Just when the wave of online ride-hailing services is sweeping across the country, TODA Driver, a new player in the business is destined to be a game changer.
In just two months since going live online, the application has gained instant popularity in Harare’s already congested ride-hailing space.
The service joins a host of other already established players such as Hwindi, G-tax and Vaya in offering digital solutions to the transport challenges affecting the country.
But for TODA, it’s expanding the e-hailing space in the country to bring efficiency in all socio-economic spheres that drives their innovation.
“The Toda idea was simply driven by a passion to bring convenient, efficient and reliable transport solutions to everyone, everywhere. When many other countries in Africa and overseas have already embraced the e-hailing technology, Zimbabwe seemed to have been lagging behind. You only have to have travelled abroad to really understand the necessity that this technology is,” TODA Ride general manager, Nyasha Shereni told 263Chat Business.
Since going live in May this year, the App has managed to attract thousands of users despite the fact that the service is still limited to Harare.
TODA however intends to extend its services to other cities in the short term.
“People now want innovation, they are looking for solutions to problems, which presents opportunities for us to solve. We are confident that Toda can contribute to healthy competition by improving service quality and more opportunities for drivers to make sustainable income,’ added Shereni.
The app which can be downloaded on Google Play Store needs customers to subscribe and enter their status to “Online”.
This then affords the customer the ability to accept a driver’s request who then comes to pick them up at any location in the city. Payment is processed instantly on the platform.
The innovation has created employment for car owners who simply have to register their own vehicles on the platform with strict compliance to roadworthiness for the safety of customers.
However, growing a service that is not only in its infancy in a market but is already congested by other competitors remains the biggest challenge for TODA.
“We are beginning to see a surge in the number of rides on our platform and we are certain that the future is bright not just for TODA but for the nation at large,” said Shereni.
But with the country’s digital space growing, the future certainly lies in smart solutions that impact communities in positive ways, for apps like TODA the sky can only be the limit.
