Basri Caneri 
Teleport, the ridesharing app built on the Solana blockchain, has ceased operations, citing a lack of demand in the market. Teleport, which aims to rival Uber and Lyft, announced its decision to close, stating that there was not enough interest in the decentralized ridesharing model.
“This was not the outcome we had hoped for. We regret that we were not able to make our business model successful.” “The market is not yet ready for a decentralized protocol, ” said “Chase”, one of Teleport’s engineers, adding that the decision was difficult but necessary.
Why Did It Fail?
Teleport began development in October 2022 with $9 million in funding and was officially launched in June 2023. The app offered a lower commission rate compared to Uber:
- Uber: 25% – 30% commission
- Teleport: 15% commission
In addition, drivers could receive their earnings in fiat via USDC or Apple Pay. Although the company claims to offer cheaper rides than Uber, only 1,321 rides were completed despite 13,834 users. The most used cities included New York City and Austin, Texas.
Although 178 drivers were active on the platform in November 2023, user comments often complained about the lack of drivers.
Can a Decentralized Transportation Model Succeed?
Teleport’s failure shows that the idea of decentralized ridesharing has yet to be embraced by the market. In 2016, a startup called Arcade City also tried to rival Uber, but failed to provide a single ride in its first two weeks.
Teleport announced that it will allow users to withdraw their USDC balances and private keys during the closing process until February 28. The company stated that it will share a more detailed analysis of the reasons for the failure in the future.
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