The social distancing rules and confinement implemented by Latin American governments facing the Covid-19 arrival in early 2020, opened the doors to digitalization expansion in the region.
Under this scenario, Venezuela witnessed the birth of Ridery, the first transportation application to establish itself in the country under the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) concept.
Less than a year after its creation, Ridery managed to achieve an average of more than 200,000 monthly trips and to expand to some of the main cities in the country. Both milestones allowed the app to expand its fleet, which now includes everything from motorcycles to armored vehicles.
Offering a vision of the platform’s future and highlighting its roots, the CEO and founder of the software company, Gerson Gómez, spoke exclusively with Latam Mobility’s team.
Is it possible to include electric vehicles in their fleets? What innovations will they present in the medium term? These questions have been answered during the interview.
“Projects are created twice, first in mind and then physically in the world. Thinking and executing is a challenge when there is adversity and even more so as a pioneer in a territory. The pleasure comes when you see that the initiative becomes a solution to a problem, rather than a business.”
Gerson Gomez, Founder and CEO of Ridery
What Reasons Led to the Creation of Ridery?
We believe that digitalization is a timely tool to improve people’s lives, giving them more time and facilities on their daily activities.
Officially, Ridery is born in 2021. But actually, it is a project developed 17 years ago, as a result of an arduous work developed through Ecommerce in Venezuela.
Based on a wide experience in e-commerce through different initiatives that I manage, Ridery was born as a solution to public transportation, cabs and other means of transit, positioning itself as a first necessity tool.
How has Ridery Evolved since April 2021?
In essence, Ridery is the first mobility app in Venezuela, developed on the collaborative economy model, seeking to connect people who want to move around the city or even the country, with a staff willing to provide the service under quality standards characterizing the company.
It was AMAZING! In just nine months, we managed to take the company from zero trips to 120,000 monthly, offering services under different categories, ranging from the most luxurious in armored vans, to transfers on motorcycles, which has turned out to be a great solution for low-income people, where they can save up to 70% on their fare.
To date we have 500,000 registered users, more than 7,000 drivers and countless stories that make Ridery, the first digital option for transportation in Venezuela.
On the other hand, we have been able to expand the model to more than six cities with great success, and this year we will seek to continue covering this large market of more than 30 million people.
Additionally, Ridery managed to break a milestone in the world of technological entrepreneurship in Venezuela, as it became the first 100% national capital venture attracting investments from important banking players in the country, which has opened the door to many entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses.
Do You Have Plans to Offer Transportation with Electric Vehicles?
The issue of electric vehicles is something that has not yet scaled in our country, but we want to be pioneers and are in the process of seeking partnerships with experts worldwide to work with this type of technology.
At present, we are progressively introducing motorcycles to our fleets, a great alternative in cost and time for our users.
What innovations will the company propose for the short and medium term? How do you envision the future?
Ridery plans to scale as a mobility super app. We think that focusing on this sector allows us to provide a great service and solutions. This gives us a competitive advantage over similar companies operating in Venezuelan market, which due to their focus on different activities very different from each other, do not end up providing a service similar to ours.
Our fleet of more than 7000 drivers allows us to innovate on new sectors, such as parcels, collective transfers, sector, cargo, among others.
Mobility gives people the opportunity to achieve their dreams, to connect with what really interests them, and we know that in Latin America there is a lot to do in this sector. Ridery is a company that has proven that it can scale solutions, which has its particularities in the region, and that is where we have been able to make a difference.
Both Internally and Externally, Do You Manage Sustainable and Inclusive Measures in Your Activities?
Ridery was born with three fundamental values: passion for our country and Latin America; service vocation, and entrepreneurial spirit. That is why we do not only manage sustainable and inclusive measures, but they are part of our DNA.
For example, some drivers have hearing and/or speech disabilities, and in cases where we know they can work in compliance with all legal regulations, we grant them access so they can work freely.
