Companion Cab is the brainchild of Janine MacLean, who recognised a need in many areas that complement each other well. She then partnered with her brother, Nj Hourquebie, who added his skills and vision to Companion Cab, and Nosiseko Mashiyi joined the team soon after.
When she was younger, Janine’s mother used to say:
and this has been a driving force behind the Companion Cab concept.
In a post-COVID world, now more than ever, it is essential for South Africans with entrepreneurial spirits to step up and work together to come up with solutions to help alleviate the unemployment crisis in our country. Only then can we start moving towards a brighter future for all South Africans.
Companion Cab's goal is to focus on the employment of women in a sector that has been left unattended: the elderly. When an elderly person has had to give up driving, they become reliant on either once-a-week shuttles or the aid of family.
COVID lockdown and working from home afforded the flexibility for family of elderly persons to slip away from their home offices and assist. With the return to work, post-COVID, the freedom to assist a family member has become harder to do when working from the office. Errands that need to take place during business hours now require taking a day’s leave or are put off until a later date, until they have accumulated and result in creating rush and frustration.
With Companion Cab, you have peace of mind, knowing that your loved one is in the care of capable companions, while your loved one has the freedom they lost when driving themselves was no longer safe. Companion Cab looks to empower women from all communities, allowing them to make an income while performing acts of kindness.
Companion Cab aims to assist women in finding financial freedom within the current jobs crisis that finds six million women unemployed.
With the loss of driving and mobility stealing the ease of popping to the shops or getting round from the elderly, assisted taxi services is needed now more than ever.
TThe first thing you’d probably notice about me is the signature shock of purple hair. When I’m not providing the “GO” for our Seniors on the GO, you will find me in and around the pool, six days a week, as a swimming instructor at a local gym.
Prior to COVID, I worked in sales, selling loyalty program software, but in true Jack-of-all-trades fashion, I have acquired skills through working a variety of jobs, ranging from a filing clerk to a conveyancing and litigation secretary, with quite a few other job titles in between.
I am passionate about working to change the world around me for the better. At the start of the pandemic, I moved back home and I got to witness the plight of the elderly, specifically the isolation felt by both my gran and my stepfather as a result of them losing their mobility and, as a result, becoming reliant on others to get out. It was here that the seed for Companion Cab was planted.
The idea has grown a fair bit since then. For instance, I realised that Companion Cab, while helping the elderly, could also provide women an opportunity to earn money while providing the flexibility that a post-COVID world demand, but my focus is on helping our seniors regain a level of independence they may have thought they had lost.
In my spare time, I enjoy drawing and watching British television game shows with my mom and gran.
I have spent much of my life as a jack-of-all-trades (true-crime writer, voice actor, podcaster, video editor, web developer, high school tutor, queer rights activist, et al.) but I always seems to find my way back into IT, in some way, shape or form, and well, here we are.
I joined Companion Cab to assist with all things geek and I am responsible for creating and maintaining the website, graphic design (except for the logo, that was Janine’s creation), video editing and I play an active role in future tech plans for the company.
As for what I do in my spare time, most of my “careers” started out as hobbies so chances are that, when I’m not working, you’ll find me tinkering with something I used to make money off of, because I still find it fun. Alternatively, I’m binge-watching series or out on a long walk.
We are currently only operating in the northwestern suburbs of Johannesburg, in and around Cresta/Fairlands and Sandton/Fourways, and the northern suburbs of Cape Town, in and around Durbanville/Bellvile. We will be expanding to other regions soon, so like and follow our Facebook Page to get notified of our expansion plans.
If you are not sure whether we cover your area, send us a WhatsApp message to 067 018 7407 and we will gladly advise you.
