A Filipino startup company has developed a mobile app to build a community of couriers among motorists and commuters.
First Shoshin Holdings Inc., a company founded by Jack Ponce Enrile, launched on March 8 the Jojo Pasabay delivery app which connects senders with transporters going to a particular destination.
Jojo marketing manager Eunice San Miguel describes this disruptive technology as ‘crowdshipping’ as it allows commuters and motorists to earn by delivering a parcel near their destination.
“Jojo is a Pasabay delivery app which connects senders with transporters who are already headed towards the direction of your package,” San Miguel says during the press launch at SM Megamall in Ortigas.
“What we are creating is a win-win situation for the sender and the transporter. The sender gets fast and efficient shipping while the transporter gets to earn extra going to a place he is already headed to,” she says.
Jojo chief strategy officer Jay Fajardo says the app was launched with an initial 60 transporters, although the goal is to dramatically increase the app users to 18,000 within a month. The app is available on Apple Store and Google Play Store. The web version can be found at www.myjojo.com.
“First Soshin Holdings is the official company behind Jojo. Jojo is one of our projects. Today, we have 14 to 15 employees. Our short-term target for the next month is to have 18,000 users,” says Fajardo.
Transporters can deliver legal items, documents or parcels with the maximum size of 10x10x10 inches at P99 for the first three kilometers and P8 for every extra kilometer within Metro Manila.
Fajardo says under Jojo’s business model, the transporters will get the lion share of the fees. “We follow the 80-20 rule, which means 80 percent goes to the transporter and we take 20 percent as a form of a fee to use our platform,” he says.
Fajardo says unlike other ridesharing services which were hampered by regulatory issues, the use of Jojo delivery app does not require the same government regulation.
San Miguel says what makes Jojo different from other logistics services is the community that it builds. “It becomes convenient, especially with our busy lives. We want to get the item we shop for fast. You would have access to a pool of verified transporters. They have undergone rigorous KYC [know your client] to become transporters. There is also package insurance for up to P5,000,” she says.
“It is a sustainable way to ship because you are using people who are going there anyway. Are we adding more vehicles to the road? Are we adding more feet on the road? The answer is no. In that way, we are able to minimize our carbon footprint,” says San Miguel.
“As a transporter, you are helping a sender and as a sender, you are helping a transporter. So it is symbiotic and mutually beneficial for both. It is also a good chance to relive the Bayanihan spirit which is distinctively Pinoy. It is time for us to be neighbors again,” she says.
Payment for delivery can be settled during pickup or drop-off, she says. “Every transaction is cash to cash basis but we are working things out so that we can have other payment options,” says San Miguel.
“You can track your item real-time. The recipient will get a four-digit code to make sure that the correct person receives the package,” says San Miguel.
San Miguel says to maintain the high quality of service, Jojo requires all transporters to attend a training session.
First Shoshin launched the app with the line ‘Sabay Kita’ which encapsulates the Filipino community and the chance to earn while commuting.
“With Jojo Pasabay delivery, what we are making sure is that you get fast and efficient delivery while helping a fellow Filipino stuck in the road. Look at Edsa and MRT and you will see millions of people going about different destinations every day. It is an untapped logistical resource,” says San Miguel.
Fajardo says one of the founders of First Shoshin thought about developing the Jojo Pasabay delivery app after observing the unproductive hours spent by motorists and commuters who are stuck along the busy roads of Metro Manila each day.
“One of our founders had a view of Edsa just like this and he saw all these commuters who were wasting their time stuck in traffic. So the idea was the monetization of that wasted time. If you can actually convert these commuters into transporters, you create millions of entrepreneurs, millions of transporters and they can now turn what was a negative into a positive. So the time wasted is now time spent earning a livelihood,” says Fajardo.
San Miguel says Jojo transporters are in control and can choose deliveries that match their way. The app uses an advanced GPS tracking system to get the exact location of the package.
She says to become a Jojo transporter, an applicant must submit two government IDs, an updated National Bureau of Investigation or police clearance, a sketch of permanent residence and authorization letter of the motor vehicle, if not owned. Applicants are also required to attend a seminar/briefing on requirements, rights, duties and obligations of a transporter.
San Miguel says that as independent contractors, Jojo transporters have the responsibility to diligently check the items to be delivered and may decline to pick-up and/or deliver the goods when the sender refuses to open the packaging for inspection.