Entrepreneurship Proposal - PeerPool
1. Introduction
Transportation to and from school, colleges, and universities is a problem for students all across the globe. To solve this issue, we propose a simple solution: a unified website where students and staff, drivers and passengers, can find others to carpool with.
2. Problem
Finding transportation to and from educational institutions can be expensive and time-consuming. It may take upwards of thirty minutes to find drivers on services such as Uber, InDrive, and Yango. These services often cost more than driving yourself, and they can be unsafe as they cannot verify the identity of their drivers.
Meanwhile, student drivers face the issue of rising fuel prices that they cannot afford. Both of these problems can be solved by a single solution: carpooling.
3. Solution
Carpooling between students is a quick and safe alternative to taxi services or apps. It allows students to ride along with others headed to the same destination, saving money and fuel costs.
Our website addon, PeerPool, would allow student drivers and riders to connect and schedule pick-up and drop-off at their university/school ahead of time. Universities can integrate our service into their website, allowing students and staff to carpool based on their needs, saving costs, reducing gas emissions, and saving time.
4. Market Gap
While many apps advertise taxi services like Uber and InDrive, drivers on these apps are rarely traveling to the same destination as their passengers.
Carpooling services are sometimes advertised on university and school notice boards, but most people are unaware of them.
PeerPool fills the niche for a centralized hub for carpooling services, allowing drivers to advertise themselves and passengers to choose drivers based on timing and destination.
5. Features
PeerPool will include:
- Driver/Passenger Search: Users can search for drivers or passengers based on location and schedule.
- Pickup and Drop-off Scheduling: Students can coordinate times to avoid missing their ride.
- Client Safety: Students can choose to be dropped off near their homes without revealing exact addresses.
- Registration and Verification: Mandatory university-based registration for user verification.
- Price Selection: Drivers can set their prices within limits set by PeerPool.
- Administrator Access: University administrators can ban users, set price ranges, and make announcements.
6. Business Model
- Peer-to-Peer: Drivers broadcast themselves and customers choose their ride.
- Software as a Service (SaaS): Seamless integration into existing university ERP systems.
7. Traction/Milestones
- MVP: A bulletin board displaying driver information, destination, departure time, and available seats.
- Web Application & Plugin: Plugin integration into ERP systems (like Qalam and Flex).
- Mobile Application: Launch on Google Play Store and Apple App Store, with login via university credentials.
8. Competitive Landscape
Carpooling is not very popular in Pakistan. Most ride-sharing startups target the general public with apps setting fixed prices.
| Company | Audience | Reviews/Downloads | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BlaBlaCar | General (India) | 3.7 ⭐ 100M+ | Safe and trusted, city/intercity coverage | Poor UI/UX, Poor reviews |
| Lyft | General (USA) | 4.7 ⭐ 50M+ | Excellent service, safe, trusted | Expensive |
| Easy Lif | General (Pakistan) | 3.0 ⭐ 1K+ | Cheap, city/intercity coverage | Poor marketing |
| PeerPool | Students (Pakistan) | - | Cheap, safe, trusted | Limited coverage |
9. Go-to-Market Strategy
- Announcement Pages: Use university web pages and student portals (e.g., Qalam, Flex) and WhatsApp communities/groups.
- Word of Mouth: Students sharing positive experiences to encourage others.
10. Team Details
- Ahmed Raza: UI/UX Designer
- Abdullah Uppal: Marketing and Sales
- Faizan Ejaz: Front-end Developer / Website Administrator
- Muhammad Abdullah: Founder / Business Planning and Strategy
- Syed Muhammad Irtaza Hyder: Team Leader / Product Management
- Muhammad Taimoor Azam: Backend Development and Programming
11. Financials / Projections
Cost Breakdown
| Objective | Budget Allocation (%) |
|---|---|
| PeerPool Design & Implementation | 45% |
| Webpage Design | 10% |
| Coding | 35% |
| Marketing/Advertising | 25% |
| - Advertising the Addon | 19% |
| - Campaign Costs | 6% |
| Beta Testing | 20% |
| - Hiring Beta Testers | 15% |
| - Testing Rounds | 5% |
| Miscellaneous | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Revenue Streams
- Subscription service for universities and schools.
- Advertisements on the PeerPool website.
Future Projections
- First Year: Sell to at least five universities.
- First Five Years: Cover Islamabad universities and expand to other cities in Punjab.
12. The Ask
To make PeerPool a reality, we require:
- Surveys among students and staff
- Funding for development and marketing
- Marketing funds for awareness
- A small user sample for testing
- Technical and market-focused guidance
13. The Vision
Our goal is to provide students with an affordable, safe way to commute. PeerPool aims to reduce commute stress, save the environment, and reduce travel costs without compromising student safety.
With PeerPool, we envision a better-connected, safer, and stronger campus community across the world.