Former roommates develop City One transport app

Getting to and from work is expensive and time-consuming while gridlock is a problem in most of South Africa’s big cities.

This is the problem Gugulethu Mhlanga and Simphiwe Kuse set out to solve with an app that could transform the lives of thousands of commuters. Their solution is a ride-sharing app called City One which can used in Johannesburg and Cape Town initially .

City One is a service designed to offer a viable alternative to the daily commute in a self-driven vehicle. It operates much like any other call-a-cab system except you share your ride with others.

You tell City One what time you expect to leave, from where, and your destination. City One then links you to others in your vicinity who’re travelling at the same time in the same general direction, then the next thing you’re sharing the space and the fare.

The app boasts of big savings, being better for the environment and the elimination of parking hassles.

The City One driver has been subjected to a number of stringent tests; for driving ability, character and trustworthiness. There are no charges involved in booking, you pay when you ride and may cancel, without charge, in advance, for any trips you can’t make.

Mhlanga and Kuse share a deep-seated belief that they can help decrease rush hour traffic congestion by building a commuting culture, while helping people reduce their travel costs. Average fares are significantly lower than the cost of driving your own vehicle, yet high enough to give the driver a fair income on top of the costs of fuel, maintenance and taxes.

The two met when they were sharing a room at the University of Cape Town and are passionate about improving the quality of African lives through technology. They believe young people, from any background, can learn how to code and if many young people are taught the skill of coding, they can go on to establish their own companies that might solve many of Africa’s biggest struggles.

“I struggled to understand coding for about two years but with persistence, I eventually got it,” said Mhlanga.

“I spent nights googling how to build all sorts of apps; a calculator, a budgeting app and a few games among them.

The most important thing I took away from the process was that programming is learnt much faster through building projects than trying to grasp the syntax.”

Download the passenger app here. If you’d like to become a driver register here.

Are you launching an app to help make people’s lives easier? Email details of the project to naidines@caxton.co.za