How Captur’s AI-powered photo reviews lessen the burden of parking compliance for micromobility operators
July 11, 2023
min. read
Micromobility is transforming urban transportation, offering convenient, affordable, and eco-friendly alternatives to traditional modes of commuting. However, with the rising popularity of e-scooters, bikes, and other micro-vehicles, there are also growing demands from cities to ensure compliance with road regulations.
One of the biggest challenges that micromobility operators face is parking compliance.
It's a never-ending challenge to ensure that scooters are parked correctly and in designated areas without obstructing public spaces and other road users. Noncompliance can lead not only to penalties but even drastic measures such as banning micromobility solutions in certain locations for good.
The old way of keeping track of parking compliance – ineffective
In order to control compliance with parking rules, users are usually asked to upload a picture of the vehicle after each trip. These pictures are then manually reviewed to identify bad parking situations, then send the user either some educational materials or, in other cases, a warning.
The problem?
Such manual photo reviewing is extremely time-consuming and inefficient. Identifying and locating badly parked vehicles can take up to several days. By the time the wrongly parked vehicle is located, the operator may have already received a fine.
Besides, it's a missed opportunity for the operator to effectively educate their customer – if the user receives a reprimand or some educational materials several days after the incident, it may not be efficient. These messages can get ignored, as the customer has probably already forgotten the particular situation.
This is where Captur.ai comes in.
Real-time, automated photo reviews with Captur.ai
Captur.ai is an AI-powered solution for real-time image analysis to help micromobility operators ensure parking compliance. The company already works with some of the leading mobility operators across the globe.
For ATOM Mobility users, Captur.ai's solution is now available as an in-app integration. Here's how it works:
When a user takes a photo at the end of the ride, ATOM Mobility sends it to Captur.ai, which uses AI to analyze it. Within 3-5 seconds, the user receives feedback on whether the vehicle is parked correctly or not.
If the algorithm detects that the scooter is parked badly, the image is blurred, or the vehicle is not clearly visible in the photo, the option to finish the ride is disabled. The user is asked to repark and/or retake the photo.
Users are given three attempts to submit a satisfactory photo, or the fourth attempt is approved automatically. Then, the last photo is sent to the customer's dashboard, marked as either good parking, bad parking, or improvable parking. Thanks to this categorization, operators can quickly notice and identify improperly parked vehicles and take action.
“The first impression? Captur.ai works great, and it's a fantastic timesaver,” says Holger Ollema, founder of Hoog Mobility.
The key benefits of Captur.ai for micromobility operators
The benefits of Captur.ai's AI-powered photo reviews are manifold, but mainly they're about reducing operational costs, growing the business, and providing better service to customers.
Save time and reduce costs
Time is money. Thus, effective automation of manual work can significantly affect the company's bottom line.
With Captur.ai, micromobility operators no longer need to manually inspect every parked vehicle for compliance. Clients already working with Captur.ai say they've been able to automate 95% of previously outsourced manual work, saving hours of their time.
This is especially important for those just starting out. As a new business owner, you might be extra cautious when it comes to expenses. By automating parking compliance monitoring, you can keep money in the company without increasing your workload.
Launch your business in new cities with ease
Despite the fact that studies show just 1.1% of e-scooters violate parking regulations, concerns about compliant vehicle parking are one of the key reasons why cities delay or ban the entry of new micromobility solutions.
Ensuring parking compliance is something ATOM Mobility + Captur.ai takes care of from day one. This argument may alleviate concerns for municipalities when granting permits to new micromobility solutions.
In fact, operators already using Captur.ai say this solution has made it easier for them to expand their businesses to new cities and markets.
Improve user experience and brand image
Improperly parked e-scooters that block sidewalks or roads are one of the key reasons why other road users may have negative attitudes toward them. According to research, if negative attitudes towards e-scooters are formed, it may impact the person's willingness to ever try and use one. This means losing potential customers – and profits.
Captur.ai provides e-scooter users with real-time feedback and educational content to improve their parking habits. In fact, Captur.ai reduces the time needed to provide customers with feedback by 10x, ensuring that the number of scooters on the streets that are parked improperly is minimized.
What does this mean for your brand? An opportunity to create an image of a responsible and safe brand. This may help you attract new customers and boost existing customers' loyalty.
Less headache, more room for growth
Forget shifting manually through thousands of photos to detect bad parking – this can now be done automatically thanks to the Captur.ai AI-powered solution.
For ATOM Mobility users, this integration offers an effective solution to the pressing problem of parking compliance. That's one less thing micromobility operators need to worry about when starting or expanding their business.
Interested in launching your own mobility platform?
Click below to learn more or request a demo.
Blog
Bid your price: ATOM Mobility launches rider-controlled pricing feature
💸 ATOM Mobility launches “Offer your price” - a rider-controlled pricing feature. Riders can suggest higher or lower fares within pre-set limits. Boosts demand & helps stand out in competitive ride-hail markets 🚖🌍
August 4, 2025
min. read
The ride-hailing market is always changing. From Latin America to Eastern Europe, platforms like inDrive have popularized a new norm: letting riders suggest what they want to pay. Now, in response to this growing global trend, ATOM Mobility is proud to introduce: Offer your price – a fully configurable pricing feature built right into your rider app.
💡How It works
Available on all ride-hail projects, this feature lets riders propose a price – higher or lower than the default fare – within operator-set limits. Drivers can then accept or decline based on the offer.
Here’s how it reshapes the experience:
In the Rider app:
- A new "Offer your price" button appears when selecting a vehicle class.
- Riders can slide or tap “+/-” buttons to adjust price:
- e.g. +30% to get a faster ride 🟢
- or -10% to save on a flexible trip 🔵
- For scheduled rides, this feature is disabled to keep things predictable.
Smart logic behind the slider:
Your admin dashboard defines the limits – say, up to +500% from regular price and down to -30% – and the app calculates step sizes automatically:
- +500% limit → 1 step = 5%
- +100% limit → 1 step = 1%
- +200% limit → 1 step = 2%
Slider position adapts dynamically, depending on your defined range. And yes – the button color and style can be customized to match your brand 🎨.
On the operator dashboard:
You’ll find complete control and clarity:
- Enable/disable the feature per vehicle class
- Set custom % limits for price increase/decrease
- Price card, exports and ride activity logs are all updated with the adjusted ride price
- New ride status - Ride requested (adjusted ride price) for transparency in reporting
What drivers see:
In the driver app:
- Price offers are marked clearly (e.g. 🔻 "Discount requested" or 🔺 "Extra fee offered");
- Final earnings are adjusted accordingly and logged in driver stats.
Who's already doing this – and winning?
Real-world companies are already proving that rider-defined pricing works:
🚘 inDrive (LATAM, Africa, Asia)
Now one of the top global ride-hailing players outside the U.S. (over 200M downloads, active in 700+ cities across 45+ countries), inDrive built its brand around rider-negotiated pricing. It helps them stand out in price-sensitive markets and win over both drivers and passengers with more transparent pricing dynamics.
🚖 Comin (France)
A local success story, Comin has embraced flexible rider pricing to gain traction in several French cities (onboarded 6,000+ drivers). The feature gives them an edge against larger platforms, offering more freedom for users and better utilization for drivers.
These examples show that letting riders bid their price isn’t just a gimmick – it’s a growth strategy.
From our previosu blog “How to Find Your Niche in the Ride-Hail Market”, we saw how localisation and user control drive loyalty and conversion.
This new pricing flexibility supports:
- Emerging markets with income-sensitive riders
- Driver shortages, where riders can tip in real-time
- Brand positioning, letting you stand apart from competition
🚀 Ready to lead the market?
This is just one of the 300+ features available in ATOM’s white-label ride-hailing platform.
Let’s talk about how to launch or upgrade your app with “Offer your price”, advanced pricing logic, and more tools to dominate your niche.
👉 Contact our team and explore how to become the market leader: www.atommobility.com
Blog
Is car sharing profitable in 2025?
🚗💡 Is car sharing still a profitable business in 2025? Short answer – yes, if done right. From rising fleet costs to smarter user behavior and green transport trends, the shared mobility game is changing fast. Learn what makes a car sharing business work today – and why some succeed while others shut down. 👉 Real stories, data-backed tips, and practical advice for operators and mobility founders.
July 23, 2025
min. read
In 2024, the global car-sharing market was valued at approximately €8.9 billion, with Europe accounting for over 50.2% of that total. Analysts forecast it will grow at a CAGR of 11.8% between 2025 and 2033, reaching roughly €24.4 billion by 2033. This blend of urbanization, environmental regulation and a growing preference for flexible mobility continues to create fertile ground for operators - yet not every service finds a clear path to profitability.
Success hinges on your location, business model, fleet, operations and local market dynamics. There are strong success stories, but also many high-profile failures. Here’s a closer look at what really affects profitability in today’s car-sharing market - and what you can learn from real-world cases.
What makes a car-sharing business profitable?
Profitability in car sharing boils down to securing enough paid usage while keeping costs under control. Every unused hour or unnecessary expense erodes margins.
Key factors:
- Fleet utilization – the most important metric. Cars need to be in use several hours each day to cover fixed costs.
- Operational efficiency – cleaning, charging, relocation, maintenance and insurance add up quickly.
- Fleet acquisition – leasing usually optimizes cash flow and scalability, but still carries fixed monthly expenses.
- Pricing and competition – too low cuts margins; too high drives away users. Finding the right balance is essential.
- Tech stack – a robust platform automates operations, improves customer experience and reduces support costs.
The operators who win are those who combine solid daily usage with lean operations.
❌ PANEK S.A. suspends its car-sharing service to focus on rental
29 March 2025 marked the end of Panek’s car-sharing experiment. Despite peaking at 2 700–3 000 vehicles, Panek never turned a profit in over seven years.
About Panek
- Launch: Car sharing added in 2017 by Maciej Panek, entirely internally funded (no VC)
- Fleet mix: City cars, hybrids, EVs, cargo vans and vintage models
- 2023 acquisition: Regional Rent (+ 45% fleet), making Panek Poland’s largest integrated rental/operator
2024 performance
- Revenue split: Car sharing ≈ 20 % of total. Traditional rental 80 %
- Utilization: 0.7–1.0 rides/car/day
- Maintenance & overhead: Up to €690/car-month
- Profitability: Negative since inception
Why it failed
- Under-utilization: < 1 ride/day vs. ~ 2-4 rides/day needed to cover fixed costs
- Price wars: Fierce competition in Warsaw eroded margins and drove up customer-acquisition costs
- High OPEX: Parking, maintenance, insurance and vandalism pushed costs > €690 per car each month
- Tech drag: Two-year outsourced app development cycle meant poor UX and slow feature delivery
- No public support: Missed out on parking incentives or EV subsidies
Faced with persistent losses, Panek’s leadership refocused on profitable core segments: daily/weekly rentals, corporate leasing and Fleet-as-a-Service.
🚗 WiBLE Spain finds its profitable lane in Madrid
WiBLE (50/50 joint venture between Kia Europe and Repsol) launched in 2018 and has just closed its second consecutive year with positive EBITDA.
- Fleet: 600+ plug-in hybrids (Kia Niro, XCeed, Ceed Tourer)
- 2024 revenue: €6.93 million (+ 5% vs. 2023)
- Usage: ~1 500 trips/day ⇒ 2.5 rides/car/day
- Diversification: Monthly rentals (€599+) now 5% of revenue
- Market share: ~19% of Madrid’s car-sharing market
Key enablers:
- Higher utilization – rides up 15% YoY, driving a 10% lift in core revenue
- Fleet scale efficiencies – added 150 vehicles in 2 years, lowering per-unit costs
- Service diversification – multi-day and monthly rental options opened new revenue streams
After five years of absorbing fixed-cost drag and depreciation, WiBLE now leverages Madrid’s regulatory environment (low-emission zones, parking benefits) and delivers lean, tech-driven operations.
🚗 SOCAR South Korea: scale + longer rentals
SOCAR (backed by SoftBank, SK Inc. and Lotte Group) operates 20 000 vehicles, generates nearly €300 million in annual turnover and has 20% of South Koreans signed up.
- Model: Station-based, pay-per-minute with average rental duration of a whoping 12 hrs
- Segmentation trick: Aging cars shift from on-demand sharing to long-term monthly rentals (10% of revenue), extending resale life with minimal depreciation impact
By pairing massive scale with savvy car lifecycle management, extra-long rental duration, SOCAR converts high utilization into robust profitability.
🚗 Carguru (Latvia)
30 August 2024: Carguru (est. 2017) acquired EV-focused OX Drive (est. 2021), adding 200+ Tesla to the fleet.
- Growth: From just 30 cars and total budget below 500 000 EUR (2017) to over 1 000 cars (mid-2025) via leasing and strategic partnerships
- 2023 turnover: €4 million; 435 000 trips (+35.9 %); 7 million km driven; profit €375 600
Outcome: A combined ICE, hybrid and EV fleet—backed by local expertise and strategic acquisitions - has driven strong growth and high utilization.
🎯 Core suggestions for aspiring operators
- Target 2–4 rides/day per vehicle
- Leverage dynamic/off-peak pricing, B2B partnerships (hotels, offices) and event tie-ins.
- Contain OPEX via automation
- Use predictive maintenance, remote diagnostics and gig-economy cleaning/relocation.
- Secure municipal support early
- Negotiate parking incentives, EV charging access and low-emission zone permits.
- Choose your tech wisely
- Build an in-house development team for full control with higher costs, or adopt a proven white-label platform for speed to market, stability and lower costs.
- Validate unit economics before scaling
- Prove break-even utilization in one zone before expanding to others.
With clear benchmarks and smart execution - drawing on lessons from Panek, WiBLE, SOCAR and Carguru - car sharing can still be a highly profitable component of a modern mobility portfolio.
If you’re planning to start or improve your service, ATOM Mobility is ready to help. We’ve built the platform and supported dozens of teams worldwide - reach out, and we’ll share what we’ve learned.
Image credit: https://kursors.lv/2018/03/13/carguru-palielina-autoparku-un-paplasina-darbibas-zonas-mikrorajonos
Driver App demo credentials - Email: test@atom.com, Password: driver
