Dubai taxi passenger figures released for Q117

Source: RTA. A taxi on Dubai roads.

Taxi drivers in Dubai, UAE served 44,883,737 passengers on 25,795,251 trips in Q117. Taxi franchises in Dubai have a total of 10,038 vehicles in operation. Specifically:

• Dubai Taxi served 21,050,701 riders in 12,981,104 trips.
• Arabia Taxi lifted 4,413,867 in 2,536,705 trips. 
• Cars Taxi hosted 9,241,253 riders in 5,311,065 trips.
• Metro Taxi ferried 3,471,457 riders in 1,995,090 trips. 
• National Taxi transported 6,534,339 riders in 3,755,367 trips, and 
• City Taxi offered services to 172,121 riders in 98,920 trips.

The CEO of Public Transport Agency at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Abdullah Yousef Al Ali reported: “Lifting 44,883,737 riders during the first quarter of this year is indicative of the huge demand for the service. It is a result of improvements we regularly introduce to taxis such as the offering of multiple means of fare payment (cash or credit cards), or training cab drivers to improve their attitudes and practices.

“The RTA leadership accords considerable attention to the taxi service run by Public Transport Agency as the service offers privacy sought by a large number of users. Efforts made in this field and other mass transit services aim at realising RTA’s third strategic objective (People Happiness) and vision (Safe & Smooth Transport for All)."

In Dubai, Makani numbers help taxi drivers reach customers

Source: RTA. Cabs in Dubai are now linked to Dubai city via Makani.

The Dubai RTA’s Public Transport Agency has completed linking 4,500 taxis from franchise companies operating under the RTA with the Dubai Municipality's Makani System. The system uses unique coordinates, or Makani numbers, to locate buildings.

Adel Shakri, Director of Transportation Systems, RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said: “Thanks to the sharp accuracy and the easy use of the Makani System as well as its 100% coverage of (the) Dubai Emirate, the system has played a vital role in executing booking and despatch orders by cab drivers. It has made it easy for clients to reach to their intended destinations in Dubai, thanks to its highly accurate positioning feature using interactive e-maps."

Benefits of the new arrangement include being able to make a taxi booking with a Makani number through a call to the Booking & Dispatch Center. The Booking & Dispatch Center can now communicate between the customer and the taxi, receiving booking requests and forwarding them to taxi drivers.

“This initiative brings back multiple benefits to RTA’s Booking & Dispatch System. It facilitates the dispatch of taxicabs to clients using Makani number, and eases the booking process for customers by just citing Makani number. It also reduces the number of complaints related to taxis and cab drivers such as the late arrival, and the poor knowledge of Dubai geographical zones on the part of drivers,” Shakri noted.

“The coverage of (the) Makani System of Dubai Municipality spans the entire Emirate of Dubai. About 137,000 addresses have been registered in the Booking & Dispatch System of taxis and 4,500 taxi cabs have been linked to the system.”

Uber or taxis? Yougov Singapore finds out

There has been a lot of buzz since Singapore Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced in a blog post on October 2 that the government will be reviewing private car-sharing apps like Uber. YouGov Singapore recently investigated what Singaporeans think about private car-sharing apps like Uber, GrabTaxi and Hailo.

While the use of third party apps comes second with regards to engaging a taxi, flagging down taxis streetside still come in top at 73%. From those who currently use such services, ease of using the app comes up tops (66%) with the ability to see availability of drivers (59%) plus the convenience of getting a ride compared to other ways (52%) rounded off the top three reasons for using these apps.

What is also interesting to see is that private car bookings (15%) come in as the last option for taxis versus private car transport. Those who prefer them said that private car bookings are cheaper than general taxi bookings (52%), and that drivers of these private cars tend to have better service (47%). Another reason is consumers feel that there tend to be more private cars available than taxis, which could change in the long run if there the supply of private car drivers becomes limited, or if there are more taxis on the road.

Additionally, more than half of Singaporeans agree (53%) that the government should legislate such services.

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GrabTaxi launches GrabCar service in Phuket

Source: GrabTaxi.

GrabTaxi, a regional on-demand transport mobile app, has launched its latest partnering service in Phuket, Thailand. Offering a premium and personalised ride experience, GrabCar aims to make commuting in Phuket hassle-free especially for tourists who visit Phuket.

Tourists can book a GrabCar and will be picked up at their doorstep in minutes, allowing them to explore the sights and sounds of Phuket safely and conveniently with a few taps on their smartphones.

As GrabCar operates on the same mobile platform as GrabTaxi, it ensures a seamless commuting experience for users. The same app can also be used in five other countries; Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, so travellers can expect consistency in the service.

GrabCar patrons will be ferried in premium cars such as a Mercedes-Benz, Toyota Camry, Nissan Teana or Honda Accord. GrabCar is also the only mobile app-based service to offer advanced bookings. Passengers can book a premium car up to two hours and no more than seven days in advance, which is especially popular for rides to the airport.

"GrabTaxi and its new partnering service GrabCar brings peace of mind and convenience to users. These two aspects are particularly important for tourists looking to have memorable holidays in Phuket. With GrabCar, they have an efficient, and a quick and convenient way of getting around safely," said Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong. "I hope that all green plate taxi drivers will join GrabCar to offer quality service."

Nellore gets taxi service from YatraGenie

Source: YatraGenie. India's Union Minister for Urban Development, Venkaiah Naidu, addressing the launch event in Nellore on January 10.

YatraGenie, a travel portal from Paxterra Software Solutions, has launched a taxi service for the city of Nellore in Hyderabad, India. The company plans to extend the initiative to more tier 2 cities in the coming months. 

The new service comprises of a fleet of 100 cars. YatraGenie cabs are equipped with GPRS/GPS location tracking services, including a panic button, and comply with the security and transportation norms regulated by the government of India to ply cab services in the country.

Singaporeans can hail a cab with Hailo

Hailo, the world’s highest-rated taxi app, is operational in Singapore as of October 29. The app has 23,000 five-star reviews in the App Store and Google Play, which the company points out is more than any other taxi app. Hailo says a Hailo 'hail' is accepted around the world every two seconds from Hailo’s global network of over 60,000 drivers and more than 1.4 million passengers. 

Source: Hailo. From left: Benny Lim, Managing Director, SMRT Road Holdings; Ron Zeghibe, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Hailo Global, and Yu Hsiang Wong, General Manager, Hailo Singapore.

The Hailo passenger app helps people get a cab with just two taps on their smartphone. Mobile payments eliminate the need to carry cash, and trip receipts are sent instantly by email. Singapore’s taxi drivers can use the Hailo driver app to complete more jobs in less time, earning up to 30% more on every shift they work.

The news follows the announcement of Hailo’s partnership with SMRT Road Holdings. In agreeing to work together, Hailo and SMRT share a common vision to create an inclusive platform that provides equal access and benefits for all of Singapore’s taxi companies and their drivers. Hailo Singapore confirmed today that fleet operator Prime Taxi has joined with SMRT to support the new platform.

Hailo is available to passengers as a free download from the App Store and Google Play. New customers can enter promo code HELLOSING to receive a free S$10 credit on their first ride this week.

Taxi drivers can register via the Hailo website or email singapore.drivers@hailocab.com. The new Hailo Driver Office is located at 46 Kim Yan Road.

Launched in November 2011, Hailo is available in Asia in Osaka as well as Singapore. Hailo has carried over twenty million passengers and sees annualised sales of well over US$100 million.

Read the blog post about the partnership here.

SMRT JV Hailo Singapore will allow taxi e-receipts

SMRT Road Holdings (SMRT Roads) has announced a joint venture agreement with London-based taxi mobile application developer Hailo Network Holdings (Hailo) to form Hailo Singapore. Under the agreement, a taxi booking application will be introduced to passengers and taxi drivers in Singapore.

Benny Lim, Managing Director of SMRT Roads, said that the new joint venture would provide an enhanced travel experience for passengers. "The integration of Hailo Network's expertise in taxi booking systems and SMRT Road's experience in taxi operations and fleet management offers a seamless taxi booking experience for our passengers and taxi drivers in Singapore," he said.

Ron Zeghibe, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Hailo Network, said “Hailo's mission is to make taxis work better for both passengers and drivers all across the world. Founded in 2011, Hailo is a global service with extensive operations in Europe, North America and Asia. By partnering with SMRT Roads, we are combining the best-in-class Hailo app with the resources needed to provide a new level of choice, quality and service for Singapore. Hailo is here for the long term and is excited to be working with SMRT, the leading multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore.”

Targeted for launch in Singapore in October, the Hailo taxi booking application offers passengers an easy way to organise taxi claims. Passengers can register their credit cards with Hailo and receive e-mail receipts at the end of their trips. This shortens the time required for the processing of payment for both the passenger and taxi driver. The app will also allow users to book and track their taxi’s arrival through a real-time display.

TaxiPixi taxi booking app wins mBillionth Award in South Asia

TaxiPixi, a smartphone-based taxi booking app that allows customers to send a taxi request directly to drivers of multiple taxi companies in real time, has been recognised as the best Travel App for South Asia at the 5th mBillionth Awards. 

The mBillionth Award honours outstanding mobile content and apps from eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Source: TaxiPixi.

“This award gives us great confidence and further strengthens our belief in a one-stop solution for all urban transportation needs,” said Kajal Dubey, CEO of TaxiPixi. "We have received extremely positive feedback from customers and taxi operators across the world."

TaxiPixi has more than 2,000 cabs registered on its platform in Delhi and Hyderabad in India, and also in Malaysia. The app is available on both the Android and iOS platforms.


Read about TaxiPixi's Malaysia launch here.

TaxiPixi cab booking app now in Kuala Lumpur, more countries to come

Cab booking app TaxiPixi is now in Malaysia, and will be on Celkon phones not only in India, which it calls home, but also in Sri Lanka, South Africa and Nepal. 

India-headquartered On Time Technologies, the company behind TaxiPixi, launched the app in Malaysia this week, and also announced that mobile phone maker Celkon will also be pre-installing the app on its phones in other countries.

"As a part of the deal Celkon will pre-embed the TaxiPixi application in all its compatible smart phones selling in India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Nepal, and promote it to our existing consumers through the Celkon app store and website," said Pradeep Yerraguntla, Head, Digital, Celkon Mobiles.  

The radio taxi booking app is now available in 10 cities in India and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Cabs may be booked in under 15 seconds, and there is an instant confirmation of the booking. The taxis can also be tracked in real-time before they reach the user. 

Kajal Dubey, CEO, TaxiPixi, said that the partnership with Celkon is adding substantially to the existing user base.   

"The mobile range on offer by Celkon is a perfect combination of fashion and purpose. Our aim will be to leverage their innovative products to build conversations with young consumers as they enjoy experimenting with exciting innovative technology products like Taxipixi. We are adding up to 100,000 users every month through Celkon," she said.

The app went live in Malaysia on 20 February. "We will be marketing online through Facebook, and giving drivers a free trial offer for a month," said Dubey. Participating drivers will display the distinctive orange stickers with the TaxiPixi logo on their vehicles.

*All images from TaxiPixi.