Futuregrowth Asset Management has provided R300m ($21.72m) in funding to SA Taxi to provide financing to the company's Zebra Cabs owner-driver scheme.

Gershwin Long, Investment Analyst at Futuregrowth, said that the firm is dedicated to the development and empowerment of South Africa and its people and continually looks for investment opportunities that deliver sustainable returns, and social and economic benefits.

“This investment fits our developmental mandate perfectly since it has the potential to uplift these entrepreneurs and their families and is good for the local economy, too,” he said.

SA Taxi, South Africa’s largest financier of minibus taxis, acquired Zebra Cabs metered taxis in 2015 as the certified developmental credit provider sought to expand its business activities into relevant adjacent markets.

Mark Herskovits, SA Taxi Capital Markets Director, said that after 10 years in the minibus taxi industry, the company has been looking for opportunities to leverage its unique business model and underlying operational efficiencies, and determined that the point-to-point metered taxi industry offered the ideal synergies to scale effectively.

“We have developed a business model tailored to the unique characteristics of an industry often perceived as higher risk,” said Herskovits, who elaborates that SA Taxi considers credit extension to owner-drivers, or operators, as a small business loan rather than a personal loan.

“This differentiates us from the vanilla financing options offered through banks, which focus mainly on the creditworthiness of the individual. This often precludes these previously disadvantaged individuals from accessing the finance needed to build a profitable small business,” he added.

And with key similarities between the factors driving the need for finance in the mini bus and metered taxi industries, SA Taxi believes this is a natural extension of the business and therefore an ideal area for growth.

“These two sectors don't compete directly which makes it an ideal bolt-on business,” said Herskovits.

SA Taxi will now leverage the company's vertically integrated and successful minibus taxi business model to revive the floundering metered taxi cab industry.

“In South Africa, the industry is a characterised by an old, poorly maintained fleet of vehicles and a lack of trust and transparency in pricing. We therefore feel that there is an opportunity to revolutionise the industry and also offer a suitable alternative to Uber, which is doing a great job at disrupting this sector,” said Herskovits.

This initial funding is earmarked for expansion over a two-year period, with a primary focus on operations in Johannesburg.

“We will consider seeking additional funding sooner if required, but we first want to build scale in the key area of Johannesburg to achieve critical mass, before expanding operations to Cape Town and Durban. Our long-term goal is to have 3,000 Zebra Cabs on the road by 2020,” said Herskovits.

Long added: “As a long standing investor in SA Taxi, on behalf of our clients, we have witnessed how the company has become a pioneer of innovation in an industry that poses many challenges.”

“Add to this the established relationships held with industry regulators, and the company's credit vetting and rating processes, and we have every confidence in the business, the business model and the management team. This leaves us with no doubt that the company will be able to revolutionise the metered taxi industry in the same manner, thereby offering a sound investment opportunity,” he said.