Bregal Milestone Announces Strategic Growth Investment in Ridango

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bregal Milestone, a leading European software growth private equity firm, today announced a majority strategic growth investment in Ridango, a global provider of mission-critical public transportation software. The investment is made in partnership with founder Erki Lipre and the Ridango management team. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2009, Ridango is a global market leader in intelligent transportation software for public transport authorities, municipalities, cities, and private transport operators. Ridango has built one of the world’s leading integrated automated fare collection and operations control software platforms, serving more than 150 customers in over 25 countries across five continents. The Company’s modern software provides end-to-end transit management services, from account-based ticketing to contactless bank card acceptance, real-time passenger information, and automatic vehicle location operations management to deliver better transit services, more accurate real-time visibility, and improved passenger satisfaction.

With operational and financial support from Bregal Milestone, Ridango aims to accelerate its organic and inorganic growth. Following accelerated customer activity in Sweden, including customer wins from Västtrafik, Sörmlandstrafiken, and Västmanlandstrafiken, the Company will operate from its new European headquarters in Sweden; its R&D hubs in Estonia and Slovenia; and its regional sales and marketing hubs following major customer wins in the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia) and APAC (Singapore and Hong Kong).

“Our partnership with Bregal Milestone marks a significant next step in our growth strategy. We extend our sincerest thanks to our prior investors, BaltCap Private Equity, and look forward to the proactive support and expertise from Bregal Milestone and their in-house value creation team, Milestone Performance Partners, to help accelerate our investment in next-generation technology and accelerate our GTM activity in new markets,” said Erki Lipre, Founder and CEO of Ridango. "Public transportation is at the heart of sustainable urban development, and the team at Ridango is tirelessly committed to delivering the most advanced solutions to help modernize transit networks for the future."

“Ridango’s strong commitment to innovation has positioned it as a software operating system of choice for transit operators looking to modernize fare collection and optimize passenger experience,” added Cyrus Shey, Managing Partner at Bregal Milestone. “We see strong secular tailwinds as private transport operators and public rail and mass transport operators accelerate investments in digitalization, underpinned by the accelerated shift from card-based ticketing to account-based ticketing systems, and we are thrilled to partner with Erki and his leadership team to support Ridango in capitalizing on these megatrends.”

Sebastian Charpentier, Principal at Bregal Milestone, adds, “We are honored to enter this strategic partnership with Ridango, a company that continues to drive innovation and deliver customer service with what we see as the most advanced end-to-end transit software offerings featuring AI-driven predictive analytics and cloud-based fare collection. We believe that Ridango is uniquely positioned to lead the digital transformation for public transportation authorities and operators alike, creating sustainable long-term value for the communities in which they operate.”

White & Case served as legal counsel and Deloitte as financial advisor for Bregal Milestone. Sorainen served as legal counsel for Ridango.

The transaction will be closed after necessary regulatory approvals have been obtained.

About Bregal Milestone

Bregal Milestone is a leading software and technology private equity firm with c.€1.3 billion of capital raised since inception. The firm provides growth capital and operational support to build market-leading technology companies. Bregal Milestone is part of Bregal Investments, a leading global investment platform with assets under management of over €19 billion. Bregal Milestone was recognised by GrowthCap as one of the Top Growth Equity Firms of 2024. For more information, visit www.bregalmilestone.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Ridango

Ridango is the software operating system of choice for public transportation providers globally, specializing in automated fare collection (“AFC”), real-time passenger information systems, automatic vehicle location tracking (“AVL”), and mobility-as-a-service (“MaaS”) technology. The company partners with transport authorities and operators to enhance the efficiency, accessibility, and sustainability of public transit for customers and operators alike.