Drive.SG launches mobile app to reach wider audience

• Launched in late 2011; by mid-2013, 60% of customers were accessing portal via smartphones
• Geo-location feature allows Drive.SG to recommend nearest car rental agency for convenience

SINGAPORE’S online car rental marketplace Drive.SG has launched a mobile app for the iOS and Android platforms, saying it would better meet the needs of its customers as well as tap the mobile growth of its car rental service.
 
The app was developed with feedback from customers and car rental partners, and has been optimised for smaller mobile screens, the company said in a statement.
 
Drive.SG first launched its website in September 2011. By mid-2013, it realised that 60% of its customers were accessing the website portal via their smartphones. It leveraged on a partnership with Silicon Straits Saigon, which worked with the team to co-develop the mobile app.
 
Drive.SG’s mobile app is set to deliver a better experience for mobile users who wish to rent cars, using its online platform, the company said in a statement.
 
Another advantage of the mobile app is that it includes a new geo-location feature. This allows Drive.SG to recommend the nearest car rental agency, which makes the car pick-up and drop-off convenient.
 
“I prefer to use my mobile phone when renting a car on Drive.SG’s site, mainly because I book my car late at night,” user Muhammad Asri Mailah (pic above) said in a statement issued by Drive.SG.
 
“This is when the day has slowed down and I have the time to view different cars, in discussion with my wife. So the launch of Drive.SG’s mobile app is great for me,” said Muhammad, the first customer to book a car through the mobile app.
 
Drive.SG said it currently sells about 2,000 car rental days per month. Incubated by NUS Enterprise, the company is located within the National University of Singapore’s School of Computing incubator.  In January, it announced it had closed a S$200,000 seed round with private investor John Tan, according to e27.
 
Car rental businesses like Avis, Sixt, Eurokars and 30 other partners have come on board Drive.SG’s platform, to market and sell car rental services to drivers in Singapore. These customers include both local drivers, as well as overseas visitors.
 
“At Drive.SG, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our service, with new features and services that improve customers’ experience,” said cofounder said Paul Tan, not to be confused with the Malaysian Paul Tan who is behind the automotive portal bearing his name.
 
“… with our newly-launched mobile app, we hope to see a strong growth in our business, and are targeting to reach some 5,000 car rental days per month by the end of 2014,” he added.
 
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