MUN grads ready to launch N.L.'s homegrown ride-hailing service next week
From left, Nana Abekah, Haris Barki and Frank Nie are the co-founders of Kabby, a new ride-hailing company that plans to start offering rides in St. John's on Monday. (Submitted by Haris Barki)
On the heels of Uber beginning operations in late April, a second ride-hailing operation — this one based in St. John's — is set to begin serving Newfoundland and Labrador next week.
Kabby — created by co-founders Nana Abekah, Haris Barki and Frank Nie — is set to start offering rides in St. John's at 10 a.m. on Monday. The group was poised to become the province's first ride-hailing service in February, but delays in getting insured delayed the launch.
With Uber since setting up shop in the province, Nie said the leadup to Monday has been exciting and nerve-racking.
"There's a big, giant competition right here. So that's going to give us, you know, a little bit of a run for our money," Nie said Thursday.
He said the group has identified two areas where they believe they can beat Uber: pricing and driver benefits.
Nie said Kabby's business model doesn't currently include surge pricing, which increases rates when rides are in high demand.
Nie said the group has also talked to Uber drivers about how they can improve overall driver experience.
"We kind of had to play smart a little bit. We can't compete with the resource, obviously, so we are kind of focusing on bringing the affordability to the passenger — but also giving the driver a little bit more benefit than what Uber typically offers," he said.
Abekah, Barki and Nie, who met as students at Memorial University, created Kabby out of the need they saw for more transportation options in the metro St. John's region.
Nie said the local connection will help them once they begin business, Nie said.
"Events happening, you know, whatever's going on in the city, in the province, we can quickly jump in and make changes. And just, you know, blend into the community a lot better than a giant global corporation," he said.
Kabby will start small with around 10 drivers, Nie said, but is prepared to expand if demand deems it necessary.
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