The encyclopedia · Software & IT · Strategic decision · 2013–2016
Lalamove made same-day van and moto delivery bookable in one tap
Hong Kong's EasyVan became Lalamove: an app matching vans and motorcycles to instant delivery jobs with live tracking and upfront pricing.
Lalamove
The solution
In Hong Kong, hiring a delivery van was like calling a cab: you phoned a call center and waited, with no idea of price or arrival time. Businesses needing same-day city delivery had few good options.
Lalamove, founded as EasyVan in Hong Kong in 2013, built an app that matches customers with nearby driver partners — from motorcycles to vans — for instant, same-day jobs. Live tracking and transparent upfront pricing made the informal market searchable.
The model expanded fast: Singapore launched in 2014 as the first overseas city, then Bangkok, Taipei and 20 Chinese cities; by 2016 Lalamove connected more than 50,000 professional drivers and had raised about $30 million.
Why it worked
- Motorcycle capacity wins the congested last mile that vans can't.
- Upfront pricing removes haggling and surprise bills.
- Live tracking builds trust in an unregulated informal market.
- Businesses and individuals use the same app, doubling demand density.
What can be applied
Take an informal service (phone-hailed vans) and make it a searchable, trackable market: transparency and instant matching, not new vehicles, are the innovation.
Aftermath
Lalamove grew into a billion-dollar unicorn across Asia and Latin America, adding corporate logistics, and launched in Turkey in 2024 as it pushed into EMEA.
Sources
- How Lalamove Started: From Hong Kong to the World
- HK's Lalamove shares global expansion experience with Singapore as test bed
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