After the disruption caused by Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing apps – and the various casualties that followed – it is evident that the traditional taxi industry needs to embrace technological innovation to survive the increased competition that has been engendered by the sharing economy. With efficient software, taxi drivers can live up to the expectations of affordability, convenience, and reliability that riders today expect. Well-designed software can also help taxi drivers significantly improve their productivity and customer service experience.
Here are some of the ways in which an all-in-one cloud system such as EasyTaxiOffice can do wonders for the work efficiency of a modern taxi company:
1. It allows passengers to make bookings via an online browser or app
An all-in-one cloud system allows the tech-savvy passengers of today to conveniently book a ride by using the booking system on a website, or via a downloaded app. Your system can still accommodate bookings that are sent in via phone or email (an operator will have to input them manually into the system).
The booking process is made simple and efficient via the following features:
• Instant quotes. The system will auto-generate the price of each ride based on your company’s pricing matrix.
• Car options. Riders can choose between the different types of cars available (which are displayed with their respective price).
• Many payment options. Passengers can choose to pay by cash, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Regular customers can save their preferred payment method for a faster checkout process. Business accounts can be created for companies, allowing the transportation manager (and individual users) to easily keep track of expenses, as well as to view and download invoices.
These innovations may seem obvious in a post-Uber world, but they account for a significant efficiency gap between the ride-sharing services and traditional taxi radio dispatch system. A 2017 study by researchers from the University of Greenwich, the University of the West of England, and Bath Spa University found that the digital innovations introduced by Uber changed the nature of how Londoners interacted with the transportation system as a whole. These innovations include (1) cheaper pricing, since no tariffs are applicable; (2) the availability of a non-cash payment system; (3) Uber drivers’ ratings are affected when they cancel jobs, making them less likely to turn down requests to non-preferable locations.
2. Efficient allocation
Once the booking has entered the system, the operator can swiftly allocate the job to an available driver. Operators can easily determine which driver would be the best man or woman for the job since the Driver App provides real-time tracking. Once the driver has accepted the job, its status will switch to “On Route”. This feature also allows the passenger to keep track of their driver’s progress towards them via their smartphone.
Since the software automates and digitizes many of the services that one would expect from a traditional operator, it allows you to rely on fewer dispatch operators and cut costs.
3. Better customer service
The app will allow the driver to easily communicate with the passenger during the interim period between the booking and the pickup. Once the passenger has been picked-up, the driver’s status changes to “Passenger on board”. When the job has been completed, the driver’s status reverts back to “Available.”
Our web booking, customer and driver apps are available in English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Spanish and Russian – making it a feasible option in multi-lingual and international contexts.
4. Data analytics
All the information entered into the all-in-one cloud system can be stored indefinitely. You can export it into an Excel format to analyse the data at your convenience. This can shed valuable insight on the productivity of each driver, the productivity of the company as a whole, as well as daily and seasonal variations in the demand for taxi services.
Each driver entered into the system will prompt the creation of a record account. It will indicate the amount of earning the driver has generated and the amount your company owes to him or her.
5. Small learning curve
Traditional taxi businesses may be intimidated by the prospect of dealing with cyber-security concerns, data privacy issues, government regulations, and technical troubleshooting. By employing the services of an all-in-one cloud system, you can outsource most of the technical complexities and focus on the bread and butter of your business operations.
If you are worried about the process of changing your technology provider, you can be assured that we provide a useful step-by-step introduction to our software which will minimise any adverse impact to your business during the implementation stage. If you have any problems later on, you can easily contact our customer support team.
Our team will help you design a user-friendly and attractive website that can be customized to your specific needs and requirements. We also help you prepare optimised content that will help it stand out in search engine results and catch the attention of potential customers.