Andrea Chase is the founder and CEO of the taxi app: ProCabby LTD - an entrepreneur on a mission to disrupt the already disrupted, and bring the many benefits of technology to the taxicab industry. The irony here? Technology was responsible for the original disruption! The difference with Andrea’s approach? She’s using technology for good. To give back. And to lift up SO MANY cabbies who, in 2009, began to lose a huge portion of their livelihoods to ridesharing apps.
The Dawn of Uber
Uber was launched in San Francisco back in 2009 (which kind feels like a hundred years ago, doesn’t it??). A company not without scandals and legal problems (read all about it, here), Uber (and competitors like Lyft and others) quickly became a thorn in the side of taxi drivers everywhere. Ridesharing is cheaper than taking a traditional cab ride, and drivers really only need a cell phone and to pass bare-minimum security checks. As one piece of research noted, “On the whole, ordering an Uber or Lyft can be significantly less expensive compared with more traditional alternatives, threatening established employers’ revenue gains.” (italics mine)
Toronto alone saw, between 2011 and 2016, a decrease of “…a total of $63 million in surplus for taxicab consumers, mainly due to a decrease in demand for taxicab services…” Add to this the flexibility of work, job satisfaction, and job stability for taxicab drivers ALL being negatively impacted since the onslaught of ridesharing apps, and it’s clear that all was not well in the “livery” industry.
Turning Traditional Industries on their Heads, Using Technology
Last week I talked about the trucking industry, and how one innovative young entrepreneur was dragging it kicking and screaming (ok, I might be exaggerating just a bit!) into the 20th century using technology. He recognized a need, and decided to fill it. Well, the same goes for Andrea, except in her case, she was inspired by what a member of her family was going through.
“I actually have a close family member in Ottawa, who's been a taxi driver for over 30 years now. And he is an immigrant, came to Canada, and his story rings very true to a lot of drivers, not just in Canada, but globally, where they may be in a position where they can't work in their field anymore, so they turn to the taxi industry. And that's just what he did. And he bought his medallion at the beginning of his career in taxi with the intent to sell that off as a nice little nest egg for retirement. That's typically what happens. But we have the Ubers and Lyfts come just sweeping right in there, disrupting the industry [and] completely turning it on its head. And what you're left with is a whole whack of drivers with these medallions that now have very little value, and they can't really afford to retire. I saw that open door as an opportunity. Because of this family member and going, ‘You know, this is not right, this person has dedicated 30 plus years to an industry and can't even afford to retire, and really can't afford to work either!’ So being a purveyor of taxis myself, personally, I wanted to bring some of the skin back to the taxi industry.”
Of course, not everyone is comfortable with ridesharing. They might have safety concerns, or prefer not to be in a vehicle with other passengers (especially now, with Covid-19!). But they DO want the convenience of a “one stop shop” to book a ride, pay for it online, and track its arrival. ProCabby is a great way to bring the two groups – professional taxi drivers and their riders – together.
“It's not a hard sell to the drivers necessarily - the drivers know that they need something. on the consumer side, I think that when you really educate the consumers about the true situation, and the depths of despair that the drivers are facing, most times people respond with, ‘You know, I didn't even think about that.’ And it's not, it's not a negative thing, necessarily, but they just never thought of it. So usually, once that conversation is open, or through some of our marketing materials, people start going, ‘Hey, you know, these drivers really do need some help. And we would love to be able to support that, because what you're left with is all these people who can't support themselves or their families!’ And I think, you know, generally people want to help other people, but they need to be given the chance to do that.”
And while the app only launched two years ago – the company is quickly expanding globally. I hope you’ll have a listen – yet another super-bright, giving, entrepreneur – and another soon to be member of the Self Made Nation!
Elevated Conversations… Think WHO not HOW. Think WHO not What.
Before I go, I wanted to remind you of Elevated Conversations. Coming up on February 8th, we’re focused on “The Science Behind Drafting Your Company’s Dream Team - and Why it’s a KEY Component of Business Success.”
This roundtable will explore “do it all’ism” – let’s face it, most of us are guilty of it! When starting a business, entrepreneurs usually end up doing it all – myriad tasks and roles, when in reality we're likely only skilled at a few. In fact, our zone of genius may only lie in one or two.
So, it begs the questions: Are you holding yourself back? Are you holding your business back? Because you're stuck in the “how” of getting things done? And aren’t exploring the “who.”
You need to start filling those “genius gaps” with the right people and let them get to work helping you build (or improve upon) your empire.
Hope to see you there – click HERE for more information and a link to register! You can also direct message me on LinkedIn, or send me an email, and I’ll get back to you.
Plus, if you’re an entrepreneur looking to exit, or you’re at the helm of a thriving business or startup, I would love to talk with you about your stories! You can drop me a line here.
And watch this space for more details about future Elevated Conversations.