A new on-demand transportation service could soon become a more familiar sight around Steinbach. At a recent Steinbach City Council meeting, Justus Oladele, founder and CEO of KodaGO, presented the locally developed transportation service and shared how his own experience moving to the city inspired the idea. An interesting arrival in Steinbach Oladele moved to Steinbach two years ago from Montreal, where he had lived for a few months after moving to Canada from Nigeria. He says a friend encouraged him to move to Steinbach but admits that he initially thought the city was located in or much closer to Winnipeg. When he and his wife arrived in Winnipeg, they quickly realized they needed to find another way to get to Steinbach. “We started asking very weird questions, like, ‘Can I get a train ticket to Steinbach?’ They said there was no underground train to Steinbach. ‘Can I get a flight ticket to Steinbach?’ No flight ticket to Steinbach. ‘Ok, can I get a bus to Steinbach?’ No bus to Steinbach.” Eventually, he says his friend's husband had to pick them up in Winnipeg and drive them to Steinbach. “[It is a] beautiful city. It has literally everything you need except public transportation.” Related Stories: Winkler transit system offers glimpse of what could come to Steinbach Coalition unveils Link Transit logo, seeks support from Steinbach Council Public Transit gets big Yes! in Steinbach Turning a transportation gap into an opportunity Oladele says he considered leaving Steinbach but instead decided to use his background in computer science and several years of experience as a software developer to try to address the transportation gap. “Instead of running away from the problem, why don’t you just solve it?” He began looking into why Uber was not operating in Steinbach and learned that the company does not serve cities with populations under 50,000. Recognizing an opportunity, Oladele says he met with Mayor Earl Funk before bringing the idea to his team and beginning development of KodaGO. “KodaGo is not a foreign app that came to Steinbach or Canada, this is a Steinbach-built app for locals as it serves the local community and connects other communities.” Oladele says he began testing the app and gathering feedback from residents. Today, he says KodaGO has approximately 246 users. He also highlighted some of the differences between KodaGO and a conventional taxi service. While traditional taxi pricing can be based on factors such as distance or time, Oladele says KodaGO provides customers with an upfront price, allowing them to know what they will be charged before booking a ride. Councillors welcome local innovation Councillor Damien Penner thanked Oladele for the presentation, saying KodaGO is an example of private innovation identifying a gap and developing a solution. “Private innovation finds gaps in the market and brings a phenomenal product, innovation in technology, and I really wish you all the best going forward. I hope this is incredibly successful and I appreciate that this is a homegrown tech in Steinbach.” Councillor Susan Penner also congratulated Oladele and asked whether he plans to expand KodaGO, noting there are numerous communities with populations under 50,000. Oladele says expansion is already underway, with KodaGO reaching communities such as Winkler, while also hoping to launch in Winnipeg. “This is an idea that started from Steinbach, and now serving other cities as well. The dream has always been to connect the entire underserved cities across Manitoba.” City partnership discussed Mayor Funk said he believes it is encouraging to see private businesses identify gaps in the community and develop products to address them. “It's exciting to see that because especially a newcomer. So, he comes, he saw, he had ideas, and he's trying to replicate something that he had in a bigger city that he lived in.” As Steinbach continues to grow and the need for on-demand transportation increases, Funk says he hopes KodaGO can help alleviate some of the need. Oladele also requested a partnership with the City of Steinbach to help accelerate KodaGO's local growth. Funk said the city does not currently partner with other transportation businesses, but encouraged Oladele to submit a letter outlining his expectations and request a meeting so council can discuss the proposal. Despite that, Funk wished Oladele success and said he expects KodaGO to grow alongside the city. “I am very glad that we’ve become friends, and that we’ve been able to have the relationship we do have.”