Taking a cue from Uber, on-demand couriers are a popular business in SA. The latest entry, 1Fetch, looks to pit its bike-only delivery service against the rest.
“We guarantee collection within 90 minutes of the order being placed. Once collected, the package is delivered directly to your destination, with no stops along the way.” writes director of 1Fetch, Panico Theocharides, in a press release to Ventureburn.
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He goes on to say: “If you get the basics right, and build around your customer needs, the growth should follow.”
According to Theocharides, all of their drivers are employed by the company, and the directors meet each and every potential hire before a decision is made.
“Not only do we seek the right technical and competency skills, but also the right attitude. It’s often the small things that make the big differences,” he says,
The startup was born out of years of frustration with trying to justify the cost of full-time delivery drivers for SMEs.
Read more: Exclusive: Sendr delivers SA’s next big courier startup
“What typically happens in the workplace is that staff, often highly qualified, are sent out to perform ad hoc drop-offs to clients, service providers, bankers, lawyers, shareholders, board members, etc., and this costs valuable company time and money.”
The service is priced at R11 per kilometre with a minimum charge. 1Fetch will also cater to parcels weighing up to 15kg, though it’s dependent on the company’s terms and conditions.
Customers are asked to electronically sign for their goods. Once delivered, a digital invoice is sent to the person who arranged the collection.
At present, the service doesn’t offer weekend deliveries as it runs from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
The service is currently only available in the Sandton, Johannesburg area, but there are plans to expand into the rest of Gauteng, and eventually SA.
Customers can user 1Fetch’s app to book and track their collections. It’s available through both the Google Play and Apple iTunes stores.
