Uber signs up TomTom to provide navigation for its drivers
After losing out to a consortium of Germany's biggest car makers over the purchase of Nokia's HERE Maps, Uber has set about building its own mapping and navigation services. They're not quite ready for prime time, so the company has had to rely upon a number of popular mapping services, including Google (which also serves as an investor), to help both users and drivers understand exactly where they are. Today, Uber has added TomTom to the list, with the Dutch company confirming that it will also support the private hire taxi firm.
According to TomTom, the multi-year deal will provide "maps and traffic data for the Uber driver app" and span more than 300 cities across the globe. It's likely that riders won't notice much of a difference, other than possibly arriving at their destination quicker, as TechCrunch reports that the company will continue to use a mix of different services. That includes Bing Maps, which it acquired earlier this year.
