real-world MaaS user data.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-08-27-correction-run effective 2026-08-26 · created 2026-08-27

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:f4a3584ebe3e55004534b696af6f79f266cc969e1c4ccf17bcb8af7cf4f54ce9
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
11
of 11 claims mapped
5
source dossiers
3
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
MaaS Global
Actor types
private
Funding model
private
Funding description
Not recorded
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

5 source dossiers

Ramboll, Whimpact (white paper commissioned by MaaS Global) kollektivtrafikk.no · 7 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-23f77d0673104829
Publisher
Name not classified · kollektivtrafikk.no
Type / language
pdf · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-26
Dossier created
2026-08-27
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The study behind every travel-behaviour figure quoted for Whim. Ramboll states in it that MaaS Global invited the work and supplied the data, and sets out the limitations of a first-year data set.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
CCAM-TAC (independent) ccam-tac.org · 3 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-c728425ed6b1c40e
Publisher
Name not classified · ccam-tac.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-03-21
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-26
Dossier created
2026-08-27
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The company's finances at the end: losses against turnover, headcount, and monthly active users in Helsinki.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Sifted (independent press) sifted.eu · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-fa2004986aa5f2cb
Publisher
Name not classified · sifted.eu
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-03-14
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-26
Dossier created
2026-08-27
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Independent reporting of 14 March 2024 under the headline 'Mobility startup MaaS Global files for bankruptcy'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
umob (acquirer, operator) umob.app · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-25cdc97682aa502e
Publisher
Name not classified · umob.app
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-04-18
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-26
Dossier created
2026-08-27
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The acquirer's own announcement of 18 April 2024 that it had bought MaaS Global, the Finnish creator of Whim.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
EU-Startups (independent press) eu-startups.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-d9c3928f41995c56
Publisher
Name not classified · eu-startups.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-26
Dossier created
2026-08-27
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

What the acquirer went on to do, for the question of whether Whim came back in Helsinki.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this passport
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇦🇹 WienMobil App & Stations · Vienna Whim, a startup's subscription app, went bankrupt in 2024; Vienna's operator-run WienMobil, a year younger, is still expanding in 2026. 🇫🇮 Smart Kalasatama · Helsinki Both were Helsinki pilots that wound down: Kalasatama's agile-piloting programme graduated on schedule in 2021; Whim went bankrupt in 2024. 🇫🇷 Autolib' Electric Car-Sharing · Paris Smart-mobility schemes that failed on economics: Whim went bankrupt in 2024; Paris's Autolib' shut in 2018 on a €293M deficit.

Explore the wider context

🪦 Why smart cities fail🛴 Shared mobility guide🏙️ Helsinki city profile🚲 Mobility projects📖 Track record📖 Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)📖 Bus rapid transit (BRT)
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “Whim — Mobility-as-a-Service App” — Helsinki, Finland. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/helsinki-whim-maas/ (last verified 2026-08-26). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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