Car wash on the move

“We are fully mobile and can work anywhere we are called,” said owner Ronnie Tuitt who runs the business with his wife Lystra Joseph- Tuitt.

Never satisfied with all the untrained individuals who get a bucket and cloth and call themselves car washers, Tuitt, an avid car enthusiast, saw a need for people to have their cars professionally cleaned.

“A car is quite a substantial investment for most persons and it is therefore not only necessary to maintain its appearance for resale and aesthetic purposes, but to also keep it maintained for health purposes,” Tuitt said.

The company began its operation in January 2017 but Mobilescape had actually been conceptualised about three years prior to that. Services range from car interior and exterior cleaning to upholstery extraction in vehicles, business places and homes.

“Persons spend a great deal of time in their vehicles with their windows up. It could lead to respiratory and other health concerns if these confined spaces are not maintained. Many traditional car wash employ untrained individuals and use substandard techniques and materials. These practices not only cause damage to materials of vehicles but are not health and environment friendly,” Tuitt said.

As a result, he says Mobilescape’s aim is to revolutionise the car cleaning industry by educating the public on the importance of having their cars maintained by competent and knowledgable personnel. In preparation for this business venture Tuitt went to Detail King Training institute in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to complete a course in auto detailing.

The course proved very insightful and helped him dispel many misconceptions about the cleaning of vehicles. The course also facilitated the evolution of Mobilescape’s business model.

The Mobilescape vehicle comes with its own equipment and supplies to wash anywhere it is parked. These include its own water supply and electricity. The company owns a panel van for the car washing, a station wagon for upholstery cleaning and a pickup to handle larger cleaning jobs which require more water.

Mobilescape targets working people who are too busy to get their vehicles properly cleaned.

“We aim to clean these vehicles when the owners have them parked up at their work places.

We also do on-site professional cleaning of upholstery in vehicles, offices and homes.” And how is that done? “We call the company and make prior arrangements to clean the cars of the staff. On the day of the appointment we come early and set up our tent and other equipment.

Then we begin to work according to the previously arranged work order. Each customer’s car is washed according to their specified time so that they are not inconvenienced in any way,” Tuitt said.

He said his company operates wherever it is safe to so do in Trinidad, because his employees are women so their safety is important.

If a place is unknown to them, then the director visits first to ensure safety.

Tuitt said the reason for having a female workforce is because it is proven that they pay better attention to details which some men are keen to overlook. Each staff member goes through a threeweek training course before being allowed to work on the vehicles.

Employees are professionally uniformed so that the client feels certain and secure that they are legitimate staff of Mobilescape.

The women work from 7am to 5pm from Tuesday to Saturday, but also work outside of those days when prior appointments are made.

Thus far, Tuitt said there has been tremendous feedback. “In an environment of crime, persons are reluctant to go anywhere to have their cars washed. We offer to do the job at the safety of the clients’ workplace or neighbourhood. We currently have weekly commitments to companies such as First Citizens’ Bank, Kaleidoscope, Ansa Polymer, Arawak Ltd to name a few,” said Tuitt.

As for his future plans, Tuitt says it’s all about making Mobilescape a household name throughout Trinidad and Tobago that is synonymous with the highest standard at competitive rates. He said: “It is expected based on the current trends to bring two additional panel vans and hire and train six new persons before the end of 2017. In this environment of lay off and retrenchment, Mobilescape hopes to be hiring new and energetic persons to join our team.”