FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. market is the world’s biggest market for mobility services - one of five passenger cars worldwide is sold in the United States. The demand for car-related services like roadside assistance is rising due to the aging vehicle fleet, which leads to more repairs and breakdowns. Additionally, the complexity of new car technologies requires professional handling, driving the need for expert support in the event of issues.
Bosch Service Solutions plans to further expand its mobility service business in the U.S. by acquiring Roadside Protect, Inc., headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. The company employs around 200 people. Bosch and Roadside Protect signed contracts for the acquisition on January 31st, 2025 after having received approval by antitrust authorities. The amount of the purchase price was agreed not to be disclosed.
Founded in 2002, Roadside Protect is a strong provider of towing and roadside administration services along with motor club products in North America to fleets, automotive manufacturers, aftermarket, and insurance clients. It handles breakdowns, recall administrations, claims processing and other services for passenger cars up to heavy duty vehicles. “The acquisition is a strategic component for further expanding the services we offer in the North American market. Roadside Protect operates a digital platform through which it manages its partner network of more than 12,000 towing companies in the U.S. and Canada,” says Henning von Boxberg, president of Bosch Service Solutions. “With this acquisition, we are combining our global customer network and our expertise in breakdown service with the North American towing industry.”
Unique strengths complement each other
Roadside Protect and Bosch Service Solutions both have proprietary digital platforms which enable them to process service requests efficiently, transparently, and with highest quality. By connecting both platforms, Roadside Protect’s deep regional industry knowledge is brought together with Bosch’s technology and service expertise and global service setup. With real-time connected vehicle information for example, Bosch provides valuable information to dispatchers, which effectively helps to resolve breakdowns on site without the need for a tow. Vince Sommer, chief sales officer of Roadside Protect: “By bringing these companies together, we will bring the capabilities and quality of breakdown services in North America to a new level. Innovative technologies, personal service and very good regional coverage help us to address the breakdowns for our clients as quickly as possible and supports drivers in these stressful situations with seamless and effective customer service."
Holistic use of innovative technologies
As a strong provider of mobility services, Bosch Service Solutions has been managing connected services for more than 20 automotive manufacturers and numerous other providers of mobility services worldwide since 2012. A special feature of these services is that they work with connected vehicle data and mobile devices. For a high-quality and efficient breakdown service, Bosch also relies on other innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence. For example, AI-based speech recognition is already being used in North America. For its holistic use of AI and automation, the service provider recently received the 2024 Frost & Sullivan: Technology Innovation Leadership Award for the European Intelligent Automation Industry.
