It's not for nothing that in the cult film "Beware of the Car" the phrase was said that everyone who doesn't have a car dreams of buying one, and everyone who has a car dreams of selling it. And they don't do it only because, having sold it, they would be left without a car.
According to the results of an independent survey* conducted on the popular forum of the autoua.net portal, Ukrainian drivers are most concerned about such issues as:
- Congestion of city roads (89%)
- Many dangerous drivers on the roads (77%)
- High fuel prices and its poor quality (62%)
- Limited parking in the city center/near work (59%)
An ambitious project has been launched in Ukraine, within the framework of which a single application for smartphones will be created, allowing to solve most of the problems associated with owning and driving a car
AutoPortal decided to personally ask the creators of the Beep! project about how this service can help Ukrainian car owners and why our country was chosen for the debut launch of this project.
The founders of Beep! Club Limited, Peter Lovas and Yevhen Glotov, agreed to answer our questions.
Peter Lovas has more than 20 years of experience in the investment business across Eastern Europe. Currently, Peter is the chairman of the largest car repair network in Turkey and a member of the board of a number of technology and insurance companies.
Yevhen Glotov, in turn, has 13 years of experience in top business development positions in retail banking and insurance, and in recent years has been involved in business development in the field of mobile technologies.
How did the idea for the project come about and why was Ukraine chosen for the start?
Peter Lovas: While investing in various areas, including the automotive one, I realized that a car brings a lot of "pain" and worries to its owner. The joy of owning a personal car is overshadowed every day by many problems: navigation through a congested city, a large number of dangerous drivers on the roads, finding a free parking spot, expensive and low-quality fuel, scratches on the body, etc. In addition, the car entails costs for seasonal tire changes, insurance, and after-sales service.
To solve these problems, it is necessary to contact various services with complex solutions. Our mission is to make car ownership and driving more enjoyable, simple, and cheaper, and we are creating a project that will provide an increasing number of car services on one platform. We believe that people should not waste time looking for solutions on different platforms; most problems can and should be solved in one place.
Ukraine was chosen as the starting platform for several reasons: there are no services like ours in this country yet, while many very old cars drive on not the best roads, which clearly cause their owners a lot of problems; also, Ukraine has a very high concentration of quality developers. This country has enormous IT potential, so many well-known brands such as Google, Samsung, Reddit, Amazon, Oracle, etc. open their research offices in Ukraine; we decided not to lag behind this trend and opened our R&D office in Kyiv.
Besides all this, I love Ukraine and decided to make it my home some time ago!
What is the operating principle of your project and what is the cost of participation?
Yevhen Glotov: This is a free application for users, available in the Apple Store and Google Play – just enter "Beep!" in the search query and download our app. By downloading our app, car owners automatically join our platform, become club members, and get the opportunity to use all services under the conditions offered by our partners. Also, a separate application for partner authorization is currently in development, but we will talk about that later.
We strive to meet the daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annual, and annual needs of drivers, and we are delighted with the growing level of user engagement with all available services. We like receiving feedback from our club members and suggestions for adding new services - now we have a huge pool of great ideas for the future! The initial version of the product already contains one of the best services for choosing and buying MTPL insurance, access to a 24/7 roadside assistance service, as well as services for finding parking and gas stations (with the ability to build a route to the destination, view fuel and parking prices, available options, and additional services).
Currently, we cooperate with a large number of insurance companies through the EWA platform. The assistance company SOS Service Ukraine provides technical assistance to drivers on the road 24/7. The LIQPAY service from PrivatBank provides the payment solution for the app. However, in the near future, car wash services, gas station networks, etc. will also be added. Anyone who provides services to motorists and meets our service criteria will be able to join our platform.
What are the main tasks at the time of the project launch?
Peter Lovas: The main task is the full launch of our project in Ukraine and receiving feedback from users. The main goal is to perfect the product before launching it in other Eastern European markets.
Yevhen Glotov: We will introduce new services step by step, prioritizing them according to our guiding principles: value for the user; frequency of use; fantastic service. We have also developed (with the help of our users) and planned a roadmap for several years ahead. We look forward to the speedy implementation of the planned ideas!
Which services will be most popular among Ukrainian drivers?
Yevhen Glotov: After conducting a number of studies, we can confidently say that user demand is growing, motorists are becoming more and more involved in mobile technologies and online. Today, we can note the high popularity of services for paying for fuel without leaving the car, buying MTPL insurance without contact with an agent or insurance company employee, various navigation services, paying fines and parking, etc. In addition, we have big plans to introduce services aimed at improving safety on Ukrainian roads.
Do you have direct competitors in Ukraine?
Yevhen Glotov: We have not observed direct competitors, however, there are standalone, excellent services, both in Ukraine and abroad, that implement a single function, or maybe several functions. A single platform that provides a solution based on a mobile application for most driver requirements is unique to Beep!.
Did you have to make any changes to the service operation taking into account the local mentality?
Peter Lovas: In Western Europe, the cost of membership in a car club (primarily roadside assistance) is about 100 euros per year, but such a cost will not appeal to most Ukrainian drivers. However, we plan to offer an annual package of unlimited roadside assistance with a significant discount. We also offer this service on a pay-as-you-go model (payment for the actual service provided), with which drivers can save themselves from troubles on the road at any time and anywhere, without paying membership fees in advance.
Of course, I must add that our Ukrainian users already get much more from our free app than members of European Automobile Clubs get for their 100 euros of membership fees!
What from the planned was fully implemented, and what difficulties arose?
Peter Lovas: We did not feel any global problems related to local specifics, perhaps because we previously operated in the Ukrainian market.
Yevhen Glotov: We implemented the basic version of the product with minimal resources spent, while meeting the planned launch deadlines.
What are the main plans for the project's development in the Ukrainian market?
Yevhen Glotov: In development, we will focus on improving road safety, developing parking services, customized insurance, roadside assistance, fuel sector services, etc.
How many users have already installed the Beep! app?
Yevhen Glotov: To date, our app has been downloaded by more than 7,500 users. These are our test users, as we are still in the Soft Launch phase (preliminary release of the product for a limited audience).
What number of users in Ukraine are you targeting?
Peter Lovas: The most important thing for us is not to focus on the largest possible number of users, but to create the most attractive product for our members. We have a mantra that says: "Your car should bring you joy."
Yevhen Glotov: Our app will have something that every driver will like, so in a sense, we are targeting 8 million Ukrainian motorists.
And the last question, what is the structure of Beep! Club Limited companies?
Peter Lovas: Beep! Club Limited is registered in England and has a subsidiary: LLC "BEEP CLUB UKRAINE".
*http://forum.autoua.net/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=12088078&an=autoua&page=0#Post12088078
