Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers • Hacker News Board

Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#1

Post by mrajcok » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:06 PM UTC

Hi! I'm Matt from Mystro (http://www.mystrodriver.com) and we're in the current YC batch. We're building an app for on-demand drivers to automate the process of driving for multiple platforms.

My co-founder got the idea for Mystro while completing over 10,000 trips as an Uber/Lyft driver.

We automate switching multiple on-demand apps on and off. This ensures that drivers are available on all services to get the maximum number of rides but never get penalized for not accepting a ride because they are already on a trip. We also automatically accept trips according to driver's settings so they do not have to look at/touch their phones to accept trips while driving.

Currently, we support Uber and Lyft, but we are planning to add many more rideshare and delivery platforms as we grow.

We have found that using Mystro makes drivers 30% more money, reduces distracted driving, and makes driving much more relaxing for our drivers.

We run entirely on the user's phone and integrate with the driver apps directly, avoiding any need for API access and letting us easily integrate new platforms as we go forward. For now, we are only available on Android (which 65% of drivers use), since app-to-app interactions are much more restricted on iOS.

We have a SaaS business model and charge drivers $12/mo or $99/yr for unlimited trips, and all drivers get 10 trips per week for free.

We're happy to answer any questions about Mystro or about ridesharing in general (especially from the driver perspective).

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#2

Post by ijustdontcare » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:39 PM UTC

your technology is an Android App that remote-controls Uber and Lyft apps, and you charge 100$ per year for it

What makes you think nobody will sit down and rebuild your app in a week?

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#3

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:44 PM UTC

ijustdontcare wrote: post #2

your technology is an Android App that remote-controls Uber and Lyft apps, and you charge 100$ per year for it What makes you think nobody will sit down and rebuild your app in a week?

[deleted]

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#4

Post by mrajcok » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:46 PM UTC

ijustdontcare wrote: post #2

your technology is an Android App that remote-controls Uber and Lyft apps, and you charge 100$ per year for it What makes you think nobody will sit down and rebuild your app in a week?

We have a good understanding of what will provide the best driver experience based on a huge amount of user feedback.

There is also the potential to use the data we have to optimize driver revenue even further.

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#5

Post by pj_mukh » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:49 PM UTC

I've seen practically all drivers do this manually while grumbling! Great catch! Is there a trial period of sorts?

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#6

Post by mrajcok » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:51 PM UTC

pj_mukh wrote: post #5

I've seen practically all drivers do this manually while grumbling! Great catch! Is there a trial period of sorts?

Thanks! All drivers can use for free with up to 10 trips a week, and there's a 7-day money-back window for the unlimited plan.

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#7

Post by yannick » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:51 PM UTC

ijustdontcare wrote: post #2

your technology is an Android App that remote-controls Uber and Lyft apps, and you charge 100$ per year for it What makes you think nobody will sit down and rebuild your app in a week?

I think Hacker News should kick off every ShowHN thread with a comment from CouldBuiltThatInAWeekendBot

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#8

Post by yannick » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:54 PM UTC

sounds like useful software that could be someday be added natively into whatever the future OS of cars look(s) like

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#9

Post by pj_mukh » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 5:55 PM UTC

mrajcok wrote: post #6

pj_mukh wrote: post #5

I've seen practically all drivers do this manually while grumbling! Great catch! Is there a trial period of sorts?

Thanks! All drivers can use for free with up to 10 trips a week, and there's a 7-day money-back window for the unlimited plan.

Sick! I'd suggest expanding the trial period a little more Most drivers I've seen complain about their margins all the time. However, if they could try you for longer I have no doubt they'd see the savings, get hooked and gladly pay.

It'll also fire up your growth. Free month for a limited time perhaps?

Re: Launch HN: Mystro (YC S17) – Automation for On-Demand Drivers

#10

Post by tammer » Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 6:03 PM UTC

ijustdontcare wrote: post #2

your technology is an Android App that remote-controls Uber and Lyft apps, and you charge 100$ per year for it What makes you think nobody will sit down and rebuild your app in a week?

This isn't a great question, as the child comments illustrate; effectively its a proven tenet of startup culture that execution and growth are key steps to profitability rather than the uniqueness of an idea or service.

I have a similar but I think more valid question, however, which is how do you plan on staying compatible with the ride-sharing companies themselves, who I assume will eventually attempt to lock you out of their services as they come to see you helping their competitors?