100,000 Down, Many More to Go: Bus-Hailing Platform, PlentyWaka Hits Milestone in 6 Months of Operation
PlentyWaka, a Lagos-based bus-hailing platform, has hit a major milestone after completing 100,000 in a period of just 6 months. This good news was shared by the startup on Twitter.
The platform was launched in September 2019 by Crowdyvest, the venture arm of agritech startup, Farmcrowdy.
PlentyWaka, just like other public bus hailing platforms, allows users to schedule their rides from their preferred locations to their destination with an assurance of safety, comfort and convenience. This provides a convenient means of daily commute for Lagosians at affordable rates compared to ride-hailing startups.
At its launch, the platform had 25 buses, 25 pilots, 50 Vehicle assistants, and less than 10 staff, plying the CMS to Ajah route. Since then the platform has grown to over 53 vehicles (which includes Minivans, 13-seater buses, and coaster buses), 53 pilots and over 55 vehicle assistants.
Schemes that have played an active part in this infrastructure growth include its Vehicle Partnership Scheme which is designed for Nigerians who wish to partner with the ride-hailing company with their vehicles. The platform also recently signed a deal with Cars45 to provide vehicles for Nigerians who wish to invest in PlentyWaka’s business.
The company has also expanded from its launch route to other routes. The platform now plies CMS to Abraham Adesanya, Awoyaya and Eko Hotels routes.
The 100,000 total rides in about 180 days have come from its 30,000 unique registered riders and an average of 1500+ ride bookings recorded daily by the company.
Its mobile app has also been downloaded over 36,000 times across the various stores platforms.
As of now, PlentyWaka seems to be the only thriving bus hailing platform in Lagos. Other players, which should be competitors, have not made any stride. OPay’s OBus is currently not running following operational challenges. Others like Staffbus.ng haven’t made any impact since launch while SWVL is yet to launch.
