FOR WESTERN CAPE COMMUNITIES · A TERRAFOUNDRY INITIATIVE
An AI-orchestrated, private, community-driven member network that turns the empty seats already on Western Cape roads into safe, income-generating, low-carbon journeys — with no new roads and no new vehicles.
THE REAL PROBLEM
Empty seats, congestion and emissions are consequences of one underlying problem: people have no trusted way to share journeys with their own communities. POLC Lift Club solves trust first — transport follows.
The strongest reason parents join a vetted network — every member identity-checked, every trip accountable.
No confirmation, no accountability. POLC is invite-only and verified — buddies, pools and colleagues, not strangers.
Thousands of vehicles, same routes, empty seats. Better use of existing capacity — no new roads or vehicles.
POSITIONING
POLC Lift Club sits deliberately outside public ride-hailing — built to complement the Western Cape's existing transport, not compete with it.
HOW IT WORKS
The real app flow — drivers post commutes, verified members book seats, money moves through escrow and boarding is proven, not asserted.
Drivers post the commute they already drive — or run it as a weekly pool.
Riders find lifts near a point on the route and pick a day and time — or take the whole week in a pool.
The fare is held in escrow in two steps. Nothing settles until the ride happens.
Each passenger boards against their own code. The driver starts, boards, completes — the phone tracks only while on the road.
Both sides get confirmation; guardians can follow a live ride; a missed pickup offers a new time, and no-shows follow clear rules.
Escrow settles, the driver is paid out, both sides rate, and the trip banks CO₂, km and savings.
WHAT COUNTS
We count a journey only when all four are true — the same discipline the app enforces in code.
DURATION · 6 MONTHS
Starting with target communities where trust already exists: Stellenbosch · Paarl · Somerset West · Cape Town · corporate parks · universities · schools · sport clubs · churches.
Better use of existing capacity on corridors people already drive.
Per-trip snapshots feed the province's climate goals.
Lower household transport costs; drivers fill seats they already drive.
Smoother journeys across key routes — fewer cars, not more.
A trusted, vetted network reduces risk on every seat.
Vehicle occupancy, repeat pools, referrals — counted weekly.
OPPORTUNITY
Raising average occupancy from ~1.5 to just 2.5 removes 200,000–300,000 daily commuter journeys. Sources: RTMC, Stats SA, Western Cape mobility statistics.
VERIFICATION
Every approved member gets their own QR code. KYC + AML checks on all individuals.
Members invite trusted people from their own networks — buddies, pools, colleagues.
An exclusive, self-regulated platform for the Western Cape — not open to all.
10% of ride revenue per seat flows to the member's chosen community — schools, clubs, churches.
Card payments via Paygate; wallet credited once money lands; every irreversible act reconciled.
Boarding codes, live tracking on the road only, 7-star ratings, guardian view for wards.
TWO PROMISES
KYC documents checked by a human reviewer before the first seat. Rejected means rejected — no quiet way back. The app enforces it on every booking screen.
Fares sit in escrow and settle only on boarding proof. Charges, refunds and payouts each carry their own reconciliation — the books are never trusted, they are checked.
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY
POLC Lift Club seeks to work alongside the Western Cape Government to scope a Trusted Community Mobility Pilot — scope, governance, municipalities, measures and evaluation, defined together.
Johan Bosch · +27 (0)66 243 1618 · via the POLC Global partner form
Approval in principle to jointly scope the pilot: participating municipalities, implementation approach, success measures and evaluation criteria.
QUESTIONS
Short answers. The app itself enforces every one of these.
No. POLC is a private, invite-only member network for communities that already know each other — schools, workplaces, clubs, neighbourhoods. It complements public transport; it does not compete with it, and there is no public driver permit involved.
Install the Lifty app, sign in with your email (a code is mailed to you), then complete the two-minute check — ID and selfie. A human reviewer approves you; the app shows where your case stands. Whoever invited you becomes your lift buddy.
Drivers share costs per kilometre — you pay the seat price shown before any money moves. Your fare is held in escrow and settles only when boarding is proven. Cancelled or unproven legs are refunded under clear rules.
Every member is KYC-verified with their own QR; every seat boards against a code; phones track only while the ride is on the road; wards can share a live guardian view; both sides rate on a 7-star scale and repeated no-shows lower trust.
Drivers fill seats they already drive and are paid out after settlement — an optional income stream, plus 10% of each seat's revenue flows to the driver's chosen community.
Stellenbosch, Paarl, Somerset West, Cape Town, plus corporate parks, universities, schools, sport clubs and churches — corridors where trust already exists.