Gettik — a startup that helps passengers and drivers find each other

Isa Orunbaev, city — Bishkek, founder, CEO of Gettik startup, @gettikapp, @aintisaa

How it all started

I am from Jalal-Abad, a province, and studied at AUCA. I often traveled to Bishkek by taxi, using bus stations and special Telegram groups. At the bus stations, there was a problem: you would arrive, and taxi drivers would start fighting for you. As a result, you would get into a car and wait for several hours until the driver filled the vehicle.

I didn’t like this. Later, thematic Telegram groups appeared, which made the process more convenient. You would enter a group, find a driver, call them, and arrange a time. Most of the time, they would pick you up, which was convenient. But even there were nuances.

The groups grew, and there were more and more people, so the chats in these groups simply turned into garbage. It became difficult to navigate them. Here are two stories that happened to me:

— The first time, we agreed with a driver to travel from Bishkek to Jalal-Abad at 04:00. I woke up early, but when I called him, he said he had picked up other passengers and had forgotten about me. As a result, I was late.

— The second time, the situation repeated itself. I found a female passenger to make the trip more cost-effective, but it turned out that we had both found the same girl. The driver decided that it was not profitable to drive with two passengers and dropped us off at the bus station. I did not continue the journey.

My friend, who became my partner, and I started a diploma project, planning to create a neural network, but this idea did not inspire me. I suggested doing something useful. We started discussing ideas, and my friend shared how his parents worried when he traveled alone, while I shared my problems as a passenger. Thus, the idea for a startup that solves issues for both drivers and passengers was born.

During my studies at AUCA, my main major was programming, and my secondary major was entrepreneurship. For the entrepreneurship graduation project, we needed to develop a business plan, and we decided to combine our diploma work with this project. We began studying potential users to understand if they faced the same problems as we did.

We created 30 Telegram accounts using 30 SIM cards and wrote to 100–150 people daily. About 100 of them filled out our survey, which confirmed the relevance of the problem we faced.

After confirming the hypothesis, we developed the first MVP. We defended our diploma with an “A” grade and graduated from the university. However, we had to pause work on the project for several months because we both focused on finding jobs. I did not plan to stay in IT; I preferred CustDev and working with people, so I chose the path of a marketer. My partner, on the other hand, entered the IT sector.

Target Audience

After completing the first MVP, we tested audience interest through small-scale advertising. Literally within a couple of hours, more than 100 people signed up, even though our app was not yet available on the App Store or Google Play. Later, when the app became available, we launched targeted advertising and simultaneously sent messages to Telegram groups. As a result, in 2022, we managed to attract about 1,000 users.

After that, a third partner joined us; he took over marketing and began actively experimenting with AI-generated videos, which quickly gained popularity. Our videos on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram collected more than 50 million views without additional advertising investments. We understood that our target audience was residents of the regions, so we adapted content for each region, whether it was Issyk-Kul or Jalal-Abad.

On June 1, 2023, we launched a more scaled version of the MVP and bought advertising. From the very first ad, more than 5,000 users came to us. In one month, we gained 35,000 users, and over the three summer months, their number grew to 100,000. Our app was downloaded 200,000 times, of which 130,000 users registered. Over the summer, more than 30,000 trips were organized.

We have already started testing the monetization of our service. Drivers pay a small fee for posting a trip—20–30 som per trip, which is a percentage of the trip cost. We also tried a model where passengers made a small deposit before booking to guarantee drivers, but we temporarily abandoned this idea. Perhaps we will return to this model in the future.

Today, our model is beneficial for drivers: they easily find passengers, and if they do not, the money is returned to their wallet. The main routes are Jalal-Abad, Osh, Cholpon-Ata, and Bosteri. However, our goal is to increase mobility even in the most remote towns and villages so that everyone can easily find companions.

Team

Our team consists of six people, but only three work full-time. We have three founders: me, Shamsullo Ismatov, and Dosamat Zholborssov. Shamsullo is responsible for the technical part of the project, I handle fundraising and communication with partners, and Dosamat focuses on marketing.

We also have an SMM team, a mobile videographer, and a specialist responsible for creating videos using AI.

Incubation Programs

We participated in one incubation program, reached the finals, but did not receive funding. However, the incubation gave us new contacts, helped us understand our weaknesses, and provided motivation to continue working. We gained excellent experience and established good connections. As graduates, we participated in various events; for example, I recently attended the Startupstan forum in Dushanbe. We also became winners of the Startup Nation battle organized by Codify and the High Technology Park.

In November, I plan to travel to the US for several events, which will also open new opportunities for our team. Acceleration helps— we are invited to various competitions and forums. Recently, we were informed that we were invited to a forum in Uzbekistan on November 13–14.

Difficulties

Startups face many difficulties, especially in marketplaces where passengers and drivers depend on each other. The main problem is that drivers need passengers only from their region, creating a “chicken and egg” effect. This requires significant resources, which we currently lack. There are also technical difficulties, such as server failures, which we promptly resolve together with our technical partner. Such situations occur regularly, and we are learning to respond quickly.

Achievements

Last year, we reached the mark of 100,000 downloads on the App Store and Google Play, and this year we have already added another 100,000, reaching 200,000 in total. In total, we have transported more than 60,000 passengers to various regions.

During this time, more than 5,500 users have left reviews about each other—both positive and negative. This helps us achieve our goal of ensuring trip safety, so people always know who they are traveling with.

We have reached profitability, although we are not yet profitable. Our goal for next year is to at least reach the break-even point to cover all our expenses. We have also signed an agreement with the company “Avobeket,” which will help us expand our capabilities.

Plans

By next summer, we will launch buses—state-owned buses integrated into our app. We will act as aggregators.

During our visit to Dushanbe, we met with several startups and discussed partnerships. We plan to integrate AI chatbots developed by a Kazakh startup into our app. This will simplify the process, as currently, we answer all questions ourselves.

Additionally, we have signed an agreement with another startup that uses AI to verify driver’s licenses. This will help increase safety for passengers.

Next year, we also plan to add a feature allowing passengers and drivers to negotiate prices. We also plan to enter the Central Asian market and make many other improvements and fixes. We are focused on attracting new resources and hope to reach 500,000 downloads and 1,000 trips per day by next year.