THE CHALLENGE. In Ethiopia, only 4% of the people have their own cars and the government imposes high car import duties and related car ownership taxes. 96% of Ethiopians rely on public transport and taxi services, which came with their own host of challenges, such as fare rates that were not set and waiting areas that were not safe. People would often get robbed while waiting for taxis or public transit, and the situation was particularly unsafe for women who were more at risk for being attacked. African entrepreneur Habtamu Tadesse experienced the challenges of this system himself when he would often wait in line for hours for a taxi.

THE PROCESS. Tadesse knew that a solution was viable, but it wasn’t until he went to the United States to study that he realized he could be the person to make the solution happen. A week after missing a flight due to a late taxi, Tadesse was approached by Uber and asked to be a driver. He accepted and his experience at the company inspired him to create a similar venture in Ethiopia. He realized that if he could implement the same system in Ethiopia, it would be very profitable and at the same time would solve the existing high transportation demand. Tadesse went back to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and founded ZayRide in 2015 — a mobile app and call center that uses existing taxis to provide safe and efficient means of transportation. ZayRide also provides delivery and ambulance services in addition to on-demand taxis.

THE RESULT. Without using advertisements, ZayRide was able to get 30,000 users in just over a year and is currently providing service to over 30% of the population. ZayRide made transport safer by requiring all passengers and drivers to register on the app and have a background check. The company’s services are cheaper, safer and easier to use than any other transportation service in the area. Global investors took note of ZayRide’s success — when Tadesse secured investment, he received more than four times what he had asked for. The company was named the startup with the biggest market impact potential of 2017 by Traction Camp Nairobi, Kenya and was also named the second best startup company in Ethiopia. As an African entrepreneur, Tadesse continues to dream big — he wants ZayRide to be the biggest taxi hailing application in Africa, and the next phase of ZayRide will be to expand into other African cities.