A Halifax courier startup is aiming to improve on conventional delivery apps with the help of a marketplace model.

Pilot X Technologies Co-Founders Kendall Darling and Ranajay Sarma originally conceived of the app as a delivery service that would hire independent contractors, similar to ride share apps. Now, they are preparing to launch a revamped website that will also allow existing courier businesses and moving companies to advertise their services and set their own prices, including by offering custom quotes.

Such businesses often advertise on Facebook marketplace, but Darling and Sarma’s customer discovery work has suggested many buyers are distrustful of social media transactions. Pilot X’s solution is to thoroughly train and vet couriers on the platform, including by requiring criminal record checks and vehicle history reports.

“Security was one of the concerns that a lot of customers stated,” said Darling in an interview Thursday. “We wanted to make it much easier, where they can approach and have vetted drivers, trained drivers, but also local moving companies, transportation companies that they know and trust.”

Darling and Sarma became friends during the pandemic. Darling was working remotely and living in Toronto to be closer to his girlfriend while she attended graduate school. With a degree in business, he had been running Pilot X by himself, without the benefit of a technical co-founder. Sarma, freshly armed with a computer science degree, was keen to help.

Darling said a key goal of Pilot X is to offer a fairer alternative for gig economy drivers who, collectively, have often complained of low pay and difficult working conditions. Canada, the United States and the U.K. have all seen widespread delivery driver strikes in recent months.

“Our slogan states that we believe better is possible,” he said. “Not just for consumers … but also with the drivers, we can play a very pivotal role. We’ve kind of seen it with Uber, DoorDash, other gig workers, where they’re not being fairly treated. They’re not being fairly compensated.

“And that is a very key part of what we’ve been doing. (Pilot X drivers) are fairly treated. They have training, they also have the ability to get sick pay and vacation pay.”

The company, which won the Halifax-based Tribe Network's Innovate and Elevate pitch competition earlier this month, has been partnering with small and medium-sized businesses as an entry point into the retail market. Darling added that he and Sarma plan to focus on scaling their driver roster in Halifax first in response to strong early demand. Other regions will come later.

“We categorize (deliveries) into ‘small,’ ‘medium’ and ‘large,’” said Darling. “For small and medium items, we … would set those prices. But as it goes to larger items and larger pickups, those prices are set by the drivers and the transportation companies that we have on our site. It gives the users a diverse range of pricing options to choose from."