No one looks forward to being broken down on the side of the road, but for some, car problems can be especially daunting. When you are in a dangerous spot, short on cash, do not have roadside coverage, or there is not a friend or family member who can come to your aid, car trouble can quickly shift from being annoying to completely overwhelming. In those situations, Roadr is your solution.
Roadr is a new roadside assistance app that makes getting assistance in your time of need as easy as getting an Uber. It was developed by Otiniel and Celso Ribeiro to take the stress out of getting stranded.
The brothers, who were born in Angola and grew up with a mother who was an engineer and a father who was a computer scientist, have always had a lifelong passion for computers and other technology. They spent their childhood upgrading their PCs in the hopes of improving performance, often selling their work when they needed funds to pursue new endeavors. The idea for Roadr came from their own personal experience.
“I found myself sitting on the side of the road in a dangerous neighborhood at night, where I waited two hours for AAA to arrive,” explains Celso. “The lack of efficient coordination, unsafe scenario, unknown ETA for help, and unknown identity of the technician who would arrive all clearly showed us that we needed a solution that was better than what was available. We decided to build a simple and intuitive application for motorists that provides a safety net whenever and wherever their vehicles need maintenance or break down.”
User ratings on a variety of roadside assistance services show that Celso’s experience was not unique. Complaints highlight lengthy wait times, rude dispatchers, inconsistent service, and a general lack of value for the fees paid. In general, many drivers find that the services only make things worse by failing to follow through on their promise of assistance.
In developing Roadr, Otiniel and Celso set out to solve the glaring problems that motorists encounter again and again when a breakdown occurs. These issues often include a lack of driver-technician contact and coordination, an unknown identity of the technician, long waits, price gouging, a general lack of safety, bad customer service, and professionals arriving at the scene who are incapable of fixing unexpected issues. The end result is an app that dramatically improves the roadside assistance experience.
“When a breakdown occurs, Roadr gives you an unprecedented level of control,” explains Otiniel. “You have the ability to contact via text or phone call, rate the assistance specialist who is helping you, and you can even track their progress with geolocation. You can be assured that you will get quality service from vetted and qualified professionals, and you can pay in a variety of ways, including Apple Pay or Google Pay. Overall, Roadr makes requesting and receiving service a user-friendly experience.”
Roadr addresses the problems associated with incompetent roadside technicians by using only highly-qualified professionals, known as Roadr Specialists. These professionals are all vetted by Roadr and trained to provide a wide range of technical services — as well as excellent customer care. Roadr Specialists are highly motivated to provide great service thanks to the benefits they receive, which include greater autonomy, better pay, a higher volume of service calls, and better overall work conditions than those experienced when partnering with other roadside assistance services.
“The feedback that we got from roadside technicians when we were building the platform was that they were frustrated with the conditions they faced,” explains Celso. “These included a lot of aimless driving on a daily basis while they awaited service opportunities, undesirable pay, and unsustainable working conditions. The opportunities that Roadr provides for them fixes those problems.”
The feedback that Roadr has received from motorists has been extremely encouraging. They unanimously loved and endorsed the app for addressing the long waits, high prices, lackluster customer service, and lack of safety that were common with other options.
Breakdowns are a threat for which every motorist must prepare. Dead batteries, flat tires, and overheating — all of which are sighted as the common reasons for roadside breakdowns — can happen regardless of the make, model, or age of the car. When an unexpected problem strikes, having a reliable solution is imperative.
“The best time to prepare yourself for an unforeseen event is right now,” says Otiniel. “Having the Roadr app means the right service at the right price is at your fingerprints, no matter whenever or wherever you need help.”Roadr is now available for download on IOS and the Google Play store, but users will have to wait just a little bit longer to use the app while the Roadr specialists are being onboarded. After the week of October 24, users will be able to begin taking advantage of Roadr.
