App helps drivers find love in a jam

The pandemic may have put dating in the slowlane but it need not take a backseat, at least not for users of a new app being described as Tinder for traffic jams.

Carimmat, which launched in France in 2019 and has been available globally, including in Luxembourg since the start of 2021, enables people to connect with drivers of other vehicles based on their number plate. Assuming the motorist also has an account, they can make contact and send messages, once their vehicle is at a full standstill, of course.

In 2019, navigation firm TomTom ranked Luxembourg the 53rd most congested city in the world, based on data it had collected with regard to congestion, making it a prime spot for the use of such an app. It found that 163 additional hours were wasted in driving because of congestion, time that could be spent making connections with fellow motorists.

On its website, Carimmat points out that its app can be useful not only for dating but also for selling a vehicle or to contact the owner of a vehicle using your parking space.

A Carimmat spokesperson told Delano: “Since January 2021, the application has been available worldwide in English, French and Spanish and it is capable of recognising any number plate in the world.”

There are no fees to use the application, and users decide how much or how little data they wish to share publicly. Also geolocation settings are not currently part of the service.

The pandemic has meant a lot of conventional meeting places for singles are out of bounds, leading to a surge in online dating apps. Female-led dating app Bumble, saw its market value soar to $13bn in February after listing shares. According According to App Annie, a mobile data and analytics company, consumers spent over $3 billion on dating apps in 2020, up 15% globally compared to the year before, with some 560 million dating apps downloaded.