OUR STORY
Transport is the arterial network of an economy
Transforming Ride-Hailing in South Africa
It all started in 2016 with one person working out of a tiny office who had left a company that exclusively held the license to launch Bolt (formally known as Taxify) in South Africa. This company had done so for two years, but experienced little success. This was because some of the ride hailing platform was modeled on some traditional european elements using a dispatch center – to get a taxi you call a number and one is dispatched to your location. This was not working and, despite the many challenges, we could still see the huge potential of providing this kind of service in South Africa. It just needed a different approach to make Bolt one of the largest competitors to Uber in the world. The timing was perfect. Bolt was considering exiting the market and consolidating their strategy. Fortunately we came into the picture with a completely different approach, lots of energy and a vision.
At the heart of the industry were drivers, and encouraging them to join the Bolt platform was tricky given the competitive nature of the market. What we found was that drivers needed the sense that the people behind the company were invested in their success. So we started an academy where training and education would be at the heart of each driver’s journey. With this, The Raspberry Academy (Raspberry) was born. Driver onboarding started shortly thereafter and we worked hand-in-hand with Bolt to provide opportunities to as many people as possible so that everyone could grow together. Training included roleplay, questions and answers, existing challenges when getting started and how to use the platform effectively to make an income. Bolt’s administrative system was made available to Raspberry and, at this stage, we were in charge of managing nearly the entire onboarding life cycle of a driver – from getting interest, registration, to completing a first trip, all the way to managing their driver ticket system. The business flourished.
Being at ground level allowed us to identify challenges for all participants – drivers, suppliers and Bolt itself. This gave us vital intelligence which we transformed into insight and inputs that changed not only our systems and processes but Bolt’s as well. This mutually beneficial partnership created an atmosphere of growth and eagerness to help each other. During this time we also identified pain points beyond Bolt’s core operations. The two biggest were compliance and passenger liability insurance. With the former, we developed digital tools to streamline the compliance process by removing the logistic component of completing these tasks. With the latter insurance pain point, we served in an advisory role to ensure the right partners were selected for smoothing compliance and increasing throughput.
We rocketed through the years despite many challenges including changes in leadership, disruption in the industry, covid lock downs, violence and strike action.
Raspberry’s success primarily comes from finding simple solutions to complex problems. We have actively worked in this industry for almost a decade to ensure that our client’s processes are optimized by rapidly changing systems and information gathering. This is achieved by interrogating data and information supplied from our digital systems as well as human resources located around the country.
As a partner, Raspberry goes beyond its mandate and frequently gets involved in an advisory capacity on large projects where mistakes would be costly. The right partnerships can be a catalyst for growth. By nurturing these relationships, bilateral partnerships can begin to rely on each other for new ideas, insights and expertise that can impact business performance and provide market insights. Raspberry is an agile partner who can respond rapidly to new ideas, strategies and opportunities that drive growth.
By working with Raspberry, you will find us to be a key and strategic partner in your onboarding, processing, optimisation and market determination. Many of the benefits provided to clients may be derived from Raspberry’s owner-driven approach to business. Our success is driven and connected by the value we create for our clients in a rapid and engaging manner.
Our Core Values
Raspberry’s success is underpinned by core values that drive every aspect of our operations, ensuring exceptional service delivery and client satisfaction.
Benefits of Partnering with Raspberry
Partnering with Raspberry offers numerous advantages, driving growth, efficiency, and market leadership for our clients.
- Rapid Response to New Ideas and Opportunities
- Strategic Advisory Services for Large Projects
- Data-Driven Insights for Informed Decision-Making