Plentywaka becomes the latest player in Nigeria’s logistics space, launches ‘Logistics By Plentywaka’ (LBP)

The negative impact of coronavirus pandemic on businesses has lingered for too long and it appears that asides these companies having access to the government’s target credit facility funds, another way they can mitigate the effects is to look into other viable options.

Bus-booking platform, Plentywaka seems to have taken a cue from other businesses that have pivoted into new industries or changed operations as it launches ‘Logistics By Plentywaka’ (LBP). 

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, in May, Flutterwave — a fintech startup based in Lagos and San Francisco launched Flutterwave Store: an online digital shop for African business owners to sell their products.

Similarly, Farmcrowdy — technology-driven crowd-funding for agriculture platform — introduced Farmcrowdy Foods: a digital marketplace that enables consumers to purchase fresh food products from their homes.

Also, one of the companies in the industries hit by the pandemic, Eko Hotels and Suites began food delivery services as against its hotel system policy which serves customers in their various rooms. 

Undoubtedly, the coronavirus pandemic has stirred some of these companies to look into new directions to help their businesses scale through this period. 

Read also: Why is Nigeria’s struggling eCommerce space recording new entrants amid pandemic? 

According to Plentywaka, this move is to increase the company’s bus transportation network in the city of Lagos. The business-to-consumer delivery service claims that it will provide its customers with same-day service and range of logistical vehicles from cooling vans, trucks and bikes, that can be easily selected depending on the requirements.

“When you log on to the platform you can get either a bike, truck, van or lorry from the pickup and drop off location and you can track all of those movements online,” Johnny Enagwolor, managing director and co-founder of Plentywaka told smepeaks. 

“We have partners who have a lot of trucks. Even the Gokada’s of this world are talking to us, we are going to be pushing more business for you which is a win-win for everyone,” he concluded. 

In a conversation with Johnny, he further disclosed that partners who bring their vehicles on board can make 80% of the revenue generated from the vehicle. 

Recall that Plentywaka launched “Plentywaka Staff Bus Solutions” last month, May. The company which was established in 2019, says it aims to provide a safer and more convenient means of transportation to work without exposing employees within Lagos to the coronavirus pandemic. 

With this new service, Plentywaka divulged that companies will be allowed to either lease buses directly from Plentywaka or have their staff picked up and dropped off from designated points. For either of the options, a driver approved by Plentywaka will have mobile access to a dashboard for real-time monitoring and data collection. 

It is noteworthy that the bus-hailing platform originated as a portfolio company under CrowdyVest Holdings which includes Farmcrowdy, an agritech startup and Crowdyvest, a platform which connects users to different sponsorship opportunities in September 2019. 

We’ve partnered with Sidebrief, a Legal compliance company to help as many as possible businesses access and get the necessary document for the FG ₦50bn Covid-19 credit facility. Interested? Get started for free. 

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