{"id":43584,"date":"2023-10-20T15:29:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/gocatch-quickly-expands-to-queensland-as-brutal-and-dirty-fight-with-uber-continues-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:29:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:29:39","slug":"gocatch-quickly-expands-to-queensland-as-brutal-and-dirty-fight-with-uber-continues-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/gocatch-quickly-expands-to-queensland-as-brutal-and-dirty-fight-with-uber-continues-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"GoCatch quickly expands to Queensland as “brutal and dirty” fight with Uber continues – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"David<\/div>\n

Uber\u2019s Australian rival GoCatch is rapidly expanding to Queensland after the state government announced to would be legalising ridesharing next month.<\/p>\n

Since launching its ridesharing offering GoCar <\/a>earlier this year the GoCatch app has racked up more 350,000 downloads.<\/p>\n

New CEO David Holmes<\/a> says GoCatch was already actively working to build up its Queensland driver base and is now looking to launch in the state as soon as the legislation is passed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d expected it late this year, early next year, which is when the major legislative changes go through,\u201d Holmes tells StartupSmart.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019re really happy with it, we\u2019re ready to go and while it\u2019s caused a little bit of acceleration and panic, we\u2019re really comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big challenge now, he says, is to quickly get their logistics team up to Brisbane and the Gold Coast to check, train and on-board new drivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve already got 600 interested drivers in a matter of days,\u201d Holmes says.<\/p>\n

Taking the legal approach<\/h3>\n

Holmes says GoCatch has enjoyed strong growth in Sydney over the past few months despite the aggressive rivalry with global tech giant Uber.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re pretty brutal, they play dirty but we\u2019re not going to come down to their level,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Holmes says GoCar has enjoyed “triple digit month-on-month growth” and will only enter states where ridesharing has already  been legalised.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur attitude has always been we will not break the law and we will not encourage drivers to break the law,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

In each state the startup expands to, Holmes says it’ll be making a dedicated effort to ensure drivers comply with state regulations, compliance and standard checks like working with children and health tests.<\/p>\n

Holmes believes this, in addition to including GoCatch’s network of more than 25,000 taxis, gives the local offering a strong competitive edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been involved in a lot of exciting startups, this certainly is the most innovative and exciting environment with the legislative and competitive framework changing on daily basis,” he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have hundreds of drivers wanting to work with us exclusively.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mandate as a business is we pay them more, we\u2019re Australian-owned, we pay them daily.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition this, he says GoCatch has cut back on marketing spend, and is instead focusing on building new features and getting the app to a level that will make it the first choice for ridesharing and taxi bookings in Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than buying loyalty, what we\u2019re doing is earning loyalty,\u201d Holmes says.<\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on<\/em> Facebook,<\/em> Twitter, <\/em>LinkedIn <\/em>and <\/em>SoundCloud.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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