The suspension of Yango in Cameroon last February left a void in the ride-hailing market, but a new startup called OnGo is looking to fill that gap. Created by local engineers and the Cameroonian diaspora, Ongo launched its digital car reservation service with drivers and taxis on April 17, making urban and interurban travel more accessible and convenient for Cameroonians.
OnGo is currently available in Yaoundé and Douala, with plans to expand to all ten regions of the country in the near future. The solution has a mobile application available on both Android and iOS, allowing users to create an account and choose their destination. The app then displays the price of the race and offers the user drivers closest to their location. The cost of the ride depends on the type of vehicle chosen.
Not only does OnGo provide on-demand transport, but it also offers vehicle rental services for events such as weddings and family ceremonies. The web platform and mobile application offer several types of vehicles to choose from, allowing users to select a car that suits their needs and financial means.
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Since its launch, the Android version of the mobile application has already been downloaded more than a thousand times. OnGo is facing competition from Gozem, but it could still fill the void left by Yango’s suspension, especially since neither Uber nor Bolt operate in Cameroon yet.
The Cameroonian government suspended Yango due to accusations of flouting regulations in the country. To operate as a driver at Yango, it was necessary to have the same papers as a taxi driver, in accordance with the provisions of law N 2001–015 of July 23, 2001 governing the professions of road transport and road transport auxiliaries.
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Taxis are the most common form of transportation found in Yaoundé and Douala, but most are in poor condition, making them unattractive to middle-income earners. Yango’s suspension created a significant gap in the ride-hailing market, leaving room for OnGo to make a difference.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard