Water crisis delays launch of GoMetro flx trial says startup founder

Cape Town smart mobility startup GoMetro has delayed the planned launch this month of the trial of its new ride-sharing service flx. The startup’s CEO Justin Coetzee says the startup will instead launch the service next month.

“Basically, the water crisis meant that corporates spent two or three months worrying about their water supply and their staff’s welfare – so we hit a delay on the flx pilot,” Coetzee told Ventureburn in response to an email yesterday.

GoMetro’s flx service aims to to offer employers a chance to get staff to work on time more affordably, by providing them with various shared transport options and by grouping staff members who stay near to one another to allow them to take the same ride.

GoMetro says the tech for flx trial is ready and passed internal testing, and the staff are being engaged to sign up for the service

Coetzee however said the company had been “working hard” on readying its service and getting the necessary operations in place and is on track to kick off the initial trial service by mid-April.

“The tech is ready and passed internal testing, and the staff are being engaged to sign up for the service,” he added.

He said the trial would be conducted with a single major employer in the financial services sector, which he said he cannot as yet name, but would announce the name of the company as soon as the trial kicks off.

In January Coetzee told Ventureburn that within a 15km radius of the city centre those using the platform will be able to pay less than the combined cost of petrol and monthly staff parking. If one were to remove the parking subsidy offered by the corporate, this radius would grow to 30km.

Read more: GoMetro wants to help firms generate millions from freeing up parking spaces

Though flx aims to offer employees a more affordable alternative to get to work, Coetzee in November pointed out that his company had no intention to “take on the minibus tax industry for their customers”.

At the time he said while the costs for flx rides will be equivalent to those of a minibus taxis, “it is a very different market and operating areas than minibus taxis”.

Read more: Exclusive: GoMetro ride-sharing service to take on Uber, Taxify, tackle congestion

Featured image: GoMetro’s flx app (Supplied)