Gone are the days when we wondered what the trap was behind free. “When it’s free, you’re the product”? « Non ! »immediately retort David and Jonathan Tuchbant, the two brothers at the head of Roole, an auto complementary company which finances this project. “We are not an advertising agency, nor are we a tech company that aggregates data to sell it”they explain to Le Parisien. The tone is set. Roole Map, a French nod to the expression “Roule ma Poule”, is intended to be a virtuous alternative, designed for motorists and not for advertisers.
More than an itinerary, contextualized information
So, what does this French David have that the American Goliaths don’t? Its real ambition is to make motorists “a little more knowledgeable behind the wheel”. No more of that screen that turns scarlet red and tells you you’re an hour late without any further explanation. “Our ambition is to be able to explain to them whether it is because of a storm, a strike or the Tour de France”explains Jonathan Tuchbant. Real-time information, like a radio service like Autoroute FM, but available everywhere and for everyone.
To achieve this, the application relies on government data and local partnerships (Girève, Chargeprice, etc.), offering a comparison of the prices of fuel, tolls, electric charging and even parking. The application wants to give all the cards to the motorist so that he can optimize his journeys and his budget.
An economic model based on notoriety
But how can such a comprehensive service survive without direct revenue? Therein lies the trick, and a certain form of transparency. Roole Map is a showcase. “Some companies spend huge advertising budgets to be identified, we aim to ensure our notoriety by being useful to everyone”explain the founders. The application is a flagship product to promote their main activity, the Roole car supplement and its paid services. An “extra-business” strategy which allows them to promise that advertising will never invade our navigation screens.
Contrary to what we can read on the web, the application is not completely “new” and the first made available on the stores (App Store and Google Play) date back to the end of 2022. However, it is with the approach of the 2025 summer holidays that Roole Map is making headlines again. It has 120,000 downloads and a goal of 500,000 monthly users within five years. The application has received a good reception on the Apple stores (4.7 stars and 659 ratings) and Google (4.3 stars and 513 reviews), although some defects remain present. Users mention a still partial referencing of parking lots or the absence of a landscape mode (soon available, the developers assure).
In an ultra-competitive sector, Roole Map wants to seduce with a different vision. That of a “citizen GPS” which could well find its place on your vacation route this summer, even if competition is tough with Waze, Google Maps or Tomtom Go.
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