History
The BestRide platform began to take shape on paper at the end of 2018, when its founder, a tourist animator from Lisbon, along with other professionals in the sector, detected a series of problems in the activity that affect the quality of the final service.
Problems arose with the sudden and unexpected tourist boom which, in the midst of the 2008-2014 economic crisis, made Lisbon one of the most desirable cities to visit and live, with today around 20% of its population being foreigners.
The growing increase in tourists was accompanied by a significant increase in supply in all areas that serve our visitors, including vehicles of various types, such as the Tuk-Tuk, which started here in 2013 to serve tourism. providing the traditional taxi services known in the southern hemisphere.
Its success was immediate and went beyond the borders of our city and country, and it is now possible to take Tuk-Tuk tours in various regions of Portugal and in countries such as Greece, Spain, France, Antwerp, UK and USA.
However, the lack of mandatory training certificate for tourist entertainment at European level, the lack of adequate regulations for the development of this activity, the economic crisis that sent people with all kinds of educational qualifications and professional experiences to these functions without adequate preparation to exercise them, the lack of working conditions, employment contracts, the scarcity of parking lots and parking for tourist vehicles (of residents and merchants as well) and the consequent evasion of fines, the falsification of prices by some professionals, whether due to excess or defect, among other particularities, are a nightmare for all those who want to be, offer or receive the best possible.
A year and a half on the land with all weather conditions, 6 days a week, 10:00 to 12:00 in the street, allowed us to survey the most pressing problems and build this solution to eliminate or minimize them.
If we use this platform, we save time, money, and help to reduce the number of Tuk Tuks and other tourist vehicles on the city’s streets, as instead of looking for customers on the road, we can take orders and just leave the garage for the materialize.
Professionals manage their time better, gaining more rest time per day, more time dedicated to family and friends, more availability to learn and evolve, less stress and less fatigue to serve you. More and better assessments that distinguish them from all those who do a disservice to tourism and the nation and consequently can translate into better working conditions.
Conceptually, BestRide was accepted annually and since 2019 in the Startup Alpha program of the Web Summit, awarded by 4Helix+ (European Union, 2019) and Portugal Tourism Minds (2020). It was born in the IEFP’s Creation of Own Employment programme.
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