Tritech Media, the media technology innovator controlled by the Kirsh family, has acquired a 20% stake GoMetro, a market-leading smart-mobility technology firm aimed at modernising and digitising public transport networks.
According to Justin Coetzee CEO of GoMetro: ” Being part of Tritech Media gives us access to leading proprietary technology and market-share to deliver transport transaction solutions with corporate precise communications to a growing market”.
GoMetro’s mobile transport information and ticketing technology has been used by consumers in some 200 000 trips across South Africa with around 2 million unique browsers to date.
A commuter’s daily commuting update and ticket check-in app is paired with location-based and contextual advertising to provide a unique channel for brands to access on-the-go consumers, reaching demographic- and location-targeted users with relevant and timely offers for commuters – based on location, travel patterns and demographics.
Brands such as MTN, Burger King, Lunchbar, African Bank, Shoprite and FNB have all repeatedly used GoMetro’s location-based advertising engine to reach commuters in trains, buses and minibus taxis, and experienced up to a four-fold increase in campaign performance when using GoMetro’s location and movement-aware advertising engine.
William Kirsh CEO and founder of Tritech Media said: “This is such a great strategic acquisition for our group. Our aim is to cover where the consumers are in their daily life, and then to position precise and relevant brand advertising and communications based on their location.”
GoMetro joins its recent acquisitions of Ionizr, ProximityID and Geospatial Data Solutions, incorporating satellite enabled Spatialedge giving the group an opportunity to cover the vast majority of consumers across South Africa through their commuting experience.
”Our solution capability for brands to precisely engage with consumers is now unparalleled in South Africa. GoMetro’s technology is truly world-class and, with this pedigree, the objective is to expand into other emerging markets, with Nairobi currently being mapped,” Kirsh added.
The combination of the GoMetro mobile app and big data engine produces three highly-unique, deep datasets for marketers to access – 1) a confirmed record of where users live and work, confirmed by the app; 2) a daily record of when, where and how users want to move around (both in real-time and through machine learning); and 3) an accurate and updated record of all transport routes and operations within a city, both public and private, and their respective costs and charges.
In 2014, GoMetro was recognised in 2014 by the Global Mobile Forum in San Francisco as the Best Innovation in a Growth Market and is the official national mobile application for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).
The company is now working with PRASA on the national rail network, as well as with several bus companies in South Africa to launch mobile ticketing and passenger information services for each service.
GoMetro is also engaged in mapping taxi networks in Cape Town, East London, Mbombela, Pretoria and Rustenburg in preparation for mobile payments for South Africa’s 100,000 minibus taxis – a R10 billion industry.
