Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Urban and Regional Planning students have launched JyGo, the country’s first vehicle-pooling app aimed at reducing travel costs and congestion.
Daily solo trips often cost two to four times more while many rickshaws, CNGs and private cars run with half their seats empty, creating unused capacity the app seeks to tap.
The app connects users travelling at the same time to the same destination through a matching system.
“We match users heading along the same route, then they communicate and hire a vehicle together,” said Jobayer Khan, a co-founder.
After matching, users contact each other through the app and jointly hire a vehicle, sharing the fare among themselves.
The app does not engage with drivers or vehicles and only connects users so they can arrange shared travel independently.
Users can save about 50 to 80 per cent on fares, according to the founders.
The platform takes no commission on fares.
A charge of Tk1.67 per minute applies only when users talk to each other through the app.
“ Our goal is to make travel affordable and reduce wasted capacity in the city’s transport system,” Khan said.
Safety features include user verification, live tracking and an emergency call option.
A gender preference feature is included to improve comfort for female users.
For example, a rickshaw ride from Palashi to Dhanmondi costs about Tk100, but shared trips through JyGo can reduce that to half or less.
The initiative aims to ease Dhaka’s chronic congestion by improving the use of existing vehicles.
The model also offers a potentially sustainable transport solution amid global fuel pressures.
The startup was founded by BUET Urban and Regional Planning students Jobayer Khan, Mustakim Morsed and Abul Bashar.
They are second-year students working on practical solutions to urban transport challenges.
The app was launched in January on Google Play Store and Huawei AppGallery and has since gained traction.
Users have exceeded 5,000 and continue to grow.
Within three months of launch, JyGo was recognised as a Top 4 Ride Hailing Company on global startup network F6S.
The founders plan pilot expansions to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
