Stairling, a French mobility startup operating since 2024, is expanding its cooperative model for ride-hailing drivers through a strategic acquisition and a stronger push into white-label transport services. The company has built an ecosystem around entrepreneur-employee status, providing drivers with pay slips, social protection, and weekly payments. It is now positioning itself as a broader infrastructure provider for the gig economy, supported by new operational and financial ambitions.
A Cooperative Foundation for Drivers
The core of Stairling's model allows VTC drivers to join a cooperative activity and employment structure rather than operating through their own company. Drivers retain operational independence while accessing an employment contract, social coverage, and a stable payment schedule. According to the company, this framework has already attracted more than 2,000 drivers since its launch in 2024.
Expansion Through the MySam Acquisition
In a significant move, Stairling has acquired MySam, a VTC platform founded in Albi in 2016, and rebranded it as Staircab. The transaction adds nearly 200,000 clients and 18,000 registered drivers across 200 to 350 cities to Stairling's network. Pierre Rosi, the founder of MySam, will lead the new entity as Head of Staircab.
A White-Label Mobility Infrastructure
Staircab is positioned strictly as a business-to-business solution rather than a consumer-facing application. It enables hotels, travel agencies, airports, tourism offices, event sites, and local authorities to offer ride-hailing or taxi services without managing their own fleets. The platform provides four access points, including an API, an embeddable booking module, a white-label interface, and a hardware option with QR codes for physical locations.
Complementary Tools and Driver Ecosystem
Stairling and Staircab are described as complementary layers of a single operating system for drivers. While Stairling offers a stable contractual environment, Staircab gives drivers channels to develop their own client base and create a business asset. Partners using Staircab can earn commissions of up to 10 percent, and the platform also charges 10 percent per completed ride.
Vehicle Leasing and Payment Infrastructure
Beyond ride distribution, Stairling has developed a broader mobility ecosystem that now includes 5,500 drivers and approximately 2,000 vehicles, with 40 percent of that fleet electrified. Through its Stairlease brand, the company aggregates offers from several leasing partners to give drivers access to more than 5,000 vehicles. Its DirectPay system deducts vehicle rent directly from driver earnings, reducing the risk of unpaid leases and lowering barriers to vehicle access.
Fintech Ambitions and Regulatory Progress
Stairling is currently awaiting approval from the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority, the ACPR, to operate payment flows directly for its drivers. The startup already processes 100 million euros in annual financial flows and is finalizing a new funding round to accelerate its development. Last year, the company raised 1.5 million euros from Plug and Play Ventures, Kima Ventures, Source Ventures, and 199 Ventures.
Stairling's ambitions extend beyond its current base, with a target of 3,000 to 4,000 workers under entrepreneur-employee status by the end of 2026 and 200,000 within five years. Reaching that scale would require international expansion or entry into other gig economy verticals, according to the company's own projections. The longer-term goal is to become a leading fintech and infrastructure operator for independent workers, reshaping how drivers participate in the mobility value chain.