Competition for Ola, Uber? MoveInSync to foray into ride-hailing space

The company will launch its service in Bengaluru next month and focus only on office-going people with fixed schedules

MoveInSync, a Bengaluru-based technology startup that develops transportation software and offers those as a service to large companies, is now foraying into the ride-hailing space, a segment dominated by giants like Ola and Uber. However, MoveInSync has decided to target its services only to office-goers, not the broader market.

Deepesh Agarwal, co-founder and chief executive of MoveInSync, told Business Standard that the service, to be launched in March, would be 25-50 per cent cheaper than the fares charged by Uber and Ola.

“Forget surge pricing, it is difficult even to get a cab around peak hours like 9 am,” said Agarwal. “Employees want to reach office in a predictable manner. We are solving that reliability problem.”

Unlike Uber and Ola, which provide on-demand service, MoveInSync would provide a scheduled transportation system for workers with fixed timings. Employees could directly pay for the service, instead of their employers. If there is any change in schedule, they need to give a heads-up four hours earlier using the MoveInSync app.

The company, which is running a pilot project in Bengaluru, plans to launch the service with about 1,000 cabs on its platform including models such as Toyota Etios and Maruti Suzuki Dzire.

According to Agarwal, the company manages the employee transportation needs of more than 75 clients, including those of companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Wipro across 20 cities. On an average day, the company manages 100,000 rides benefitting around 300,000 employees using over 30,000 cabs to almost 200 office locations. It provides technology to track employee cab usage records and automated billing with reduced discrepancies, and it has in place safety features for female passengers.

The company’s patented algorithms optimise vehicle utilisation and routing for cabs or buses and that saves clients around 15-20 per cent in employee transportation cost. “An efficient transportation system also leads to higher employee satisfaction and improved safety and compliance,” said Agarwal.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, Agarwal co-founded the company in 2010 along with his batchmate Akash Maheshwari. In his previous role, Agarwal dealt with intelligent transportation systems and wireless communications at Motorola, and Maheshwari worked at tech giant Microsoft.

Agarwal said transportation for employees in the tech sector alone was a $10-billion opportunity. The firm is now planning to also tap traditional industries like manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and the public sector. It also plans to expand into international markets like Southeast Asia, Africa and South America, where it would only provide the technology.