Luup Forms Capital and Business Alliance with Seibu and Tokyu
Aiming to create a safe and secure community by improving convenience and revitalizing mobility along rail lines
Luup, Inc. (hereinafter “Luup”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with Blue Incubation Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Blue Incubation”), a consolidated subsidiary of SEIBU HOLDINGS INC. (hereinafter “SEIBU HOLDINGS”), and TOKYU CORPORATION (hereinafter “Tokyu”), and that Blue Incubation and Tokyu make equity investment in Luup, for the purpose of building the next-generation mobility infrastructure and promoting urban development that further enhances the value of the rail lines.
Seibu Group and Tokyu, as leading transportation infrastructure providers in Japan, are each promoting the development of more livable communities by enhancing the convenience of rail lines and stimulating mobility. The partnership with LUUP, a sharing service for electric, compact, single-passenger micromobility vehicles, aims to enhance the value of areas along rail lines by complementing the railway transportation infrastructure, which acts like an “artery” used by many people in their daily lives, with LUUP’s short-distance, agile transportation, which acts like “capillaries,” to achieve this goal.
Luup provides a last mile transportation infrastructure “LUUP” using electric, compact, single-passenger micromobility with the mission to “create an infrastructure that turns the entire city into a ‘station front.'” LUUP currently operates in 10 areas (Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Kyoto, Utsunomiya, Kobe, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Sendai, and Fukuoka) and has the largest number of stations in the shared cycle and e-scooter market in Japan*. In the future, we aim to handle a wide range of mobility services and create cities where all people can move freely.
Seibu Group and Luup are in the process of installing LUUP stations at Seibu Group’s affiliated properties, including the Tokyo Prince Hotel, Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho, and DaiyaGate Ikebukuro.
Tokyu and Luup have been collaborating to improve mobility convenience along the Tokyu Line since Luup participated in the Tokyu Accelerate Program (now Tokyu Alliance Platform) and won the Futakotamagawa Prize at the TAP 2019 DemoDay through business co-creation experiment with the Tokyu Group. LUUP stations have already been installed in more than 20 Tokyu-related facilities and are used by neighboring residents for daily transportation.
Furthermore, in October 2023, as part of the verification experiment of JTOS, consortium of Japanese railway companies for social implementation, LUUP is being introduced in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture with the Seibu Group and in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture with Tokyu, in an effort to improve convenience for domestic and foreign tourists.
Seibu Group and Tokyu, as infrastructure providers responsible for urban development, will not only continue to promote the installation of LUUP stations at related facilities, but will also accelerate business collaboration with Luup to create a lively atmosphere not only in ‘station fronts’ but also along the entire rail lines, while taking safety and security into consideration.
(*Source: Research by Luup. This is based on publicly available information regarding the number of stations nationwide by micromobility sharing service operators as of July 2024.)
Seibu Group and Luup: Details of Capital and Business Alliance
1. Expand the installation of LUUP stations along the Seibu rail lines and at Seibu Group facilities to further enhance convenient and flexible mobility.
2. Introduce “LUUP for Community” (a service that allows local communities, such as municipalities, companies, and organizations, to operate LUUP) in areas related to the Seibu Group. This will contribute to securing transportation options for local residents and tourists, as well as revitalizing the community. Additionally, we will actively introduce new mobility options from LUUP.
3. Through the collaboration between both companies, we will create convenient services in various forms and promote the development of models that enable community owners to operate attractively and sustainably.
Tokyu and Luup: Details of Capital and Business Alliance
1. By analyzing the transportation data of both companies, we will collaborate to formulate an installation strategy of LUUP stations along the Tokyu rail lines. We will install LUUP stations at transportation hubs along the Tokyu rail lines and around Tokyu facilities, enhancing customer convenience.
2. By effectively utilizing the resources of both companies, we will promote mutual efficiency in operations, including operations for LUUP.
3. We will enhance the value of areas along the Tokyu rail lines by multi-functionalizing LUUP stations (e.g. equipping disaster prevention functions) and promoting community development.
About Luup, Inc.
Luup, Inc. creates a new short-distance mobility infrastructure that makes the entire city “a station front” through the sharing service of electric, compact, and single-passenger micromobility, and is currently providing e-scooters and e-bikes in Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Kyoto, Utsunomiya, Kobe, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Sendai, and Fukuoka. Through reducing CO2 emissions by popularizing electric micromobility and introducing new electric mobility that can be ridden by the elderly, and Luup, Inc. ultimately creates a sustainable society where all people can get around safely and conveniently.
・Location: AKIHABARA CENTRAL SQUARE 4F, 3-21-24 Kanda-Sakumachō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0025
・Representative: Daiki Okai
・Founded: July 2018
・URL: https://luup.sc/
・App Store: https://ride-your-city.luup.sc/Myjb/cfcdb04a
Note: The LUUP app is compatible with devices running iOS 16 or later, iPhone 8 or later (except iPhone SE 1st generation), and Android OS 10.0 or later.
Note: The company name is displayed as “Luup, Inc.” and the service name is displayed as “LUUP.”
About SEIBU HOLDINGS INC. and Blue Incubation Co., Ltd.
SEIBU HOLDINGS INC. is a holding company established in February 2006 that oversees Seibu Group, a corporate group that operates a wide range of businesses closely connected to customers’ lives, with a focus on Real Estate, Hotel and Leisure, and Urban Transportation and Regional businesses. Under the slogan, “Smiles ahead,” Seibu Group aims to create positive actions and excitement for customers, while enhancing the satisfaction of all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, and local communities. The goal is to help realize a highly sustainable society with an elevated quality of life.
Blue Incubation Co., Ltd. is involved in incubation business, focusing on planning and development as well as supporting and operating new businesses within the Seibu Group.
・Company Name: SEIBU HOLDINGS INC.
・Location: 1-16-15 Minamiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0022
・Representative: Ryuichiro Nishiyama President and Representative Director, President and COO
・Founded: February 3, 2006
・Businesses: Real Estate, Hotel and Leisure, and Urban Transportation and Regional as three main business areas along with a wide range of businesses such as sports business.
・URL: https://www.seibuholdings.co.jp/
・Company Name: Blue Incubation Co., Ltd.
・Location: 1-16-15 Minamiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0022
・Representative: Takeo Harada CEO
・Founded: May 1, 2020
・Businesses: Incubation business, businesses related to planning and development, supporting, and operating of new businesses
About TOKYU CORPORATION
TOKYU CORPORATION is the core company of the Tokyu Group, which consists of 214 companies and 7 corporations (as of the end of April 2024). Under the group slogan “Toward a Beautiful Era,” TOKYU CORPORATION has placed “urban development” at the core of its business, and has been working for many years. Over the years, we have been conducting business in a variety of areas that are closely connected to the daily lives of customers, mainly along the Tokyu Line.
・Company Name: TOKYU CORPORATION
・Location: 5-6 Nampeidai-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8511
・Representative: Masahiro Horie President & Representative Director
・Founded: September 2, 1922
・Businesses: Real estate leasing business, real estate sales business, and other businesses
・URL: https://www.tokyu.co.jp/index.html
Press Contact
● Luup, Inc.
・Public Relations
・E-mail: pr@luup.co.jp
・For press inquiries: Please contact us by using the contact form at the bottom of our corporate website (https://luup.sc/) and selecting “For the Press and Media”.
・For service inquiries: https://support.luup.sc/hc/ja/requests/new
● SEIBU HOLDINGS INC.
・Corporate Communication
・Phone: 03-6709-3112
・E-mail: shd-kouhou@seibuholdings.co.jp
● TOKYU CORPORATION
・Public Relations Group
・Phone: 03-3477-6086