Youmi, the new app designed to revolutionise the way learner drivers find instructors, has been launched in Birmingham today by local 25-year old technology enthusiast Banwo Idowu from Edgbaston.

In the UK two out of every five learner drivers experience a minimum of two driving instructors before finding an instructor they are compatible with*, which costs UK learners approximately £33m for ineffective lessons that slow down their learning experience.** The issue is caused by the inability for learners to effectively scan the instructor marketplace and find the best instructor for their needs.

Youmi has been built with the ambition of correcting the marketplace problem by giving learners the ability to access and compare hundreds of local driving instructors and select them based on star-ratings left by other learners – a feature that has never been available before.

The new service is free for learners to access and use, and instructors pay £9.99 per month to be featured, and keep everything they earn, with no commissions or high charges that traditional driving schools demand. Youmi creates an efficient and modern way to plug driving instructors directly into their target market and gives learners a quick and easy way to choose a driving instructor.

 Banwo Idowu, Founder and CEO of Youmi shares his start-up story:

“Just like thousands of other 17-year olds, I was raring to get behind the wheel of the car from the day I turned 17, but the excitement was quickly replaced by frustration. I went through lots of incompatible driving instructors, and I felt like I was going nowhere fast.  

“It was during this time that I came up with the idea of Youmi – somewhere learner drivers can read reviews and easily compare local instructors in one place – but mainly a place where they have the ability to decide who teaches them to drive.”

Mike Spooner, Head of Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) Engagement at Youmi comments on the industry issues:

“The biggest problem that driving instructors face – even the best ones – is generating awareness amongst prospective learner drivers. Most good instructors rely on word of mouth, but it’s not a guaranteed source of new learners all year round so we are always looking for ways to raise awareness.  

“By introducing a star-rating to the industry for the first time, Youmi will enable the best driving instructors to benefit from increased awareness and should encourage more instructors to deliver a better experience every time, as they are only as good as their last review. The app is a real game changer, and one that all instructors are going to benefit from using.”

To help ease the financial burden on young people, Youmi features a refer-a-friend scheme whereby learners share their Youmi code with other learners to earn points and get discounts off their lessons.

Youmi is launching in the West Midlands and will be rolled out across the UK thereafter.

Youmi is available to download now via the App Store and Google Play for learners. Approved Driving Instructors should register at www.youmidrive.co.uk.

*Youmi polled 500 16-65 year olds who hold a UK driving licence on 28th August 2018.

**Based on 2 lessons at £24 per lesson (industry standard price) multiplied by the number of people that pass each year (1.7m) divided by 40% to represent those that experienced more than 2 driving instructors.