Popular mobility start-up, Plentywaka, has today announced that it has re-branded and has changed its name to become Treepz. This comes few weeks after the company raised $1.2 million in seed funding, and bought Ghanaian Stabus. The change of name has been said to take place immediately.
According to the now-christened Treepz, the new development offers the start-up a chance to put the company’s name on the global map. Recall that the start-up had disclosed plans to expand the company’s Pan-African network. This initiative will further enhance the company’s vision and objectives, which is creating the biggest shared mobility medium on the continent.
Explaining the reasons for the change of name, Treepz’s Chief Executive Officer — Onyeka Akumah — disclosed that his brand had been searching for a suitable name for over six months. The need for a name change was to enhance the traveling experience of using bus trips across Africa.
“This decision came after meeting with various elements who play a key role in the company’s development. After emphasizing that the word ‘Waka’ has various meanings across Africa, which may be completely unrelated to ‘Travel’ or ‘Movement’. Hence, we decided to switch from ‘Plentywaka’ to ‘Treepz'(loosely pronounced as ‘Trips’),” the CEO disclosed.
“The new name of our company represents everything relating to traveling by road — across or within different African cities,” he further stated.
Following the change, the company also released a new logo. However, it will continue to use its mission statement and its brand colours (black and yellow) which have a prominent feature in the African business space.
The company also announced that its services and offerings are unaffected and will continue to provide the same excellent services to customers.
The CEO also said that the new name showcases the company’s mission to offer safe, convenient, and comfortable trips across the continent, with plans of reaching up to six African countries in the next two years.
According to the CEO, existing users will not have to take any action as the new app will be automatically updated to accommodate previous users.