Anuar, ‘The Transporter’ in Sabah

KL man launches new app 5ver, the first ever e-hailing service for goods

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has its own version of The Transporter now.

Not the movie starring English action star Jason Statham but a service that allows goods to be transported all over the state and even out of Sabah.

The 5ver – which stands for “fivestar drivers” – is an app similar to Uber and Grab but instead of passengers, it transports goods, ranging from documents and parcels to large household items.

Its founder Anuar Halim ( pic), 36, said the idea struck him when he came to Sabah for a holiday a year ago.

“I saw there were many four wheel drives (4WD) here and these were mostly empty.

“They were underutilised and I thought to myself – why not create an app that takes advantage of the fact that so many people in Sabah have 4WDs suitable to carry large items around?” said Anuar, who is from Kuala Lumpur.

Together with his partner, Azri Apli, 32, a former steward from Keningau, they came up with the app, which was officially launched on Aug 7.

For example, Anuar said a person, who had registered to be a driver and wished to drive to Keningau, could go onto the app to check and wait if anyone had items to send to the same destination.

There are now over 100 registered drivers under 5ver – or transporters as Anuar calls them – all of whom have had their backgrounds checked.

“We make sure that our drivers are genuine people and we work with the authorities to make sure that no illegal items are being transported,” he said.

Anuar said they were also looking into teaming up with insurance firms so that customers could claim for compensation – based on terms and conditions – if their items were broken or lost during the journey.

“This service helps you save time and energy.

“It is also cheaper compared to having to drive all the way and back on your own,” he said, adding that medicine could also be sent to rural areas this way.

The service, added Anuar, would also help drivers make use of the extra space in their car to earn money.

The app is currently only available on Android and can be downloaded via the Google Play Store.

For more information, search for 5ver on Facebook.