The urban mobility market is reaching the saturation point in Mexico as in other countries of the world. Every day there are more apps and options to go from one side to another: new public transport routes, Uber or Cabify type apps, even bicycles,
Marcio Bern is one of VAH co-founders. He had the idea while a family member was in the hospital. Bern had to travel every day to visit him. Soon he realized that it was cheaper to move using other alternatives than going by car and spend on gasoline or parking. However, Bern noticed a problem, such as the lack of price consistency between the different apps.
Five VAH categories to choose
VAH centralizes all travel options in one place so that the passenger can choose the one that best fits in time and money to their needs.
The application arose in Brazil in mid-2016. Now it comes to Mexico with five categories:
- VAH Urbano: to compare taxis, carpooling services, skates, and bicycles.
- VAH Áreo: to compare air tickets.
- VAH Bus: to compare buses.
- VAH Rent: to rent vehicles.
- VAH Aventón: to share trips in private cars such as Bla Bla Car.
VAH goal is to allow users to choose the closest, cheapest or fastest trip in any of the categories. The user chooses the way to make the trip then the app redirects it to the service of their preference. The app is free for users. It makes money by charging a commission to services or selling anonymous consumption data.
Improving mobility
VAH teamwork operates from Sao Paulo. They work with different web services, as well as the APIs of transport companies such as Uber, Cabify, Taxify, etc. Currently, the app has almost one million downloads and about 250,000 active users globally.
In the opinion of VAH teamwork, Mexico City is one of the places where the app could work best. Like Sao Paulo, Mexico City is a populated center where there are traffic problems. Driving a private car can be a tortuous journey. Users have the opportunity to travel more comfortable with VAH.