SA’s GoMetro Launches New App To Tide Over Daily Commuting Woes
What do you get when you combine an eclectic group of entrepreneurs, investors and transport planners in a room? The simple answer: an atmosphere abuzz with expectation, hors d’oeurves, and the rabid anticipation for the release of the GoMetro Pro app. After a glamorous introduction, Justin Coetzee delivered what was in many ways a robust introduction to the new app, an extensive layout of the features, announced their partnership with GMG Technologies and outlined exciting projects on the horizon.
CEO & Co-founder, Justin Coetzee believes that, “cities are getting more complex and providing better data leads to better planning, better decisions, greater accuracy, speed and a comprehensively better system that improves the way societies move.” Although there is a focus primarily on public transport walking trips, cycling routes and private cars all fall under the measurement capabilities of the system.
The unveiling of the GoMetro Pro comes six years after the launch of their mobisite which gave train commuters real-time updates on arrivals, train delays and in the case of a delay, cheap in-app messaging to employers. That project was the cornerstone of what Coetzee believes the GoMetro Pro is built upon. The Pro was launched in an intimate affair at the Cape Town MEST co-workspace in Woodstock and having been in development for over two years, users can access the app here.
Their app has been tested locally and internationally with user cases in Rustenburg, Cape Town and Tunisia. The team claims to have profiled 379 643 unique passenger journeys, in 29 982 trips with a fare revenue total of R 4 024 534. 58, over a 12-month period.
Coetzee recognizes that “South Africa comprises of just 1% of the total addressable market when it comes to digitizing, organizing and improving transport” and whilst that is the case he also has every intent of capturing the remaining 99%.
The gap in transport data is moving from a clipboard world into an automated and digitized platform. The plan is to bridge the gap between manual data collection and automated real-time control centres. Improving data collection allows for better planning, optimized responses to situations and eventualities whilst also improving movement. Coetzee has mapped out a national strategy for the execution of GoMetro, however, it is international expansion that could really set GoMetro appart. To this end, he announced a partnership with Mauritius based, GMG Technologies.
“GMG Technologies focuses on bringing innovative technology to the global market and enhancing these technologies through further development to bring maximum value to our customers, our partnership with GoMetro is a perfect illustration of this and we are very excited about the incredible work done so far. This technology will have a very real impact on the way cities are planned, companies organize staff movements and how people run their daily lives. We are proud to be part of this and we will continue to work together to keep adding more value to the platform.” Says Richard Dewing, Chief Executive of GMG Technologies.
In addition to their partnership with GMG, GoMetro also announced that they have been selected by the Wayra Intelligent Mobility Accelerator – a Telefonica backed project – and have set up shop with two staff members in the U.K. GoMetro was selected as the only non-native U.K transport technology business to be part of the accelerator program for the next few months as they look to unlock the UK market.
