WANATU Transforms Homegrown Ride-Hailing with Google Maps Platform Mobility
Updated: 20 hours ago
Google Cloud Results
● Eliminated navigation blind spots with real-time driver tracking and live maps.
● Drastically improved ETAs for accurate, predictable pickup times.
● Optimised dispatch and routing precision through seamless Google Maps Platform Mobility integration.
WANATU helps South Africans travel confidently, comfortably, and securely through an e-hailing platform built on local support and community trust, powered by Google Maps Platform Mobility.
Overview
For South Africans, daily commutes come with a unique set of concerns. Whether you’re managing school drop-offs or booking early airport trips, safety and timing are essential.
Pretoria-based WANATU was designed to address these exact concerns. They built their service around community trust and family-focused safety, supported locally.
By matching vetted drivers with a platform built on accountability and local-language support, the company offers a highly tailored alternative to traditional ride-sharing.
To scale this high-touch promise across Gauteng’s busy road networks, WANATU approached 28East as their Google Cloud partner. With our help, WANATU could modernise their platform using Google Maps Platform Mobility.
"We wanted to build a service where you don’t have to wonder whether your loved ones will get there safely,” says Anton Grotius, director of WANATU. “It’s about peace of mind for your partner, your child, and your parents."
How the Tech Works Under the Hood
Behind WANATU’s locally developed app is an enterprise-grade backend powered by Google’s Fleet Engine.
Built by Project Troy, the platform pushes driver location updates from the WANATU driver application to the Fleet Engine. Consumer SDK then propagates those updates to the rider app, bypassing the need for complex, custom backend software
Each trip is registered as a Fleet Engine task the moment it’s accepted, while status transitions are managed server-side. This keeps rider screens, dispatch systems, and admin tools perfectly synchronised.
Crucially for South Africa’s variable, and often unreliable, cellular coverage, the system leverages Fleet Engine’s staleness detection to flag drivers who stop sending signals mid-trip.
This gives operators an early warning before a driver goes dark.
With this information, operations staff can identify stale locations, flag abnormal trip durations, and take action without waiting for a driver or rider to raise a support ticket.
This level of operational visibility was previously available only to large-scale logistics operations and is now standard in WANATU's daily workflow.
WANATU also extends this operational visibility to corporate bookings. When corporate clients book with WANATU, Fleet Engine processes the rides alongside consumer bookings.
Bookers get live tracking and predictable ETAs, while WANATU’s team manages the entire fleet through a single, centralised dashboard.
From Guesswork to Real-Time Accuracy
With so many e-hailing options available, a missed turn or a lagging ETA is all it takes for a customer to choose a competitor. That means WANATU couldn’t afford any mistakes.
By switching to Google Maps Platform Mobility, WANATU gained access to localised turn-by-turn routing that instantly responds to changing traffic patterns across Gauteng.
Upfront pricing is also calculated directly using the exact distance and duration metrics. This removes billing ambiguity before a ride even begins.
“With Google Maps Platform Mobility, we aren’t just moving people - we’re looking after them. Real-time tracking and improved ETAs mean parents can see where their children are, while commuters can plan their days with greater confidence.” - Anton Grotius, director of WANATU
Looking to the Future with 28East
With its core routing and tracking systems fully optimised, WANATU is currently operating across Pretoria and Centurion, and major transit hubs, including OR Tambo and Lanseria airpots.
Supported by 28East, the company plans to continuously leverage Google Cloud data and analytics to further automate dispatch logic and optimise peak-hour driver distribution.
“Working with 28East allowed us to implement cutting-edge mobility technology smoothly,” concludes Grotius. “Google Maps Platform gives us the technology and scale we need to focus on what we do best: taking care of our community.”
About WANATU
WANATU is a proudly South African e-hailing and package delivery service built around safety, trust and looking after our community. The platform offers instant and scheduled rides across Gauteng, making everyday journeys simpler, safer and more connected.
Industry: Travel and Hospitality/Transportation
Location: South Africa
Products: Google Maps Platform Mobility, Routes API
About 28East Google Maps and Cloud Partner
28East is a dedicated local Google Maps and Google Cloud partner based in South Africa. The team helps businesses across Africa leverage location intelligence and cloud technology to build highly scalable, innovative operations.
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