Shuttlers, a startup that focuses on shared mobility, is growing its fleet in order to fulfil the demand for carpooling.
Shuttlers is increasing its efforts to attract private cars to become part of its network of vehicles, in addition to the buses that make up its primary mode of transportation.
Shuttlers, a startup in the field of shared mobility sharing in Nigeria, is looking for additional vehicle partners, including private automobile owners.
According to the specifications set forth by Shuttlers, the automobiles must be the model year 2007 or later, and both the Hiaces and the coaster buses are required to have air conditioning.
Shuttlers is a ride-sharing company that operates through the use of an app that allows customers to reserve seats in vehicles that are travelling in the direction that they need to go.
New cars will be added to Shuttlers’ fleet, and those new cars will be used on new routes as well as routes that already exist. Customers will be able to locate and board these prearranged shuttles if they use the app.
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What Carpooling is all about
The practice of carpooling, in which people travelling the same route as one another share a vehicle, has been around for quite some time.
It is not unusual in Lagos to see private drivers on their way to work, picking up passengers who are going in the same direction as themselves. In some areas, gig drivers for companies like Uber and Bolt will occasionally stop to pick up passengers, thereby imitating the practices of conventional forms of public transportation.
It is possible for those who own cars to recuperate some of the money they spend on fuel by participating in carpooling. Offline carpooling does not require the use of an app; nonetheless, it has its limitations, and it may take you longer than you had anticipated to find a driver who travels the same route as you do.
Shuttlers have become popular among the working population of Lagos, many of whom reside a significant distance from their places of employment. Some firms provide their employees with exclusive access to the Shuttler bus service in order to get them to and from the office.
Shuttlers function as an unofficial staff bus for employees whose places of employment do not offer staff buses, enabling these employees to choose their own routes, as well as the seats they choose, and to commute in comfort. That level of comfort makes all the difference in a city that is so frequently chaotic.
Carpooling, on the other hand, is considered by some to be a more challenging endeavour, despite the fact that it is very simple to convince individuals to share a staff bus.
The process of digitizing carpooling has proven to be challenging, as evidenced by the limited success experienced by businesses like Hytch, Ridebliss, and GoMyWay, which at various points attempted it. It’s possible that the success of Shuttlers lies in the fact that it’s so popular with people who are going to the office.
What Shuttlers’ executives are saying
Confirming her faith in this course of action, the founder of the company, Damilola Olokesusi, has stated that the company is in the process of rebuilding the user interface of its app in order to boost the visibility of its wider variety of car alternatives. In addition to this point,
Yinka Aghedo, who is in charge of marketing at Shuttlers, emphasised that the company, as well as its clients, are not unfamiliar with carpooling. According to him, even though their primary assets are buses, they have always supplemented their current fleet with automobiles and minivans. This has been the case since the beginning.
A closer look at the application reveals that it provides users with the opportunity to travel to certain locations in a sedan that has space for six passengers.
Nevertheless, Yinka noted that they do use cars, and the cars that they use are generally required to be new ones [models from 2007 or newer]. This is due to the fact that they have found that older cars have a tendency to be less durable and more prone to breakdowns.
If you think you’ve heard of this car model restriction before, it’s because one of the largest ride-hailing companies in the world, Uber, also had a condition quite similar to this one when it entered the Nigerian market. The corporation was later obliged to loosen those limitations because of the intensifying competition as well as the requirement to bring on more drivers.
The superiority of Shuttlers product
Recent blog posts from Bolt show that the limits have been eased to allow automobiles with model years as far back as 1998 and sedans with model years as far back as 2002. On its website, Uber states that automobiles with a model year of 2000 or before are permitted. It is possible that the first requirements were imposed for the sake of safety in a manner analogous to how Shuttlers operate.
However, it’s possible that they were changed in order to increase the number of drivers who are available, given that older cars are more economical and are typically utilised by the drivers who are targeted by these ride-hailing businesses.
Despite this, Shuttlers continues to be confident in the superiority of the product that it provides. Because of the position that the economy is in right now in Nigeria, there is no doubt as to whether or not car owners will be eager to join Shuttlers. This is mostly due to the fact that it guarantees a stable income.
