Moovn vs Uber

With the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter movement, Black businesses and companies are beginning to experience a turnaround. The movement has revealed some of the long-buried dehumanizing experiences faced by some blacks in the United States. It has revealed the long-concealed hatred level against the blacks simply because of their skin color. One of the black businesses that have suffered some setbacks is the Moovn ridesharing company. In a statement by the CEO Godwin Gabriel, he says that  

"We're proud to stand in solidarity with the BLACK LIVES MATTER Movement at this pinnacle moment of time. We've all witnessed the injustices committed towards black people in America and globally. It saddens me to acknowledge that it took the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other victims of racial violence and police brutality, to finally realize that something urgently has to be done. It's also a pivotal time for all who bear hate in their hearts to deeply reflect within and ask themselves this one fundamental question; why are my tears your joy?...

As a black man and father of 3, I live with the same fears that have been shared by many of us in the black community for decades. I can't even begin to list the countless experiences of racism I've personally encountered in the nearly 30 years of living in this country. Talking about racism with my kids is often too painful to bear and too common in black families as if it is our given birthright. The fear of harm to our loved ones is so real that my 13-year-old son has a GPS monitor on his phone to track his whereabouts whenever he goes out on a bike ride - even around our own neighborhood. No parent and no human being should live with such fears, especially in a free country that fiercely promotes the notion of equality and justice for all.

Moovn Technologies is proudly black-owned and we are very much aware that almost 99% of driver-partners on our platform in the US are black men and women. The company's CEO revealed.  

A brief history of Moovn Ridesharing company

Godwin Gabriel hails from Tanzania. At 17, he migrated to the United States in search of a greener pasture. Godwin revealed that he doesn't have any background in Technology. All that he knows in technology are a product of his passion and interest. Godwin taught himself the different aspects of technology before finally creating the Moovn app. his educational background is in finance.

Moovn was created out of his passion to build an African ridesharing company. “It wasn’t until we received investor backing that I was able to hire and collaborate with a team of seasoned developers to transform the platform into what we have today,” Godwin said in an interview with UrbanGeekz.

Before Moovn came to light, Gabriel was an unemployed young man with an MBA at the Foster School of Business. He revealed that his mother has always been his advisor and supporter. Her belief in him was part of the reasons why she sent him to the United States to study. While his area of study could not fetch him much, she urged him to continue to persevere. She also urged him into creating a job for himself if getting one is a problem.

In 2015, Moovn ridesharing app was launched in Seattle.

What Made Moovn Different

One of the major key differentiation between Moovn and other ride-sharing apps is the ease at which passengers can book their ride. A major factor considered while building the app is that passengers usually have more than one ride-sharing apps to commute. As a result, switching between apps is often a cognitive load. The Moovn app's interface is very easy to work with. 

With Moovn app, passengers can easily book a ride for up to a month and the payment is made directly through the app. Also, the price charge for their service is relatively low when compared to other ride-sharing apps. 

How Moovn pay its drivers in comparison to Uber

When compared to Uber and Lyft whose commission begins from 20 percent upward, Moovn's commission is relatively low. Also, Moovn does not cut any commission when there is a price surge. Rather the company encourages their customer to tip their drivers through the app. 

The company revealed that it caters to the need of their drivers and put the drivers' interest first. "We put the driver first,” said Godwin Gabriel, founder, and CEO, in a phone interview. “As long as we do, he or she will go the extra mile for the customer…the driver is our biggest stakeholder.” He sees other platforms as “pushing the driver to the curb.”

Gabriel went to say, “Drivers are getting paid well on our platform. We only take a 10-15 commission…we are looking at going even lower. At any time, the driver maintains 85-90% of the fare, not including tip. You hear all of these issues about drivers being disenfranchised, marginalized. They don’t earn enough on other platforms.” For lack of a better word, Gabriel explained, many drivers told him it was like “modern-day slavery.”

Added to this, the company recently introduced an affiliate partner program for its drivers. When a driver introduces a customer to the company's service through the company's code, the customer gets a discount and the driver also gets a discount from the customer's fare. This way, drivers become revenue sharers in the company.

Moovn rideshare is guided by a principle, " if you treat the workforce right, they'll treat your customer better. 

One of the drivers in the company, Shamarke Goodir says “Godwin is a young man, he’s a gentleman… He created this app from an opportunity. He’s doing hard work to make every worker happy.” 

Goodir has worked in transportation since he moved to the U.S. from Somalia in 1996. With his experience in the business, Goodir knows a good leader when he sees one.

Also, Moovn accepts multiple payment types like Credit, Debit, M-Pesa, and Cash.

Moonv current status

Like Uber and Lyft, Moovn makes use of both luxury cars, town cars, and rickshaws. The business has extended to more than 10 cities in the United State and more than 40 in African countries. In one of the CEO statements in 2017, he stated that by 2020, Moovn is expected to have at least 40,000 users. 

As of this period, the company has 1,800 drivers in Seattle alone including 1,600 town cars and high-end black car drivers. Moovn is also available in New York, Chicago, and Boston. 

The company currently partners with Vodacom and Toyota

Moovn sees itself as an ally to users as well. Unlike Lyft and Uber, the service “doesn’t have surge pricing, which doesn’t sit well with consumers,” Gabriel said. 

With the incessant Uber scandal and the exorbitant price charged for their service, using the black-owned ridesharing app is another way to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement and help the company grow.