By 2030, the United Nations projects that there will be 43 megacities (cities with in the world more than 10M inhabitants), and that most of them will be in developing regions. Some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than 1M inhabitants, many of them located in Asia and Africa. While one in eight people live in 33 megacities worldwide, close to half of the world’s urban population reside in much smaller cities with less than 500,000 inhabitants.
If we compare car ownership from one continent to another, we see some very clear disparity. For instance, in the US, 820 of 1,000 people own a vehicle versus 500 of 1,000 in Europe. But in India, 64% of the top 1% household income own a vehicle and 38% among the top 10% which shows a notable disparity in vehicle ownership even among wealthier households. Ultimately, urbanization is a global challenge that should be understood and modernised, and the application of technology and data is leading this change.
Founded in 2015 and based in London and Cape Town, WhereIsMyTransport is a leading digital company using data and technology to improve mass public transport in emerging markets. The company announced a $7.5M (£5.8M) Series A round by Global Innovation Fund, Goodwell Investments, Google, Nedbank, Liil Ventures, and Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC).
WhereIsMyTransport observed that mobility is a crucial force in driving social, political, and economic growth. Across the majority of the globe, it remains a critical stumbling block for billions of people living without reliable access to formal public transport services. They depend instead on vast, informal transport networks that often operate in unsafe areas. The absence of information about these services makes them unreliable and unpredictable.
WhereIsMyTransport is on a mission to change that and is using data and technology to develop solutions to this problem giving people in developing countries the basic freedom of movement they need to be able to improve their circumstances.
The money invested will enable WhereIsMyTransport to further capitalise on its market-leading position by extending its global reach, scaling its data-collection, and developing new technology to translate complex data into useful information for commuters in the world’s fastest-growing low- and middle-income cities.
"We make the invisible visible, by collecting all kinds of data related to public transport, and turning the data into information that can be shared with the people who need it most. In emerging markets, the mobility ecosystem is complex; informal public transport doesn’t behave like formal public transport. Data and technology solutions that work well in London or San Francisco wouldn’t make anything like the same impact, if any at all, in the cities where we work. Our solutions are designed specifically to overcome these contextual challenges. Bringing these investors together to support our mission is not only an honour but real proof that we are building something meaningful and remarkable in the majority world." - Devin de Vries, CEO of WhereIsMyTransport’s
New product innovation is paramount for WhereIsMyTransport. The company has developed the world’s foremost mobility data collection practice for emerging markets, including a suite of custom tools designed specifically for capturing and processing data in complex public transport ecosystems. With more than 750,000 km of routes in 39 cities, WhereIsMyTransport has more mobility data in emerging markets than any other organisation. The company’s integrated mobility hub translates formal and informal public transport data into information for citizens, governments, and third parties.
“Nedbank CIB is at the forefront of investing in disruptive technologies that are able to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives - including smart city initiatives that leverage Nedbank’s strategy of financing our infrastructure, transport and logistics clients. WhereIsMyTransport is a leading provider of sustainable transit solutions in complex urban environments. Our investment will support the company’s expansion into key African regions, and we will use our network and our influence on the continent to unlock new corporate partnerships." - Janade Du Plessis, Head of Alternative Investments and Venture Capital at Nedbank
