#InnovationMonth: from one driver to a sustainable transport company

How and why did you start Limetime Shuttle

Linell Schmidt: We started planning the business early in 2013 to get all the legal requirements organised and we did our first trip on 1 November 2013. I drove the first 70,000km and did all the company admin on my own. William assisted after hours and weekends while still in his previous career with SAB. He joined Limetime on a full-time basis in Nov 2015.

Entering the shuttle transport market was a natural choice for us. William has been involved in the transport industry in the South African breweries for many years and I have been running my own small business in Nelspruit prior to 2013. We always wanted to start our own transport company together, and everything fell into place in 2013, and we decided to go for it.

Tell us about Limetime Shuttle and its growth?

Schmidt: We knew from the start that we will have to grow consistently if we wanted to survive in this competitive environment. Through focusing on the right things we have been fortunate to have experienced great growth over the last three years.

What’s behind the Limetime name?

Schmidt: William felt that our name needed to include an on time component and my favourite colour have been lime green for many years, so the name Limetime was born. We also wanted to offer a fresh new alternative in this industry, so the lime green communicates that very well, we think.

What makes Limetime Shuttle unique?

Schmidt: Our passengers are the centre of our company. We believe that there is a big difference between claiming this and actually getting your staff and processes to live this on a daily basis. Making passengers the centre of your business changes the way you think about things like customer service, passenger safety and the ease of doing business.

How does Limetime operate and work?

Schmidt: Our number one promise is passenger safety and we strive to achieve this with every kilometre we drive. We also have various systems and controls to ensure all cylinders work together to create maximum impact for the passenger. But, in the end, it comes down to how well your people implement and live what you feel very passionate about.

How do you compete with other transport companies?

Schmidt: Competition is always good for any business and it makes businesses strive to be better. We would like to think that we contribute to the competitiveness of our industry and this makes all of us better.

What are the biggest challenges in starting and running a new private transport service?

Schmidt: The challenges will be different for every company, but for us, it took some time before people started taking Limetime seriously. I guess this might be a common challenge for most new businesses. People aren’t always open for change, but through being consistent in your offering, people will start taking your business seriously.

What does Limetime do to operate sustainably?

Schmidt: To be sustainable we have to ensure that we are always legally compliant and financially healthy. We also have to deliver an exceptional experience to the passenger. Lastly, we have to add value to the communities we operate in. I think we have managed to strengthen these four pillars of our business very well over the last three years and we look forward to building on this in the future.

Elaborate on growth plans for the service

Schmidt: We want to focus on continuing to deliver great passenger safety and exceptional service on the routes that we operate in. More routes are being planned for, but that is currently a bit of a secret...