Data collection is biggest challenge facing European booking website GoEuro

Two startups in Berlin are hoping to change that. Late last month, GoEuro launched an early version of its travel booking website, where users can search and compare rates across different modes of transportation — plane, train, bus, and car — at a single glance. For now, the site is only optimized for travel within Germany and the UK, but GoEuro plans to expand to other markets in the near future. When it does, it will begin to rival Berlin-based Waymate and become one of the top two competitors in Europe’s “multi-modal” travel space.

The biggest challenge, Nareen Shaam, GoEuro founder and CEO says, is getting access to data from railway operators and airlines. Most train data, including timetables and station coordinates, is controlled by government organizations in Europe, and many have been reluctant to share in the past.