People’s Champion finalist 2017: miDrive

Start-up name: miDrive
CEO: Asher Ismail
Started in: 2013 (launched in 2014)
Based in: London
Business description: Learner driver platform

Shortlisted categories:

Service Business of the Year, App of the Year

The miDrive story:

Despite spending upwards of £1,000 each on driving lessons, 23% of 18 to 24-year-olds crash their cars within two years of passing their driving test.

Borne from this frustration, Startups 100-featured miDrive was founded by Simon Hagger in 2013 to jumpstart the engine of the immobile learner driving industry that has, for decades, been difficult to navigate and more expensive than it needs to be.

Now led by CEO Asher Ismail, the start-up uses technology to match learners with the highest-rated instructors and allows them to monitor their progress with digital lesson reports. Through its app, users can do everything from arrange lessons, to making payments, to learning theory.

In July 2017, following a £2m investment round, miDrive launched an innovative insurance feature, enabling learners to purchase hourly driving insurance that covers them for practice in friends and family’s cars.

According to the company, not only do they “save hundreds” for the learners who use the platform, importantly learners are 38% more likely to pass first time and require 17 fewer hours than the national average to reach test standard.

Unlike traditional driving schools, miDrive takes no franchise fees or upfront deposit from its network of 1,500 instructors. Instead it takes a small commission on each lesson.

miDrive also takes care of the marketing, scheduling and payments for instructors and gives them the flexibility to choose when they want to work, as well as notifying them when there are new learners in the area.

Why miDrive made our shortlist:

miDrive is disrupting an industry that’s long been in need of a fix up.

Now available in over 100 UK towns and cities and having helped 300,000 young people to learn to drive, it’s obvious the company has many miles left in the tank yet. Through the innovative use of technology, miDrive’s service is empowering young people to get behind the wheel of a car as often as possible for as little as possible – and simultaneously making roads safer.

Where to find out more about miDrive:

Website: www.midrive.com
Twitter: @midriveapp