Nigerian Startup Errand360 is redefining Delivery Services in an Eco-friendly Way

No doubt that one of the toughest social challenges is the mobility management of people and goods.

Having a long-term perspective with a specific focus on sustainability is a significant factor that defines the future of mobility.

Transport plays a major role in providing an enabling environment to help drive social development that will reach the SDGs.

For instance, transport consumes a large part of fossil-fuel energy, therefore it is very critical in defining SDG 7 (affordable clean energy) while it can also help to achieve SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities).

The mobility sector has the potential to affect the livelihoods of people while also stabilizing climate change.

However, today, mobility is contributing to increased fossil fuel usage, intensive greenhouse gas and noise pollution.

Today, Errand360, Nigeria’s first community delivery service is leveraging bicycles to deliver goods to your doorsteps while being eco-friendly.

The platform is a community delivery hub tailored to serve users with demand for quick short errands and delivery services.

Errand360 has developed a lightweight user-friendly App that makes all your delivery and errand needs seamless with the click of a button.

Through the platform, you can now order for short errands, food deliveries, pharmaceutical products, grocery shopping, domestic errands, and many more interesting services from a single App.

Errand360 is a trendsetting affordable community delivery hub utilizing Bicycles/E-bikes to serve users with demand for quick short errands and delivery services in an eco-friendly way.

Challenging the traditional use of motorbikes and other vehicles for deliveries, Errand360 offers a new dimension for users to shop and order within their neighborhoods and have their items delivered in record time.

In a chat with Adetola Adele, Founder and CEO of Errand360, we learnt how the platform is easing delivery services while also ensuring a safer environment.

A quick background

Errand360 started as an idea to meet a demand for online real-time delivery in the e-commerce industry.

The founder thought of different models majorly on how to satisfy its customers (vendors and users) on a real-time basis, using the most cost-effective way.

“We decided to do Community based delivery based on our mode of infrastructure which is Bicycles.

We are a trendsetting affordable community delivery hub utilizing bicycles to serve clients with demand for quick short errands and delivery services in an eco-friendly way. “

Challenging the traditional use of motorbikes and other non-ecofriendly vehicles for deliveries, Errand360 offers a new dimension for users and businesses to get their products to their destination in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

What Errand360 is solving

As stated by the founder Errand360 was created to solve 3 major problems in the last mile logistics sector, this includes:

Late/Delayed Delivery

One of the most common obstacles with courier services is undoubtedly late or delayed deliveries.

This is largely due to the fact that most courier businesses want to save cost on operation, hence they tend to pile up orders to enable a dispatch pick-up as much order as possible before they finally set out for delivery.

Errand360’s Solution

Last-mile deliveries are a real challenge for logistics companies and having a neat organization in place, driven by careful planning, sustainable mode of transportation and smart technology can be a game-changer.

Thus Errand360 is offering a real-time on-demand delivery service via its smart App, the team developed a technology that ensures a rider can only fulfil an order at a time without delays or stockpiling several orders as obtainable using motorbikes as means of transportation.

“Hence, we successfully eliminated the extra waiting time that causes delay in delivery time.”

Delivery Cost

Another common problem with courier companies is the affordability of the service. A typical courier company will charge a base fee of N1000 Naira for a distance within 1km to 3km, making it expensive for customers that wish to get items delivered with their community.

Errand360’s solution

Errand360 makes use of bicycles and shortly will deploy E-bikes for deliveries, as the platform does not have to spend extra cost on fossil fuel to perform any delivery within a community, thereby reducing its operational cost.

The platform has been able to conveniently reduce the price people pay for delivery within a community.

Errand360 charges a fee between 300 Naira and 500 Naira for delivery with 1km to 4km radius.

High Carbon Footprint

Global warming is a major problem on earth, reports have it that Africa accounts for 2–3 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industrial sources.

Climate change is having a large impact on Nigeria. Sharp increases in extreme heat are affecting the many millions of people without access to air conditioning or electricity and changes to precipitation threaten Nigeria’s largely rain-fed agricultural sector.

Some suggest that climate change could fuel the risk of conflict in the northern part of the country.

Errand360 solution

The need for a more sustainable and clean mode of transportation led Errand360 to create a system for a sustainable and eco-friendly mode of transportation for deliveries within communities.

Their intention is to reduce in Nigeria/Africa the carbon footprint starting with Lagos.

The platform started receiving delivery requests on the 11th of May 2021 and up until the 4th of August 2021, and it has fulfilled over 1380 delivery requests covering an estimated 6000 km making use of bicycles and in the very nearest future e-bikes.

“Errand360 though not having achieved our target, have successfully reduced the carbon footprint that would have been deposited into the atmosphere if we had made use of other types of vehicles that makes use of fossil fuel.”

Future regulation from the government

According to the founder, Errand360 expresses no fear of being a start-up and knowing fully well from very deep research that there are no existing regulations on the use of bicycles as a sustainable mode of transport for last-mile delivery in Nigeria it is pioneering a new process.

The startup expect that at some point there will be government policies, however, it is well-positioned to meet all these without any form of prejudice.

Errand360, however, envisages the provision of infrastructures such as Bike Lane on a major road to enhance safety and growth in the industry.

Whilst adhering to all road laws and regulations, the startup currently operates strictly within communities which precludes its riders from using the ever-busy expressway for errands.

Milestones, challenges, and market acceptance

The startup major challenge was getting dedicated riders to understand the business model.

“Prior to now, nobody thought using bicycles as a mode of delivery can be used on a commercial basis, but I think we found a very good way around it. More youths are now willing to join us and it’s a good thing.”

Milestone

Errnad360 has successfully fulfilled over 1380 deliveries within 6 communities where it currently operate from, and it looks forward to more exciting milestones as it plan to expand and improve on its mode of operation to most part of Lagos and its environs.

Acceptance

As explained by the founder, “It’s being awesome! thanks to our business approach and service delivery model, we have been able to gain trust from user/partners and we are gradually expanding our reach to more communities”

Eco-friendly vehicles taking over Africa

Global warming is changing our ecosystem, and the need for a sustainable means of transportation cannot be over-emphasized.

Western countries have led in this aspect by adopting the use of the sustainable mode of movement, Africa must do the same so that there will be safe earth for other generations to inherit.

Eco-Friendly means of transportation will become widely accepted in Nigeria and Africa, the government just need to put the necessary policies and infrastructures to enable it happen fast.

Errand360’s cost-effectiveness compared to dispatch riding

Delivering an item using the existing mode of transportation for courier companies (motorbikes/cars/buses) costs a minimum of #1000.

The operators thus need to factor in a lot of things such as: cost of fueling the vehicle, cost of maintaining the vehicle, salary to the dispatch riders, tariffs to “Agberos” and local council authorities as well as other operational costs, while trying to also make a profit.

“With Errand360 bicycle delivery services, we’ve been able to cut down on some operational cost and that has enabled us to offer a more competitive price to deliver items within communities.”

---

Don’t miss important articles during the week. Subscribe to techbuild.africa weekly digest for updates.