00:00Having fun, staying healthy, and being eco-friendly are things that are important to most. We've
00:10come to meet two Emirati entrepreneurs whose bike-share business has had a positive impact
00:14on Abu Dhabi's transport system and it's promoting a healthy lifestyle in the community.
00:19Sayakel is a company we started a year ago and the idea is to introduce the concept of
00:25bike-sharing to the city of Abu Dhabi.
00:28It's about impacting people's lives. It's about introducing something where, when they're
00:33going to work or they're out playing with their kids or something, that they can see
00:38it, that they can use it.
00:39We saw similar concepts in different places in the world and we actually tried one in
00:44London and we were impressed how convenient it is to go from one place to another.
00:49Once we came back from our trip, we started looking into things, you know, what exactly
00:54it is, what it entails, what are the regulatory aspects needed to start the bike-share program
01:01here.
01:02We looked into the laws, you know, related to permits, helmets, so on, and yeah, we made
01:10a business plan and the rest is history, as they say.
01:13To start a business, first of all, it's a very challenging thing and to take care of
01:18all aspects in the business, it's something that you have to learn and you're not good
01:23at everything and you have to learn that, you have to learn that the hard way.
01:28You really need to put yourself out there. We went to a number of different sponsors
01:32and ADCB was just the actual brand. It's very modern, you know, it represents a lot of the
01:40same values that we hold.
01:41When Mohammed and Hani came to us with the bike-share, it was introduced for the first
01:47time in Abu Dhabi and we thought of this as a real innovative, great idea to associate
01:53with.
01:54One of the major challenges was getting the permits to place the stations on the streets
02:01so people can use it and also raising funds.
02:05As budding entrepreneurs, we really didn't know all the intricacies, basically, of starting
02:11a business. All the legal things that went into it, you know, the funding and budgeting
02:18and what unexpected costs would suddenly arise. So, you know, it was a lot of trial and error
02:27with a lot of different things, even with the sponsorship, but I think at the end we
02:33really proved that, you know, any problems that came up, we were able to manage and we
02:38dealt with and we solved.
02:40It's a 24-7 job. I mean, you'll never get your mind off it and, like, you have to worry
02:47about every person and every little thing in it, but it is nice to see your, like, your
02:54input in, like, most of the things in the business and it will also, like, teach you
03:01a lot of things that you didn't know about yourself.
03:03Really feel a sense of pride, of course, seeing somebody on your bikes. So when sometimes
03:08we're going into gas and you see somebody on the side of the road on your bicycle or
03:12somebody at a station that's taking it, you know, there's a good sense of accomplishment
03:19there, you know, you're really impacting their lives, in a sense.
03:23I saw the bikes here and I think it's a very, like, a good idea to go around the island
03:28in a healthier way.
03:29I use these all the time. They're awesome. Super cheap. They're reliable and super convenient.
03:37My plans is to get my bikes in every corner in the streets to make it very convenient
03:44for people to actually use it as a means of transport, to be part of the transport network
03:49in the city.
03:50In the long run, I think the government won't be able to do it alone. So I think people
03:56like us need to step up, need to provide some sort of impact, definitely, on the community.
04:05If you have an idea, just go for it. Do your research and be committed to it and just go.
04:12With myself and Hani, you know, there's a very good complement between us. I think he's
04:18more of the dreamer and I'm more of the practical person and when partners like that bring it
04:24to the table, yeah, that kind of synergy is really what works well. So definitely choose
04:28your partners wisely.
04:29Sayaka already have 75 bikes across 11 stations in Abu Dhabi and with plans to expand further,
04:35they're all set to help commuters pedal their way to a healthier lifestyle.
04:39Sarbi Grandpaia, Golf News.
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