In another move to help South African commuters by using mobile technology, GoMetro has launched a service for commuters to initiate an e-mail to their employers from a delayed train – no matter their device type.
This button has been designed for the South African developing environment for users who do not have e-mail addresses and are accessing train times and delays on older phones – they don’t even need an Internet connection.
Employees on their way to work who are delayed or late due to train delays and disruptions can now send their employers an e-mail by visiting m.gometro.co.za and clicking on the Email-My-Boss feature – or they can access it via USSD by dialing *120*4668#
GoMetro CEO, Justin Coetzee, “GoMetro was started in 2012 to solve a major pain-point for commuters who get to work by train. Every time there is a delay or disruption to trains in the Western Cape, workers who are late need to stand in long queues in order to receive letters to give their employers in order not to receive written warnings. GoMetro has solved that pain-point today by quickly generating a late note from their mobile phones – even if they don’t have an internet connection thanks to USSD *120*4668#.”
GoMetro is integrated into Metrorail Control Centres in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, servicing more than 4-million commuters who use trains on a daily basis. This live-feed on line updates and delays inform more than 200 000 users per month on the state of their transport – GoMetro now wants to keep every employer to be as informed about delays and disruptions too.
Marnus Lottering, GoMetro community manager, points out “the service is not intended to send employers a daily e-mail with general train delay information. Every e-mail an Employer receives is an individual request made by an employee at that particular time to send an individual e-mail.” Any abuse or misrepresentation of the service can be reported by the Employer.
This service currently is only available to GoMetro users in the Western Cape, but will be rolled out to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in the next few weeks. Commuters can access this service by clicking on the E-mail-my-Boss button on GoMetro.co.za or m.gometro.co.za – or even by dialing *120*4668#
GoMetro is a South African mobile startup transforming public transport in South Africa by improving the customer experience by means of mobile technology.