GoMetro’s journey as a 4PL digital platform specialist has celebrated a notable milestone – the 10 000th vehicle uploaded to our Bridge platform.
We started as a public transport data business, developing mapping, scheduling and timetable solutions for busses, minibus taxis and PRASA’s rail operations.
In 2020, we realised that the skills we’ve developed in public transport data could be invaluable to improving commercial fleet and truck operations. Our operations are proven and trusted by more than 400 global fleets in diverse geographies, from complex urban public transport to rugged pit-to-port mining logistics.
From public transport to commercial fleets
GoMetro’s origin story is as a public transport data business, helping busses, minibus taxis and PRASA to work smarter with mapping, scheduling and timetables. Data drives the planning, asset allocation and configuration for public transport. We learned invaluable lessons and techniques about managing complex transport and passenger data for the best outcomes.
During 2020, public transport stopped – literally – and like many other businesses, GoMetro had to pivot. One of the few sectors unaffected by lockdown restrictions was logistics.
Recognising the value of its technology, GoMetro discovered that what made public transport planning and operations work much better was ideal for the logistics sector. Mid- to large-category trucking logistics were messy, with terrible subcontractor oversight and delivery monitoring. Some trucks had telematics and tracking, but others didn’t, and none were data optimised for real-time oversight and control.
Thinking about the 4PL future
The skills GoMetro developed and evolved working with complex public transport systems, where monitoring and oversight are essential for scheduling integrity, were a natural fit for the integrated road freight and fleet problem.
Fragmented data, communication gaps and too many subcontractors with vehicles lacking digital tracking made oversight impossible. This forcing fleet managers to resort to phoning drivers for route progress and delivery updates – with all the dropped, missed or ignored calls that are disastrous for the brand reputation of any logistics business.
The concept of 4PL only works with powerful fleet and operational oversight, requiring a system that makes data sourcing and visibility trustworthy, usable and actionable. With many fleets and subcontractors misaligned with their telematics, tracking and data management, the opportunity to create an advanced telematics aggregator that could evolve into a 4PL solution was a market need.
‘It’s just 5 minutes away’
GoMetro’s CEO, Justin Coetzee, realised that the company’s technology could address road freight transport issues. “I call it great logistics white lie. Trying to manage deliveries with trucks that are always ‘just 5 minutes’ away.”
The team’s extensive background in transport helped Coetzee envision a solution. “We knew that bringing all the siloed tracking and telematics data to a single feed, on one screen, was the solution. It would create glanceable virtual fleet visibility, so you’d know exactly when that truck was actually 5 minutes away.”
The GoMetro team knew what was required: aggregating telematics in a fleet and between subcontractors to a single feed. Creating visible, understandable and actionable insights from unconsolidated telematics feeds and unstructured data. Someone had to act as the data plumbers, and it would be GoMetro.
The technical vision was reshaping and directing the flow of telematics data to a single logistics API. GoMetro’s solution was creating Bridge, a telematics and location aggregator that brings total oversight, awareness, and accountability to one feed. And a single screen.
By creating a true virtual fleet with the Bridge platform, all primary fleet trucks and subcontractors’ vehicles become visible and data accountable on a single platform. Everything you need to know about the trucks moving your business, with innovative digital tools and real-time alerts.
10 000 vehicles trust us
GoMetro’s first logistics deployment of Bridge was with a large freight operator. The improvement in vehicle visibility, efficiency and delivery confidence was notable.
Bridge recently onboarded its 10 000th vehicle. It’s a proud moment for GoMetro to experience the value of our technology and make digital transformation happen in the vital logistics and transport sectors.
Route compliance, operational efficiency, driver safety and delivery integrity. Bridge has become a true 4PL solution, powering the future of road freight and transport logistics. Empowering fleet managers and business owners to add subcontractors and monitor loads on a single platform, designed for total oversight and control, with easily navigable UX and data features on a single screen.
GoMetro is proud to make a difference by helping people and goods move smarter, more efficiently, and sustainably. The 10 000th vehicle on our Bridge platform is evidence of the growth and value of virtual fleets. Enabling businesses to safeguard revenue and enhance profitability by having better oversight of exactly where all their trucks are and what they’re doing.
