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Ride-share drivers score a new income stream with the launch of Australia’s first in-vehicle ad-tech platform

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Screeny, a new in-vehicle ad-tech platform for rideshare and taxi drivers, has launched a closed pilot program in Sydney ahead of a broader, interstate launch mid-year.

The first of its kind in Australia, Screeny consists of a customised tablet that serves up digital ads along with value-added experiences like in-vehicle music control, restaurant booking and local deals nearby passenger destinations.

Dave Jackson, Screeny’s co-founder and Managing Director, said: “Screeny is more than just an ad-serving platform; it’s an interactive, in-vehicle experience that offers locally relevant opportunities for passengers when they’re most useful.

“For drivers, we’ve tried to make Screeny a no-brainer. We set them up with everything they need, including the hardware, training and installation, and they can be up and running in less than 15 minutes. We expect drivers to make more than a thousand dollars a year with Screeny, which should cover their rego and CTP insurance costs and thus lower the barrier to entry for entering the ride-sharing space,” he said.

What has Screeny achieved so far?

Screeny is currently running as a closed pilot with half a dozen brand partners in Sydney. It has also partnered with the likes of Groupon, restaurant-booking service Quandoo, and Jimmy Brings to drive customer engagement and interaction.

“Screeny’s blended UX redirects the passenger’s personal device to partner-controlled customer experiences via QR code. For eg, if I’m travelling from the CBD to Bondi and I want to browse deals, restaurants, bars and more in the area, when I click the Bondi button, Screeny provides a QR code that redirects my personal device to the relevant opportunities such as Groupon deals near my destination, which I can buy on the spot.“

Within the next three months, Screeny is planning to expand to 200 vehicles in two cities, then 400 vehicles in three cities. By the end of the year/start of next year, Mr Jackson says Screeny will be in 2,000 ride-share vehicles and taxis across Australia and New Zealand.

“We believe Screeny’s timing is auspicious. In-vehicle platforms have been proven in other territories. Additionally, major international players have announced similar initiatives involving partnerships with startups to monetise vehicles. These include Uber’s recent partnership with Cargo and Adomni in the US to provide On-Vehicle Advertising, announced on the same day as our In-Vehicle launch here in Australia.

“As the first company to bring this technology to Australia, we’re 100% focussed on leveraging our existing relationships to grow quickly and deliver results at scale for our globally established clients and partners, this is our number 1 priority,” added Mr Jackson.

Brand partners that are currently working with Screeny to serve up digital ads include FairVine Super, a super fund that caters specifically to women. Declan McCrea-Steele, FairVine Super’s Head of Marketing, said he was thrilled to work with Screeny as part of the initial closed pilot program.

“We’re always on the lookout for new ways to tell the FairVine Super story and drive deeper brand engagement, so we’re excited to work with Screeny on this initial pilot. The interactive, contextually-relevant experience offered by Screeny is an exciting and highly promising development in the digital out-of-home advertising space that we expect a lot of brands to jump on in the near future,” said Mr McCrea-Steele.