Interviews
3 oct 18

Leopoldo Vieira, Zumpy: B2B car-pooling to kick off in Brazil

In the wake of shared ride-hailing platforms provided by Uber and Waze, there is now a new company in Brazil seeking to make its way into the market by providing low cost rides that offer drivers a chance to earn more than they could with competitors.

With the support of companies such as Orbi Conecta and Localiza, the Brazilian startup Zumpy will be launching its platform for the B2B market shortly. Global fleet visited São Pedro valley in the state of Minas Gerais to talk with director of client success, marketing and sales, Leopoldo Vieira.
 

Global Fleet: First of all, could you tell me a little about Zumpy?

Vieira: Zumpy started about three years ago (2015) with the idea of providing efficient and cost-effective mobility for commuters going to and from their homes and work or university.

When we started, there was a wave of ride-hailing and car sharing apps being developed so we decided to differentiate ourselves by focusing on the idea of car-pooling for routine commuters.

This is not only a more sustainable way of mobility compared to taxi or standard Uber, our shared concept reduces passenger fares while providing a way for drivers to make more money.

We currently have approximately 160,000 customers in Brazil through our B2C platform but we will soon be launching our B2B platform

Global Fleet: So, passengers pay less while drivers make more money. Could you explain the numbers?

Vieira: If you use a standard ride-hailing service, we have calculated that Zumpy’s shared service can cut your mobility expense in half. As for me, I spend about 700 reais (US$179) a month on Uber so you can get an idea of about how much can be saved.

As for drivers, they pick up multiple passengers along the route they already take every day. For us, we see them making around triple than an Uber driver would make.

Global Fleet: Have you thought about using vans?

Vieira: We have looked into that but, according to a University poll we conducted on 10,000 people, we have found that there is some resistance to that concept. We are still looking into the matter.

Orbi co-founder Anna Martins, Global Fleet Latin America editor Daniel Bland, Zumpy marketing director Leopoldo Vieira (Source: Global Fleet) 

Global Fleet: So, you said Zumpy is planning a B2B app?

Vieira: Yes, many workers have fixed hours when going to and from work so the car-pool concept fits in quite well with B2B. Through our system, a professional driver picks up several people at the same time and the cost of transportation could then be split between the employer and employees.

To prepare, we carried out a study on three companies (a startup, a medium-sized firm, and a 40-year-old traditional company) and we found that 8am was the time that most of them wanted to arrive at work.

This is a service that could be implemented into a company’s mobility policy in which the employer could split the cost of the transport with the employee or even pay for 100% of it.

According to our study, many are willing to give up their transportation benefit (locally known as Vale Transport) if they are given this type of service.

I’d also like to highlight that the services is highly focused on drivers as well. Uber, the dominant ride-hailing provider in Brazil, is extremely popular but it commonly receives complaints. We want to capitalize on this by providing an alternative for drivers, providing them with a chance to make more money than before.

Global Fleet: And when will it be launched?

Vieira: Our plan is to launch in October.

 

Authored by: Daniel Bland