Opportunity.
The
large population of college students at the University of Florida without means
of transportation would benefit from an easy to use and accessible ride-sharing
service. Many students on campus have to rely on timely busses or walk from
Point A to Point B. It would be extremely convenient if there was a service
that could link people who are going to the same place. The lack of parking on
the University of Florida campus largely influences the needs of many. While
some students cannot afford a scooter or car, others choose not to purchase or
utilize one due to the lack of available parking spaces across the campus. By
reducing the number of vehicles in use and encouraging individuals to ride
together, more parking spaces and less congestion will be evident on the
University of Florida campus. The market for this product is defined as all
students physically present on the University of Florida campus, without access
to adequate means of transportation. Students without modes of transportation
currently rely solely on the RTS bus system or their own two legs. The busses
can be late, early, or slow and cause you to miss an important class or
meeting. Providing cheap transportation access to students has endless
possibilities and potential and would thrive on the University of Florida
campus. This window of opportunity will be open as long as there are
individuals on campus that rely solely on the out-of-date and overused RTS bus
system. Reducing the number of vehicles and pedestrians on the roads will
reduce the amount of time it takes you to travel to your destination.
Innovation.
The
innovative service I plan to offer is called UberScooter. UberScooter links
individuals who are commuting from one part of the campus to another with
individuals who are interested in doing the same thing but do not have access
to personal transportation vehicles. By creating an app that uses real time
location data to connect prospective riders with available drivers, UberScooter
will drastically cut the amount of time needed to complete a commute. The app
will link directly to your card and pank account, so transactions are cashless
and easy to complete. Our company will profit from this service by taking a
small percentage of each transaction, as well as offering advertising space on
our mobile app. The current demographic of college students are extremely
tech-savy and an app that will ease their daily commute is surely something
that would gather a lot of interest. The app will charge based on mileage, as
well as time spent on the vehicle. By simplifying students daily commute in an
efficient and economical manner, our service will help to better enhance the University
of Florida campus.
Venture
Concept. UberScooter is the venture that will solve the opportunity
of lack of transportation on the University of Florida campus. By connecting
drivers with would-be riders, students will be able to identify which mode of
transportation is most convenient and efficient for them. Many students would
surely download this app and utilize this service because many of them
currently rely solely on the bus system. The RTS busses are notoriously late or
full and almost double the length of the average students commute due to their
repeated stops. By inviting more students to participate in ride-sharing, with
the added incentive of making some extra cash, students are likely to utilize
this service both as a consumer and as a distributor. The main competition in
play right now would be the local taxi services or Uber itself. Uber charges a minimum
of $5 per ride, something our service would not do, so taking an Uber across
campus is pretty impractical. By allowing consumers to see who their driver is
and placing the two in a small space where conversation is sure to ensue, the
customer experience is a major role in marketing our app. We wish to provide
customers with not only a solution to their problem, but also an added benefit
to the solution. Our business would be organized from a central command headquarters
that would tackle any customer complaints, driver difficulties, or technical
issues. Our marketing plan is to get our name out there while publicly branding
our community as a business by students, for students. We would not need many
employees other than the lead officers as our app offers the opportunity of
employment to those students traveling around campus.
The three minor elements
1.
Marketability: Our ability to market
our service as a business run by students for the benefit of students will
increase our presence around campus. The idea that as a community we can help
to ease the troubles of our neighbors is something that will create a lot of
buzz around our service and inspire people to sign up as drivers. The ease of
use concept also is something that will be of prominence during our marking
campaign. All college students have a mobile fun that they spend a majority of
their day on, so why not add an app that can help them either make money or
travel across campus.
2.
What’s Next for Us: The next opportunity our
company would like to undertake is expanding our service to other college
campuses and communities across the country. By expanding our reach, we will be
able to target a larger consumer market as well as increase our potential
revenue. Growth and sustainability is extremely important for our company and
we want to show that there is no direction but up.
3.
What’s Next for Me: In five years, I would
like to be the head of this successful venture, present in multiple markets
across the nation, and providing a service that not only helps our consumers,
but also enriches their daily lives. As an entrepreneur, I wish to undertake
one task at a time until I see it has become successful. I see this service as
being a large success in five years, and potentially starting additional businesses
or services that enhance the lives of those around us.
