Company Name: Stuck
Announcement Date: 08/11/2016
Announcement Category: Other
Announcement Content:
Stuck: new roadside breakdown service app based on Uber model
By Kathryn Diss - ABC News Perth
A small team of Perth entrepreneurs has developed a mobile phone app for providing on-demand roadside assistance, which has no up-front costs and charges customers only when they use the service.
Greg Brown is one of the founders of Stuck — which he said worked in a similar fashion to Uber and was aimed at the 40 per cent of drivers without roadside assistance memberships.
"The idea is that it's cheaper, faster hopefully than others and there's no planning required, you just download it when you're stuck", he said.
That means, the customer only pays for a service when they use it, rather than forking out a yearly subscription fee for assistance they might never seek.
"As a customer, you log on, you give us your car rego details, and we're able to get all the information in relation to your vehicle, Mr Brown explained.
"We then match that with local after-market service providers, who can do a tyre change, a battery, you've locked your keys out of your car or if it's a mechanical issue, we'll find you the right person for that."
Once a local service provider is allocated to the job, the customer's registered credit card or PayPal account is charged a $64 call-out fee.
The repairer can be tracked by the customer live through the app and aims to reach the break-down within 15 minutes of notification.
The owner of Bridgestone Tyres in Victoria Park, Justin Van Camp was one of the more than 150 service providers signed up to the program.
He said it was a good way to broaden the service his company provides.
"From what I've been told RAC (The Royal Automobile Club of WA) has got quite a majority stake hold on that kind of work so it just gives the small person a chance I think", he said.
Technology consultant Andy Lamb said the shift was a sign of things to come.
"Technology is being used as a facilitator between parties, so we don't have to have businesses that build that infrastructure anymore we can actually use technology to facilitate the connections," he said.
Mr Lamb said he expected the software would take off the same way Uber had with the public.
"You don't have to have all the corporate infrastructure and the guidance and the processes in there which ultimately lead to a higher price for the consumer", he said.
RAC, which is the state's largest provider of subscription based roadside assistance, declined to comment on the new service.
Allianz Global Assistance, which has provided roadside assistance for over 20 years, also moved into the space of on-demand assistance, launching a new company called 'gotU'.
The Stuck app is expected to be available within a fortnight.
Announcement URL: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-08/new-roadside-breakdown-service-app-stuck/8006874
About Stuck:
Stuck? Get fast on-demand roadside assistance.
Fast, reliable and affordable help from approved local experts when your car is stuck.
We connect local automotive specialists with people who need help. No insurance-style memberships, no crazy joining fees.
Go to Company Profile for: Stuck
Announcement Contact: [email protected]
