GoMyWay.com Offers Cheap, Fun and Safe Way To Travel

Like many other developing nations, transportation is increasingly becoming a challenge in Nigeria that requires innovative solutions. More rural areas are growing into urban. Traffic congestion, parking difficulties, and poor motorable roads have become some of the major issues that many people lament.

Against this the backdrop, GoMyWay, a ride-sharing marketplace connecting passengers with ride owners going along the same route and/or have empty seats to spare - is offering a cheap, fun and safe solutions to this challenge.

Launched in June 2015 with over $70,000 funding from investors to develop the car-pooling infrastructure, GoMyWay offers passengers the cheapest and most convenient way to travel on long-distance trips across the country or simply to commute within your city. The platform has so far attracted over 1,500 members.

In a chat with the media yesterday, Managing Director and Co-founder of GoMyWay, Damilola Teidi said the essence of the solution is to create a green environment with multifaceted transport systems and build a community spirit, where people who live in the same neighborhood get to know much about each other, while even on a journey.

Damilola Teidi

“At GoMyWay, we believe travelling should be cheap, fun and safe, and we have built this platform to ensure it is. This is not another taxi service. It is simply regular people using their resources in a smarter way,” she explained.

Commenting on safety measures the company has in place, Damilola said the GoMyWay community is safe as the company has put in place different verification levels for all members and a dedicated support team to monitor activities on the platform.

"We have put different verification levels in place including valid ID verification. The more verification you have done, the more likely it is that your request to join someone’s ride will be accepted or that other people will join your ride. We also have a support team to monitor activities on the platform. Of course as time goes on, we will continue to build on this.

"We also have ratings and reviews so the community self regulates and this creates interpersonal trust. There’s also automated reviews in place. For example, if you delete your ride when you have bookings, you will get an automatic bad review.

"A co-travelers pays a ride owner an agreed contribution that will help cover some of the travel expenses - for example fuel costs. Asides significantly reducing the travel costs whether as a passenger or ride owner, you get to make new friends, meet potential business partners and conveniently arrive at your destination. In addition, you get to contribute to protecting the environment", she said.

Price Control
When you offer a ride, the platform calculates a recommended price based on the “GoMyWay formula” which takes into account fuel cost and distance.

Opportunities to Negotiate
Ride owners are free to charge lesser or higher than the recommended price. However, there’s a maximum limit as the service was not built for profit-making ventures or taxi services.

Verification
There are 4 verification levels in place. The higher the verification level, the more likely it is that people will share a ride with that member.

Car Preference
Members can set their car preferences (e.g no smoking) so others know what to expect.

Ratings
After a ride, you can leave ratings and reviews on your co-travelers profile page.

SMS Notification
Members get notified of activities on their profile or messages from other members by email and more importantly, SMS.