Get a Taxi Hassle Free through Grab a Taxi

Sunday, August 04, 2013


Based from experience, getting a taxi in Manila can be a stressful experience, but a new smartphone app makes finding a taxi as easy as posting a selfie picture on Instagram. 

The new app, dubbed GrabTaxi, is a taxi booking application developed for iOS and Android smartphones and can be downloaded for free.

The new app allows users to hail taxis anywhere in the metro and allows the user to learn their position relative to them along with their name, plate number and even estimated fare to the user's eventual destination relative to their current location.


The   idea   of   GrabTaxi   stemmed   from     the   taxi   industry   around   the   world   and   the   pains   it   has  brought   to   its   society   for   both   passengers   and   drivers.   Anthony   Tan,   having   studied   in   Harvard    for  his  MBA,  strongly    believed  in  his  school’s  mission  to  create  leaders  who  make  a  difference  in  other     people’s     lives,     globally.     He,     who     interestingly     enough     is       the     great   grandson     of      an     average    taxi    driver    in      Malaysia,      envisioned    revolutionizing      the      taxi      industry.      He       was      given      an    opportunity    to    do    so    when    he    joined    the    Harvard    Business    School  Business    Plan    Contest  in    2011    during   his   senior   year,   and   placing   second   in   the   said   contest,   
was   given   seed   money   for   the  business.  



GrabTaxi     is   a   subsidiary   of   MyTeksi,   the   first   in   ASEAN   to   use   smartphone   to   smartphone    cloud-­‐based     technologies   for   taxi   booking     and   dispatch   and   one   of   the   fastest     growing     social    start-­‐up    companies.      

Drivers  are  also  victims  of  this  industry  as  they  consistently  struggle  to  earn  a  living  because  of  idle    time  in  waiting  in  line  or  driving  around  looking  out  for  passengers.     The  system    that  they  are   used   to   is   no   longer   efficient   as   it   burdens   them     with   more   expenses   and   diminishes   their  hope    in   a  better    living.  
GrabTaxi   aims   to   improve   taxi   markets   by   introducing   simple,   cost   effective   mobile-­‐based    technology    to  both  supply  (taxi  fleet  and  drivers)  and  demand  (passenger)  that  will  optimize  the  matching  process    between  both.  The  vision  is  to  revamp  the  taxi  industry  and  to  provide  public  transportation    mobility    for    all    by    developing    a    sustainable    solution    for    a    very    real    social    pain.    By    combining     top     talent     and     disruptive     technologies     and     innovation,     GrabTaxi     wishes     to     create     a    high     potential,     self-­‐sustainable     social     enterprise     that     will     help     bring     Philippines     to     the     forefront    of    the    technological    development    wave.  



GrabTaxi  has  developed  an  automated  smartphone  booking  platform    in  2  solutions.  
For  fleets  that  have  existing  call  bookings,  a  smartphone  will  replace  the  driver’s  existing  CB  radio  as  his    primary  dispatch  conduit.  GrabTaxi  will  then  provide  the  fleet  an  operator  system    where  its  current    taxi    call    bookings  will    be  inputted  then    blasted  to  only  the  available  drivers  closest  to    those    specific    booking   requests. 

For  fleets  without  call  bookings,  drivers  will  also  use  smartphones    as    their    dispatch    tool.  

GrabTaxi  will  then  market  smartphone  apps  across  the  major  platforms  
(i.e.  iPhone  &  Android)  that  will  enable  passengers  to  directly  book  taxis  around  him    with  no  need  for  an  intermediary.    

 Both    solutions  propose  a  more  efficient  means  of  taxi  booking  and  dispatching  because  of  the  following  main  features  that  GrabTaxi  boasts:  

1.  Taxi  bookings  are  only  blasted  out  to  drivers  that  are  in  the  passenger’s  3km    radius,  therefore  allowing    faster  pickups.    
  
2.  The    taxi    booking    job  is    flashed  to  the  driver’s  phone  with  important  information  such  as  pick  up  point,    drop  off  point,  and  even  additional  tips  from    the  passenger.  He  has  the  option  to  bid  for    the    job  with    just    a  touch    of    a  button.      
3.  The  algorithm    for  whoever  wins  the  bidding  is  always    the    closest   interested    driver   to    the    passengers,    again    allowing   faster   pickups.  
    
4.  Once  matched,  both  driver  and  passenger  are  given  direct  contacts  to  each  other  for  better  communication.      

5.  Passengers  are  able  to  see  assigned  driver’s  location  and  important  details  such  as  name,  plate  number,  photo,  and  phone  number  post-­‐booking.    
     
6.  GrabTaxi    collects    all   relevant  data  in   real-­‐time    –  a    helpful    tool    for  fleet    owners   and  even    for  both  drivers   and   passengers.      

Users can download the Android version of the app here
and the iOS version of the app here

You Might Also Like

0 comments