THE RISE OF GOKADA, TAXIFY, UBER, INSTANT RYDE AND THE EASE OF DOING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Easy Access to cars,  comfortable rides and the need to beat traffic in cities like Lagos,  has given birth to innovative transportation  services within the city and the country at large. 

Movement of goods and persons are critical to the ease of doing business in any country.  If people and goods cannot be moved efficiently and effectively,  forget about ease of doing business. 

The first company in the world to offer a solution to this problem is known globally as Uber. 

Ridesourcing,  Peer-to-peer ride sharing or Transport Networking Company, the needs basically defines the category. But as this need is been met,  ideas for innovation comes with it. 

Uber was founded by Travis Kalanick
and Garrett Camp in 2009, and this birthed change in the way people move around the world. 

Many years ago,  one could not have imagined a transportation company without a single vehicle.  But today,  many companies are in the business without a single investment in vehicles. 

Although,  they do not like to be called transportation companies,  they are adequately referred to as Technology Companies or Transport Network Companies. 

Uber Technologies Inc. (doing business as Uber) is a peer-to-peer ridesharing, taxi cab, food delivery, bicycle-sharing, and transportation network company (TNC) headquartered in San Francisco, California, with operations in 785 metropolitan areas worldwide.

Taxify is an international transportation network company founded by a 19 year old Markus Villig who is now 26 about 6 years ago and has the company headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia. The company is challenging Uber in Europe and Africa in a seamless way. 

The company develops and operates the Taxify mobile application, which allows people to request a taxi or private driver from their smartphone, as well as electric scooters under the sub-brand Bolt. As of May 2018, Taxify operates in 28 countries and 50 cities in Europe, Africa, West Asia, North America and Australia. 10 million customers globally and more than 500,000 drivers use the platform to offer rides

INSTANT RYDE is the Nigerian response to the business trend founded by Ubi Franklin,  the young entertainment entreprenuer . It launched in the city of Calabar in 2018 and not much details are presently available  as to its market strength,  even though it presently enjoys a monopoly in the Calabar market where the company is the single operator as at the time of writing this piece.

ENTERS GOKADA (Founded by Deji Oduntan) ...My experience. 

I was to keep an appointment recently and upon getting out of my street,  it was 'hold up' everywhere.  Uber won't work.  Taxify won't work.  This is the primary reason why GOKADA WAS created,  I said to myself.  Never get stuck in Traffic!

I made calls to people ahead and found out that everywhere was locked down by a very dangerous traffic. 

The person I was on my way to was a busy CEO moving across countries consistently.  He runs businesses from southern,  eastern and Western Africa and simply has no time to play.

I had to call out GOKADA.  I ordered for a ride and pronto,  one was ready to take me to my destination in  good time.  

One thing however touched me in a troubling way : It is the corruption in the way we do business.  I am not really surprised, just like I know you can't possibly be.  It is the Rider.  How he was cutting the system to get money for himself. 

First,  I would like to look at the GOKADA business Model

1. Unlike Uber or Taxify where the app is basically the only thing they have,  GOKADA has to get the bike and fit it to the rider. 

2. Unlike Uber,  GOKADA gives the rider the option to own the Motorcycle after about 1 year and 6 months. 

3. Unlike Uber or Taxify,  GOKADA will get the rider all the licences and documentation required for the rider to start business. 

The first question that comes to the budding entrepreneur  is how GOKADA gets to fund the bikes they issue riders. 
The cost of getting all the licences for the riders and how they will break even. 

Well,  I guess that is the secret of their business.  While you are looking at those variables and thinking of the way the company will turn in profit,  I am glad to say that there is now a solution for the traffic in town. 

On the possibility of the riders cheating the company,  further thoughts on the possibility of the Bikeman cheating GOKADA showed that he may just be cheating himself or delaying his own payment which will ultimately tie him longer on ownership.

If you are stuck anywhere now,  the way out is to GOKADA IT!

©Ogedengbe Ayo Moses
@ayoozovehe