The company plans to make additional customer
announcements this year, improve transit experiences, and
augment ridership in partnership with schools, cities, and
governments.
TORONTO, Sept. 3,
2024 /CNW/ - Argo Corporation (TSXV: ARGH)
(OTCQX: ARGHF), a new venture delivering the first-ever vertically
and publicly integrated city transit system, today announced the
deployment of Argo School to its first customers – a series of
private schools in the Greater Toronto
Area for which Argo will provide end to end student
transportation. With Argo School, families and schools benefit from
safe, reliable transportation with dedicated, certified,
experienced drivers supported by a full-service Argo School
operations team. In a sector fraught with challenges like driver
availability and delayed or cancelled routes, Argo's innovative
technology gives parents, drivers, and schools access to more
flexibility and real-time tracking of students and vehicles,
enhancing the before- and after-school experience for all.
"Argo School delivers unprecedented safety, reliability and
transparency for families and schools alike," said Praveen Arichandran, co-CEO and co-founder of
Argo. "We're allowing students, parents, and educators to put their
focus back on learning and well-being with a seamless and
accessible end-to-end student transportation solution. Many Argo
team members returned to Canada
from Silicon Valley to build better transit starting in our
community, and we're excited to deploy this global innovation at
home in Ontario."
Effective today, Argo is assuming full responsibility for
student transportation at four private schools in the Greater Toronto Area, strategically selected
to highlight and demonstrate the versatility and capabilities of
its solutions. Through the easy-to-use Argo School app and
dashboard, guardians and schools know where shuttles and individual
students are at all times. Guardians may cancel trips or change
pick-up or drop-off locations at pre-approved stops, and schools
and drivers have clear information about each shuttle's route and
the students they're serving. The company's school partnerships
implement unique offerings, including multiple software
applications, integration with existing city public transit systems
and real-time, dynamic vehicle tracking and coordination thanks to
Argo's unique vehicle hardware and software unification. Argo
School plans to introduce its student transportation solution to
private and public schools throughout Ontario, Canada and internationally in the
coming months and years.
"Argo's expansion into the education sector unlocks a
significant opportunity for a $32
billion North American transit market. The average
per-student transportation cost is over $1,200 in North
America1, with more than 27 million
students relying on school transportation
daily2. Argo School not only enhances service
reliability but also tackles a critical equity gap: students who
live further from school often face longer commute times, and these
students are frequently from lower-income neighbourhoods," said
Qamar Qureshi, co-CEO and co-founder
of Argo alongside Arichandran. "Having dedicated much of my career
to driving technological innovation for thousands of schools across
Canada, the UK and the US, I've
seen firsthand the pressing need for this solution and the
opportunity it will unlock."
The deployment with schools is the first of several planned this
year for Argo, which is set to partner with cities, transit
agencies, and governments to increase ridership of existing public
transit systems while putting people in control of their mobility.
Argo's solution is the world's first to integrate custom software
with vehicular hardware to create a network of intelligently routed
vehicles that work together to serve and scale in real-time to the
needs of entire cities.
Learn more about Argo, its technology, and its team at
www.rideargo.com. For updates, follow the company on LinkedIn and
Instagram.
_____________________________
|
1 Sources: National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) and Canadian School Boards Association
(CSBA)
|
2
Sources: American School Bus Council and Canadian School Boards
Association
|
Sale of Financial Assets
Further to previous public disclosure, the Company continues its
active sales processes for intellectual property and financial
assets associated with the last venture in its publicly traded
entity. On August 29, 2024, the
Company completed the first of these planned sales via the sale of
14,200 shares of preferred stock in the capital of Westbrook Global
Inc. ("Westbrook") to Malar
Group Inc. (the "Transaction"). Pursuant to the terms of the
Transaction, the Company received a cash payment of CAD$750,000 as consideration. No finder's fee was
paid with respect to the Transaction. As the transacting party is
beneficially owned by a non-arm's length party to the Company, the
Transaction is considered a "related party transaction" under
Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security
Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and TSX
Venture Exchange Policy 5.9. The Company is relying on exemptions
from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI
61-101 and TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9, pursuant to Section
5.5(a) (Fair Market Value Not More Than 25% of Market
Capitalization), Section 5.5(b) (Issuer Not Listed on Specified
Markets), and Section 5.7(1)(a) (Fair Market Value Not More Than
25% of Market Capitalization) of MI 61-101, respectively.
About Argo
Argo delivers the first-ever vertically and publicly integrated
city transit system, designed to augment public transportation and
create a network of intelligently routed vehicles that work
together to serve and scale to the needs of entire cities, putting
people in control of their mobility. You can learn more at
www.rideargo.com.
Praveen Arichandran, Co-CEO
Argo Corporation
(800) 575-7051
Forward-Looking Information
This news release includes certain forward-looking statements as
well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and
intentions. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by
such words as "may", "will", "plan", "expect", "anticipate",
"estimate", "intend" and similar words referring to future events
and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current
opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking
information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of
assumptions, risks and uncertainties, as described in more detail
in the Company's securities filings available at www.sedarplus.ca.
Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected
in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing
undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update
these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable
law.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this release.
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SOURCE ARGO CORPORATION