ImotaCars, a ride booking service has been well received in the country, attracting about 7000 users since its launch last year in May.
The service, started by a Bulawayo born entrepreneur, is currently operating in Harare and will be coming to Bulawayo soon.
The business model operates in a similar manner to Uber Technologies Inc, a peer-to-peer ride sharing, food delivery, and transportation Network Company headquartered in San Francisco, California, with operations in 633 cities worldwide.
The UK based entrepreneur, Wayne Moyo (27) said ImotaCars has had a tremendous uptake and more users are expected as the service gains traction in the country.
ImotaCars recently added a website in addition to its application to ensure that even those without smart phones can book their rides. The application, which is available online for iOS and Android, allows users to book rides in a short space of time and enables them to track their driver’s location.
“The uptake of ImotaCars has been brilliant. Since our launch in May, we gained an amazing following and a vast customer base. We found that a lot of users really found our service useful and that is what we are all about at ImotaCars Services,” Moyo said.
Through ImotaCars, Moyo has managed to create employment for locals in a country with more than an estimated 90% unemployment rate and has called on more drivers to join the team.
Entrepreneurs have been seen as the country’s future in driving economic growth and employment creation.
Moyo identified lack of technology and the cost of data in the country as one of the major setbacks in their business.
He said the company has plans to expand technology and implement more affordable and accessible forms of data in the country.
“We believe that in this day and age, the ability to access data will enable a lot more businesses to develop and that everyday tasks will be much easier. We hope to pilot those,” he said.
Zimbabwe has one of the highest data tariffs in Africa
Moyo was born Bulawayo and moved to the UK in 2001. He said he ventured into business when he was 18 and started his own graphics design company at the age of 22.