Emergency assistance to motorists on the roads as a business. Investment bank - tow truck and roadside assistance Business roadside assistance
Betting on a large service niche is not always successful, since companies that promise roadside assistance to motorists have to compete with professional firms, each of which knows how to do the job much better. This is why the number of members of Russian car clubs is so small.
In the life of motorists, many unforeseen situations can happen. In particular in Russia. The belt will stop turning the generator, the tire will go flat, or the battery will run out in the cold.
Previously, any car owner in our country could easily clean the carburetor with his eyes closed and completely go through the insides of an old Zhiguli. But now everything has changed. Thousands and thousands of pragmatists who have no idea how a car works get behind the wheel of foreign cars. Moreover, how to eliminate malfunctions in the mat part. These people earn well in order to entrust all these concerns to professionals and pay for their work.
The field of providing emergency roadside assistance to motorists has long attracted many investors. Several quite large companies have already appeared that have declared such a specialization. It is still very difficult to say that money is flowing to the shareholders of these projects. Popular players are the Russian Auto Club (1996), “Angel” (a commercial club that appeared in 1994), the “Assistance-Rus” Club (2002) and “A24” (1998). On June 1 last year, the Russian Automobile Partnership joined the group of pioneers.
“The insurer will call a tow truck and pay in full for you, but this is only in the event of an insured event,” Sergei Solomodenko, who is the president of the Angel group of companies, describes in detail the essence of the available services. - If, for example, your battery is dead, then you will not only have to pay money, but also lose a lot of time transporting the car to a car service center. But if you are a member of a car club, then it’s enough to just call - and after about half an hour a car will arrive to provide technical assistance. Specialists will perform diagnostics and charge the battery, and also give out everything necessary recommendations. All! Most of the workday is saved.”
These services are really very useful. But, by all indications, the proportion of motorists who use the services of car clubs is very, very small. In any case, the auto angel business is definitely not growing at the same rate as the automobile market. It's time to figure out everything that's happening.
Revenues and partners
Most companies that promise emergency roadside assistance provide simple retail trade. Because one of the main sources of income for them is the sale of cards, which symbolize clients’ membership in the club and make it possible to receive the entire basic set of services without special payment for a whole year. The most popular offers are the dispatch of emergency commissioners to the scene of an accident, technical assistance, evacuation, and also the opportunity to repair the car in your own or an affiliated club car service center.
For example, the annual membership fee in a club called “Angel” is in the range of 9,500 - 17,000 thousand rubles. (those who renew the contract are promised good discounts). True, this is only a reason to try to sell additional services when the opportunity arises. For example, discounts on gasoline accustom car club clients to specific gas stations. Having sent the car for repairs, the client can use the club taxi company. If these services do not cause any rejection, then an attempt can be made to sell the client a plane ticket or a tourist package within the framework of a common agreement with the carrier. marketing program. It would be better if, for any questions, he seeks advice from the club’s service station.
If you look from the point of view of the business model itself, then everything is quite logical. But so far, commercial Russian auto clubs cannot boast of huge achievements. The plan is quite good, but none of the participants has yet been able to fully implement it. of this market. This does not at all prevent the managers of these projects from expanding their range of services in an effort to fill the voids of service niches. One such example is the services of special emergency commissioners, which are currently only available to holders of special privileged insurance policies.
In case of an accident, the emergency commissioner provides assistance in resolving a lot of issues, such as collecting certificates from the traffic police, calculating and assessing damage vehicle, says the Automobile Club marketer Maria Ageeva. - And thus we completely free car owners from any need to spend time on registration of all necessary documents. Everyone knows that in our country this process can become very labor intensive. In addition to all this, car club members can use legal assistance and receive professional advice from specialists at any time of the day. We are fully prepared to represent the interests of our clients in court proceedings.
The abundance of a wide variety of services and products in the assortment is the only chance of such projects for full payback. PAT, which offers client cards for 3,600 rubles, promises technical assistance services, evacuation in case of an accident or in a situation where the breakdown is too serious and it is not possible to fix it right on the spot, twenty-hour legal support (and English), departure to the scene of the accident by an emergency commissioner. A discount program is being developed, in which participants insurance companies, banks, car washes, spare parts stores, service stations, restaurants and gas stations.
A good attempt to increase fees from customers has been made by car clubs in the insurance segment. Olga Mikhalenko, who is the PR manager of Renaissance Insurance Insurance Company, believes that cooperation with car clubs is very attractive for insurers. At the very least, this is another channel for selling insurance products: “Here the car club acts as a broker or insurance agent, and for the car club, selling car insurance policies is another source of income.” In turn, insurers are attempting to sell auto club cards right in their offices. Especially, membership in the RAT can be purchased at the regional offices of Rosgosstrakh, which is the main partner of the Partnership. “All the services we provide do not contradict the insurance company’s proposals in any way, but complement them,” says Alexander Gromkov, head of the RAT communications department. - In case of an accident, we also provide a tow truck and an emergency commissioner. If the client has been insured under a special auto insurance policy, which provides the services of an emergency repair company and a tow truck, the person has the right to choose who to contact. But if we take into account that in the country there is a rather small percentage of those insured under motor insurance, then our services often turn out to be an excellent addition to compulsory motor liability insurance.”
And here a 100% idyll cannot happen. “Cooperate with car clubs to resolve losses, especially invest in the development of this business insurers are not at all interested,” says Olga Mikhalenko. - Because large insurance companies have already invested a lot - and still continue to invest a lot of money in the development of insurance infrastructure. Call centers have been created that allow a lightning-quick response to an insured event; the latest technologies are used information systems, and there are also databases. Auto clubs are needed, most likely, in the role of some kind of trade unions that can protect and represent the rights of the client not only in front of the insurer, but also in relations with other institutions.”
Something's wrong
Nowadays, the number of participants in commercial Russian auto clubs amounts to only thousands. A result that is very different from the achievements of companies abroad, chosen by auto angel investors as targets for imitation. The German car club ADAC has 15 million members, the English RAC - 6 million. Do not forget that the entire history of the oldest clubs in Europe to provide assistance to motorists on the roads goes back about a hundred years. What prevents Russian car clubs from greatly increasing their customer base? Little advertised? Are the services provided very expensive? Maybe, in fact, no one needs them at all? Most likely, we need to talk about a whole range of problems.
Director of the MediaPartner group of companies, Svetlana Vladimirova, is completely confident that only with the advent of the PAT player did market participants seriously think about worth advertising their proposals. PAT became the very first company to apply for federal scale this business.
Typically, car clubs did not go further than campaigns using leaflets on the fence and Internet forums, reports Svetlana. - And only in the case of RAT can we safely talk about a large-scale promotion program. Only targeted PR support for this activity is completely unnoticeable. Tell me, the client, why should I purchase a car club card and use the services if I know absolutely nothing about the company’s values? First of all, Russian car clubs need to become a client's confidant, long-term employee and friend, to tame and accustom the car enthusiast. And only then open and promote other services. But to solve this problem, ordinary teasing “outdoor advertising” and news in the media are clearly not enough. Continuous, constant and regular work in the field of PR communications is required, while working both at the federal level and in each region.
Although vague marketing is far from the only reason for the low popularity of emergency assistance clubs for car enthusiasts. Most customers are put off by the high prices of membership cards. For example, the cost of annual membership in ADAC (Germany) is somewhere between 44-78 euros, depending on the conditions. Car clubs cannot lower prices, because with a small subscriber base they run a high risk of depriving themselves of one of their main sources of income. But without changing the tariff policy, clubs are unlikely to be able to count on the arrival of a significant number of new clients. Meanwhile, according to experts, more or less normal financial flows appear at such companies only after the number of its members exceeds 100 thousand people.
Most likely, RAT is trying to exchange low prices for mass availability. But competitors cannot believe that this strategy will be very successful. Sergei Solomodenko (“Angel”) does not understand how, with a card price of 3,600 rubles. RAT will make ends meet while promising free evacuation. He does not risk directly accusing his rivals of “omissions,” but believes: “For several years now, there have been clubs on the market that declare one thing, but in reality do something else. For example, they promise free evacuation, but in reality you have to pay for it. In order to check how our competitors work, we became members of a car club. After the 2nd call, it took 4 hours to get to us, and after the 3rd they said over the phone: sorry, but you are deactivated in the system. We decided to find out: why did this happen? The answer was short: we do not explain any reasons, because this is the company’s decision, the card is completely cancelled. After this, you won’t be surprised that customers have a bad attitude towards this business.”
Solomodenko sees the reason for the market’s problems in providing emergency roadside assistance in the activity of “black sheep” who thoughtlessly copied ADAC forms (Germany), without completely preparing the business model for the realities of Russia.
Anvil and hammer. Most likely, in an effort to occupy the niche of supermarkets with services for car enthusiasts, participants in the car club market did not take into account a large number of factors, the increasing activity of specialized companies and all the characteristics of the audience.
More and more active in the field of vehicle recovery small firms, sometimes operating 2 cars - a manipulator (one that is equipped with a “hand” and allows you to fish out a car crowded with other cars in the impound lot) and a tow truck with a winch. In the capital, this equipment pays for itself in a year and a half, and then begins to bring stable income. And if you agree with traffic police officers and receive information about road accidents for a certain fee, this micro-business becomes viable within the boundaries of one district. You need to arrive at the scene of the accident on time in order to take the damaged car on board. In addition, the driver, who is in a state of shock, will not bargain and will give the money, just to immediately leave the scene of the accident after completing the documents, delivering the damaged car to the garage or directly to the car service center.
Car clubs are establishing contacts with the traffic police and insurance companies, the first of which receive information about road accidents before anyone else. In Moscow, the Angel tow truck often manages to arrive at the scene of an accident faster than the road patrol service. It turns out that small players are taking bread away from slow-witted roadside assistance clubs.
Another problem is the characteristics of the population of motorists who are theoretically willing to spend money on a membership card. Those who are not at all short of money drive around in guaranteed cars. They very rarely break. Even if this happens, the official dealer will repair the car. Those who save money, as a rule, can “light up” themselves in the winter at a neighbor’s parking lot, replace a punctured tire, and carry a phone number in their book, which, in an emergency, can be used to call a cheap tow truck. And exactly such clients will not buy travel packages from car clubs.
We must not forget that owners of used foreign cars prefer specialized car services to universal repair services provided by car clubs. “Official dealers are professionals who specialize in specific brands of cars,” says Andrey Ipanov, director of the service department of the Auto Hansa company. “It turns out that they can provide professional car repair services than service stations at car clubs.”
At the same time, interest clubs have long been formed among car enthusiasts, usually around certain brands of cars. A suitable example is conferences on the Avto.Ru website, where participants can receive recommendations on choosing a high-quality and inexpensive car service, professional legal assistance, and even practical assistance such as towing a clubmate’s car on a cable to a technical center.
Here is a review from one of the clients of the Renault Megane Owners Club, which was left on an online forum: “For me personally, the Megane Club has long become like home, and the “meganauts” are a big family! Unlike car clubs, which provide certain services to their members for money, relationships in the Megan Club are built on different principles and are completely free. Yes, our club earns a little money from the sale of symbols and club cards, but this is done only in order to recoup possible expenses that are associated with its activities. By building strong relationships with partners, we try to ensure that cooperation is beneficial to everyone. The partner gets the opportunity to acquire clients and advertising platform, and “meganauts” - quality for good money and the club’s help in difficult situations.”
Another trouble is personal programs providing assistance on the roads, which are well developed in Russia by representative offices of automakers - Nissan, GM and others. As a result, it turns out that the owners of commercial roadside assistance clubs are doing everything as it should, and it seems like, even according to science. But every time it turns out that some trifles and little things spoil the strategy. Today's car club market is a race to the bottom. By the time the consumer is ripe for these services, only the most patient will be left in the end. Although it is then that stronger investors may appear in this segment, who will be attracted by a prepared and cleared site.
Nowadays, existing participants in this service segment are making attempts to expand their field of activity precisely at the expense of the regions themselves. PAT is building a personal federal network, while other companies rely directly on franchising. There is some suspicion that this is not only about finding clients, but also about an attempt to increase capitalization. In the coming years, “subsidiaries” of large European roadside assistance clubs may appear on the Russian market. Especially the division of the company RAC (England), its representatives made a statement about their intention to buy one of the Russian clubs. In today's environment, an alliance with an investor may be the most the best way out for investors who were faced with small growth in a business that looked almost like a win-win at the business plan level itself.
The service of vehicle evacuation is not new; competition in this field of activity is quite high, so organizing a business in the form of providing a full range of services from evacuation, towing, temporary storage of a car to technical support and assistance on the road will help you enter this market. In a word, in the format of a full-fledged mobile car service.
Bringing a business project to life will require a lot of money and effort. The main and most significant expense items are the rental (purchase) of land and the purchase of transport and special equipment. A used tow truck from the 1990s can be purchased for $9,500 to $10,000. New - for 30 thousand.e. Two or even three such vehicles will be required. In addition to the tow truck, a tug and a minibus are needed for the repair team to travel. A powerful all-wheel drive UAZ type vehicle, costing about $15,500, is suitable for the role of a tug. A Russian-made minibus will cost the same amount, an imported one will cost $30,000. In total, if you take the maximum, the cost of the vehicle fleet alone will be about $150,000.
A site will be required to store vehicles. The ideal case is to rent an unused industrial facility outside the city or in an industrial zone. Required area– maximum 450-500 sq.m. In such an area you can store tow trucks, plus towed cars, as well as use already erected buildings in which an administrative block can be placed to increase competitive advantages organize a service station for the repair and repair of evacuated cars, as well as provide temporary storage and parking services for cars whose owners, for example, did not have the required amount with them to pay for the services of a tow truck, which often happens, because no one can predict a breakdown in advance “ iron horse." If you have a garage, many problems can be fixed on site. About $9,500-10,000 must be budgeted for the purchase of equipment and tools for a service station. The cost of renting land varies greatly depending on the region, it can range from $1,600 per month to $3,000. In some cases, if you have available funds, it is more profitable to refuse the lease and purchase the land as your own, improving and equipping it according to your own needs .
Registration entrepreneurial activity– 625 USD If you plan to transport large vehicles and the tow truck’s carrying capacity exceeds 3.5 tons, you must obtain a license. This kind of “cargo transportation” in each region is regulated differently from a legislative point of view, so at the stage of preparing the documentation, it would not be superfluous to consult with a lawyer; for example, you may need a permit for the services of special equipment. Coordination will take about 2 months, but will help in the future to avoid problems with the traffic police, the Ministry of Transport and other regulatory authorities.
Now about the staff. Since troubles on the road can happen at any time of the day, work mobile car service will have to 24 hours a day. A team of 20 people is required, 10 per shift. All employees must have category B and C driver's licenses and be knowledgeable about technology. Payment is made according to the salary + percentage scheme. The average rate is $460. So the fund wages– minimum 9200 dollars. The administrator's functions are usually assumed by the business owner. The dispatcher receives calls and coordinates visits.
To promote services, it is most effective to use the distribution of leaflets in parking lots, parking lots, car markets, and other places where cars accumulate; cooperation with insurance companies, car clubs is useful; information can also be disseminated through garage cooperatives, distributing leaflets printed in printing houses, at intersections, at supermarkets, by putting business cards for windshield wipers, etc.
To summarize, we note that the full package of “emergency road assistance” includes evacuation of the car in the event of an accident or the impossibility of carrying out repairs on site; towing with a heavy weight during drifts and drifts into a ditch; technical support in the form of delivery of necessary spare parts, spare parts, fuel to the place of breakdown in case of its unexpected depletion, visit of electricians and tire fitters.
Calling a tow truck outside the city limits costs from $45 to $60; within the city limits, as a rule, it is free. Next comes the calculation for mileage - on average 1.25 USD. for 1 km. Related services - technical assistance, visit of repairmen are paid at a fixed rate, depending on the type and complexity of the work. Spare parts are sold at a minimum markup. Repair services are somewhat more expensive than in a standard service station. The average price tag per client is $180-200. At these prices, if you serve up to 4 clients per day, your monthly income will be $21,600-24,000. Minus depreciation consumables, employee salaries and bonuses, rent, other overhead expenses. Remaining net profit - 5000-6000 $.
Legal business on the highway has been around for hundreds of years. As soon as the first roads appeared, the first entrepreneurs appeared who wanted to make money from travelers - taverns, inns, intoxicants - here is a list of the first successful business projects of past centuries. Has the picture changed in the 21st century? Now you'll find out.
The presented list does not pretend to be complete, because, as in any other business, there are no universal instructions, following which you can achieve success in two days. In any business you need to think, take into account many factors, your capabilities and have the desire to succeed. In addition, every day old ones appear and combine with each other in incredible proportions.
When opening a “business on the highway”, you need to understand and take into account the seasonality of road traffic, the typical identity of the majority of travelers, the location and capabilities of the road, the proximity of city and other infrastructures, geolocation, and other local features and factors that affect your final profit. But, let's talk about everything in order.
We recommend that you consider ideas not separately, but synthesize and combine them into one idea - your idea for business. By the way, most businesses require a piece of land next to the road - either owned or long-term leased.
1. Construction and repair of roads and other road facilities
One of the most expensive, but also the most profitable types business “on the road” is its construction, maintenance and repair.
There are two troubles in Russia, and one trouble repairs the other. Remember this joke? In fact, road construction and subsequent repairs are a serious and very intensive business. It is quite difficult and expensive to get into such a business. We are not even talking about bureaucracy, but about the cost of all the equipment that you need. As a rule, the construction, maintenance and repair of roads and federal highways is played out in various tenders, where all necessary conditions. In addition, you must have knowledge; your company must have design engineers and technologists, complex specialized road equipment.
After all, road construction means not only laying asphalt, but also geological exploration, laying and moving communications, and building complex road junctions, bridges and tunnels. Don’t forget to include in this list the construction of various roadside facilities - gas stations, hotels, parking lots and parking lots, and much more. This is also a very profitable line of work.
And be prepared to work all over the country, since there are roads not only in your region.
2. How to open a gas station on the highway
Opening a car gas station on the road or highway it has an undeniable advantage - a constant demand for fuel.
The construction of gas stations on the highway is somewhat different from its urban counterparts. First of all, the quantity of products consumed. If in the city they rarely fill up, but often. That gas station clients on suburban routes they refuel - “to a full tank” - and the majority of those passing through have a tank of 200 liters or more.
Additional service at gas stations is also welcome and is either an attractive factor or additional profit. A spare parts and auto chemicals store, overnight parking, a toilet, a cafe, a motel, and other things that can be built on your site.
The cost of opening a gas station is quite high and the opening must be approached with all responsibility. With the right pricing policy It may happen that residents of a nearby city will also come to you for fuel.
3. How to open a hotel near the highway
The construction and opening of a road hotel carries with it a unitary moment. You need to clearly understand why and for whom the mini-hotel is being organized. The target audience and functionality of the room stock must meet several main points - comfortable sleep, quick rest. There is no need to expect that people will stay at your hotel for a day - 6-12 hours, this is the time frame in which your guest will stay and hot water and clean linen are more important to him than a beautiful view and breakfast in the room.
Follow this plan, first provide the guest with a comfortable stay, and only then expand the room service further.
By the way, now there are good franchises for creating these types of hotels, and if you are new to business, you can buy a ready-made franchise that will allow you to start a business from scratch.
4. Opening a catering facility on the road
Any type of sale of prepared food can be considered a catering facility - kebab shop, bistro, dumpling shop, pancake house, cafe, restaurant and everything else. The advantage of such a business on the highway is the absence of close competition. Even if someone opens his own cafe on the opposite side of the road, he will serve his own passing traffic. And you will serve your passing traffic.
A few secrets for cafes on the road:
- focus on your regular customers, at truck drivers who constantly drive past you. But, don’t forget about people just passing through, they will leave reviews about you after using your services once.
— study the passing traffic. If you open a cafe on a highway where intercity buses often travel long distances, that is, their journey is more than 4 hours, then you should think about some kind of agreement with their drivers or company. So, by organizing for them a 30-minute stop, where passengers can rest, go to the toilet (free), use mobile equipment charging (paid), get a hot express lunch (paid, but very cheap, or at the expense of the carrier company) — you will receive a daily cash register.
Such a business can be scaled up into a mini-hotel, car wash, car service center and gas station.
There are also ready-made franchises with a proven operating scheme for roadside catering outlets, which will allow you to open a successful business in record time.
5. Opening a car shop, car service, tire service, car wash on the highway
Related products are always in demand. The format of selling necessary things on the highway goes deep into history; back in the USSR, projects of car complexes were built on the highway, where the car could be serviced. Despite this, opening a car shop, a car service for minor repairs, a car wash, a truck tire service and other things is profitable business. The route imposes only some specifics - your target audience will be different from target audience in the city, due to the predominance of other cars on the highway and the demand for other products, you will have practically no demand for expensive spare parts, car chemicals, lamps and other small items - the demand will be very stable.
The undoubted advantage of such a business is that the cost of opening, compared to previous ones, is clearly lower, does not require special knowledge in the matter, the main thing is to clearly understand what to sell and what services are in demand.
