SA’s GoMetro launches “Email My Boss” button

South African travel app startup GoMetro has launched an “Email My Boss” feature, allowing commuters stuck on a delayed train to prove to their employer the cause of their tardy arrival to work.

GoMetro now features an “Email My Boss” button, which initiates an email to the user’s employer directly from the delayed train, verifying disruptions or delays to the service a commuter is on.

The service does not require an internet connection, can be used on any type of mobile device – including feature phones – and can be accessed via USSD.

“GoMetro was started in 2012 to solve a major pain-point for commuters who get to work by train. Every time there is a delay or disruption to trains in the Western Cape, workers who are late need to stand in long queues in order to receive letters to give their employers in order not to receive written warnings. GoMetro has solved that pain-point today by quickly generating a late note from their mobile phones – even if they don’t have an internet connection,” said Justin Coetzee, chief executive officer (CEO) of GoMetro.

Delayed commuters can access the new service by visiting the m.gometro.co.za site and clicking the “Email My Boss” button, or via USSD by dialling *120*4668#.

The service is currently only availble to commuters in the Western Cape, but will be rolled out to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in the coming few weeks.

“The service is not intended to send employers a daily email with general train delay information. Every email an employer receives is an individual request made by an employee at that particular time to send an individual email,” said Marnus Lottering, community manager at GoMetro.

Any abuse or misrepresentation of the service can be reported by employers.

The addition of the “Email My Boss” button follows hot on the heels of the launch of GoMetro Mini, a mobi site designed for older phones and available to commuters in all of South Africa’s 11 official languages.