Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
New transport app has all the best tickets to ride
Cape Town startup has raised millions in seed funding
A CAPE Town startup that aims to simplify how commuters use formal and informal public transport has raised R12 million in initial seed funding and opened its first international office in London.
WhereIsMyTranspor t , based in De Waterkant, has developed a platform that provides the latest information on routes and travel times for bus, train and taxi operators.
Devin de Vries, who cofounded the company with friends Dave New and Chris King in a garage in 2008, said having a London office would give them an “international base for operations” and access to venture capital.
De Vries said funders included local and international investors, both private and public.
The company’s flagship product is its free urban transport app Findmyway, launched in 2012, and is available for download for iOS, Android, and Windows Phones.
Users type in their start and destination locations. The app calculates the fastest route to the destination, expected cost and an expected arrival time, using a combination of algorithms and transport data.
It also gives information on what tickets are needed, where they can be bought and how far the commuter will have to walk between stations.
Users are given a choice of a number of routes, and can choose which type of transport – train, bus, or taxi or a combination – they want.
Where I s MyTransp o r t spokeswoman Madeline Zhu said the app can keep commuters apprised of travel delays. “We can’t run the train on time, but we can make sure the user is notified that it is delayed. By having all the data in a single platform, that information can easily reach the commuter on the app.”
Zhu said the group was focusing on launching the app in the world’s developing regions.
Many of the world’s most developed cities have easily accessible transport systems; but the rest of the world’s people are still unable to easily travel from place to place.
Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport, said the platform was a “perfect fit” for commuters, as it showed connections between MyCiTi bus services, Metrorail and Golden Arrow Bus Services.