With the South African manner of living, where each household is likely to have at least two or more cars or bikes, some of which will stand idle for weeks, maybe months, wouldn’t it be a great idea if your car or motorcycle could earn its keep while you’re not using it? That’s where www.gorider.co.za comes in.
This was the thought that came to Menachem Altman after he sold his bike; “After selling my previous bike, I still wanted something to ride over December, but there were no proper rental options in South Africa. I ended up buying a bike on Facebook Marketplace, using it for two months and then having to sell it again. The entire process was unnecessary. That experience made me realise riders needed a simple, safe way to rent bikes without the hassle, which pushed me to build GoRider. As we developed the platform, the same need became clear across all vehicle types, but the biking community remains the origin and heart of the start-up.
“We are currently in the pre-launch stage, focused only on onboarding owners. Bike owners and car owners can already sign up, submit their vehicle details and complete verification so their listings are ready before launch. Early owners receive founding-owner perks, and their vehicles will automatically appear on the platform when we open to the public at the beginning of February 2026.”
Registering your vehicle for rental couldn’t be easier; all you’ll need are the vehicle details and photos, proof of residence, ID document and a facial scan for identity verification.
Small rental businesses can also onboard now, with additional tools to manage larger fleets, business details and multiple staff members. This provides a streamlined way for smaller agencies to sync their vehicles and operate through one unified system.
Naturally, at the top of everyone’s mind will be indemnification in the event of accident or theft – insurance, in other words.
“Insurance is handled through our insurance partners, who provide full comprehensive cover for all bookings made on the platform,’ said Menachem. ‘Our tracking partners support the system with device installation where needed, live monitoring and recovery teams, ensuring strong protection for owners.
“There are two ways for the owners to insure their vehicles under the scheme. The first way is that they switch to an insurance policy under GoRider for personal and the rental vehicle, for which GoRider have negotiated very good rates, or they can keep their regular insurance, and there is an additional insurance policy for their vehicle during the rental period.”
GoRider is still in the formation stages, ahead of the anticipated February 2026 launch.
“The renter side of the platform is fully built and ready. We are holding off on opening it until we have a strong national pool of vehicles, so that renters have a real choice and availability from day one.
“Because GoRider began as a biking solution, we especially want the biking community involved at this stage. Pre-listing bikes now helps shape the platform from launch and ensures riders lead the way in this new access-first mobility model.”
The other big question is, ‘how much will this both cost and earn?’ Menachem again; “The daily rental rate is whatever the owner decides to charge, obviously within reason. There is a user fee, or service fee, which is based on how much the daily rental rate is and the rental period. GoRider take a 10-15% commission per trip, again based on each individual trip’s details.”
If this seems like something you’d be interested in getting involved with, you can contact Menachem on 064 751 1160 or email him at [email protected]
