DRIVE MATE CONTINUES EXPANSION WITH SWATHE OF NEW HIRES

Sydney, Australia, November 21, 2024 - Drive mate, Australia's most secure and affordable peer-to-peer car-sharing company, continues its expansion after establishing an operations division and more than doubling its customer service team. 

The company has hired Farhan Chowdhury as its new head of operations. Chowdhury joins after previously working for Uber Car Share, where he was head of Car Operations, and prior to that working at Car Next Door (purchased by Uber Car Share) where he was head of operations. 

Chowdhury heads up the newly-created division at Drive mate, with fellow former Uber Car Share colleagues Uzair Tanveer (operations manager and installation engineer) and Jennifer Gajudo (head of customer operations also joining the company. Drive mate has also hired Joel Wecker as its marketing manager and has more than doubled its customer service team. 

The new hires come during a rapid ramp up phase for the company, with more than 2,300 vehicles now within its national fleet, and over 68,000 guests now signed on as Drive mate members. Since August, the company has added 1750 vehicles to its fleet across the country, and an additional 18,000 guests with bookings increasing by 670 per cent in that time. 

Dirk-Jan ter Horst, co-founder of Drive mate, said the incredible growth of the company is evidence of the incredible interest in peer-to-peer car share offerings. 

"Since August we've been working around the clock to ensure the experience of both guests and hosts is exceptional, and we've achieved that," he said. "The establishment of a new division was key to us not only continuing to grow but keeping up with the incredible demand for our service both for hosts and guests alike." 

The company has adapted its model to make the hiring experience seamless for guests and the onboarding and management incredibly simple for hosts, said Gaurav Singhal, co-founder of Drive mate. 

"We're now enabling GPS in all vehicles and automated kilometre tracking, to take the heavy lifting off hosts when it comes to the billing process," he said. "For guests, we're taking the heavy lifting off them too when it comes to refuelling the vehicles, as that is all done by the host or they're quickly reimbursed for petrol when needed for long trips. There should be no hassle on either side - and to help if needed we've more than doubled our customer service team which is available around the clock, every day."

Signing up with Drive mate takes no more than five minutes via its app or website. 

ABOUT DRIVE MATE

Drive mate is here to make car rental simple, affordable, and neighbourly.

We believe in building a community of mates who share their cars for a hassle-free and affordable car rental experience.

Unlike traditional car sharing, we offer a unique solution that gives you the freedom to rent on your terms. Say goodbye to the frustrations of typical car rental processes. Our all-in-one app simplifies the entire journey, allowing you to browse and choose from our top rented vehicles in your neighbourhood.