Popular Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke, is all set to embark on his most challenging adventure ever. The ace Nollywood actor has announced a new on-demand chauffeur service called, Mr Taxi.
The new company is expected to kick off operations on October 5, with Mr Iyke as CEO.
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It is a challenging move for the Nollywood actor as the on-demand car service industry has a (slight) high barrier for new entrants. Not only must the technology be highly efficient and stable, but the cost of hosting and marketing the service are no walk in the park.
But Mr. Iyke says he is not discouraged by the challenges even as a new player. “I am extremely proud of this platform”, he says. According to an Instagram post, Mr. Taxi is a set for takeoff in October. And for its launch, the startup shares that it has bought 17 cars for the get-go. Also, there are other 54 cars registered by other drivers on the service.
This sounds a lot interesting, –Mr. Taxi will operate in the South East Region of Nigeria when it launches. This includes states like Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi states.
This seems quite an app. While Taxify and Uber already dominate the Nigerian on-demand car service market, they have largely only operated in two locations: Lagos and Abuja. Mr. Taxi, however, is eyeing the nascent markets and says it will expand further into the South-South region shortly after launching.
An expansion in this direction will keep Mr. Taxi away from a direct competition with Uber and Taxify. With their billion-dollar valuations, these companies can effectively destroy new competition. So it’s best to steer off their path.
Yet, there’s no guarantee that these markets will be receptive to the innovation. But only time will tell.
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