Taxi Driver Online :: View topic - Please comment on radical new iPhone app for taxi drivers

It’s incredibly difficult to get through to the dispatch office and rather than having to drop off a fare a few miles away from the nightlife area and drive back with an empty cab looking for a fare

1. If the taxi they see is out of his/her LA they would be picking up illegally

2. the base still needs to know where the vehicle is heading as a divert could jeopardise bookings already planned

maybe I was being hasty, I've had look at the site, and zzzzzzzzzzzzz I'm
sorry, I lost it there. I'm in Scotland not America. Come back when cabulous.co.uk is up and running. meanwhile, zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Throw a iphone in and ill try it.

Quote:

Throw a iphone in and ill try it.

I'll see if they have any spare ones lying around!!

Cabulous should be available in the next few months for Android phones such as HTC, Google, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Nexus and LG. A Blackberry app should arrive around the same time. This will open it up to a lot more people and make it a more valuable tool for drivers.

Quote:

I'm well aware that you are in Scotland, that's why I posted this under the Scottish section. Call me crazy but I thought it might be a sensible idea to undertake a bit of market research before I spend thousands and thousands of pounds to set up all the systems for this app.

Before I get to that stage I simply want to get your general thoughts on Cabulous and see if it is something that you would use. Suggestions that I can go back to the programmers with to make changes would also be welcome.

Author:	knoxjeffrey [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 2:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Please comment on radical new iPhone app for taxi drivers
Hi everyone, I wanted to draw to your attention an iPhone application for booking taxis called Cabulous (some brief details can be found on their website www.cabulous.com). I am taking on the license for Cabulous in the UK and the idea is to build Cabulous as a brand across the whole of the UK so no matter what area of the country you are in, a passenger can just go on the Cabulous phone app and see all the black taxis in their city or town moving on a map in real time and can hail one at the press of a button. No phone calls are needed! This will make it very easy to get a black taxi no matter where you and what time it is, especially if the dispatch office is really busy. The technology is available now to make this work very well and the traditional means of communication by phone is gradually declining in favour of email, text messages, social media, etc. Cabulous takes advantage of this trend to make sure your potential passengers can reach you easily as well as delivering added customer benefits. For example, when a passenger has hailed your taxi on the phone app then they can track the progress of that taxi all the way to their location on a map on their phone. Therefore, for example, if there is heavy traffic and you are running a little late then there is no need for the passenger to clog up the dispatch phone lines asking if their taxi is far away because they can see on the map that you are just a few streets away. Cabulous will be a one stop shop for every black taxi across the country. The idea is not to replace the traditional dispatch system but to give a very convenient alternative to the passenger that will also help cut down on cruising time for the drivers looking for a passenger, save fuel and take the load off the dispatch system. You can even build up customer loyalty by passengers selecting your taxi as a favourite which will then show up on their map every time they need a taxi. Think of the benefits, especially on a busy Friday or Saturday night! It’s incredibly difficult to get through to the dispatch office and rather than having to drop off a fare a few miles away from the nightlife area and drive back with an empty cab looking for a fare, lots of passengers could see your available taxi on it’s way back and you could pick up multiple fares in a short space of time, therefore increasing revenue and saving on fuel. The system is incredibly simple and costs nothing to set up. All it needs is for the driver to have a smartphone and they can be up and running in no time. Currently Cabulous has been designed for the iPhone but more versions for the Android and Blackberry operating systems will be coming in the next month or two. In terms of costs to use the application on a day to day basis then the proposed cost is £1.80 although discounts will be available to larger fleets. However, and this is the best bit for the drivers, if you don’t get any fares in the day from the application then there is no cost and if you get 20 fares in the day then you still just pay the £1.80. We feel that having no charge if there are no fares is the fairest way to build up the business because obviously there will initially be very few passengers using the application. We will provide all of the advertisement for Cabulous to the public such as posters and business cards in the taxis and when the number of taxis using the application have reached a sufficient number then we will really start to publicise in the media. There’s no point building the media coverage too early if there are not enough taxis on board but the advertising in your taxis will give an excellent initial growth in passenger numbers. The idea is to initially start in Scotland and then branch out across the entire UK. I’d like to get your thoughts on Cabulous and if it’s something that you think you would use when you’re out driving. Many thanks.

Author:	wannabeeahack [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:07 pm ]
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yawn.......

Author:	grandad [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:44 pm ]
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yawn, yawn!

Author:	grumpy [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:51 pm ]
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zzzzzz

Author:	Nidge [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:52 pm ]
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Looks good.

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Author:	Stationtone [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:53 pm ]
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Author:	wannabeeahack [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:00 pm ]
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Quote: It’s incredibly difficult to get through to the dispatch office and rather than having to drop off a fare a few miles away from the nightlife area and drive back with an empty cab looking for a fare 1. If the taxi they see is out of his/her LA they would be picking up illegally 2. the base still needs to know where the vehicle is heading as a divert could jeopardise bookings already planned

Author:	grumpy [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:01 pm ]
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maybe I was being hasty, I've had look at the site, and zzzzzzzzzzzzz I'm sorry, I lost it there. I'm in Scotland not America. Come back when cabulous.co.uk is up and running. meanwhile, zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Author:	knoxjeffrey [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:09 pm ]
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Sorry if that post was a bit long! Just trying to explain Cabulous as best I could. Quote: 1. If the taxi they see is out of his/her LA they would be picking up illegally 2. the base still needs to know where the vehicle is heading as a divert could jeopardise bookings already planned 1.That's not a problem, if you are out of your LA and don't want to be picking anyone up at that point then there is a button on the application for drivers that they can select to make them unavailable and then they won't show up on the map for passengers to see. 2. This is one of the queries I've had with the programmers of Cabulous because although passengers can say where they want picked up on the map there is nothing to show where they want to go. The way things work in the States seems to be different to here. I have told them I would want this changed on the programme and I assume that you, and all the other drivers, would see this as being a requirement before using the app? I can't see drivers wanting to go across town to pick someone up and not know where the passenger wants to go.

Author:	blackpool [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:12 pm ]
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Throw a iphone in and ill try it.

Author:	knoxjeffrey [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:15 pm ]
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Quote: maybe I was being hasty, I've had look at the site, and zzzzzzzzzzzzz I'm sorry, I lost it there. I'm in Scotland not America. Come back when cabulous.co.uk is up and running. meanwhile, zzzzzzzzzzzzz I'm well aware that you are in Scotland, that's why I posted this under the Scottish section. Call me crazy but I thought it might be a sensible idea to undertake a bit of market research before I spend thousands and thousands of pounds to set up all the systems for this app. Before I get to that stage I simply want to get your general thoughts on Cabulous and see if it is something that you would use. Suggestions that I can go back to the programmers with to make changes would also be welcome.

Author:	knoxjeffrey [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:22 pm ]
Post subject:
Quote: Throw a iphone in and ill try it. I'll see if they have any spare ones lying around!! Cabulous should be available in the next few months for Android phones such as HTC, Google, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Nexus and LG. A Blackberry app should arrive around the same time. This will open it up to a lot more people and make it a more valuable tool for drivers.

Author:	grandad [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:25 pm ]
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I doubt that you will get many people wanting to use the system. I would save your money and try something else.

Author:	Stationtone [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:31 pm ]
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knoxjeffrey wrote: Quote: Throw a iphone in and ill try it. I'll see if they have any spare ones lying around!! Cabulous should be available in the next few months for Android phones such as HTC, Google, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Nexus and LG. A Blackberry app should arrive around the same time. This will open it up to a lot more people and make it a more valuable tool for drivers. now you did not mention anything about a free iPhone am all ears and wide awake

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Author:	grumpy [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:32 pm ]
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knoxjeffrey wrote: Quote: maybe I was being hasty, I've had look at the site, and zzzzzzzzzzzzz I'm sorry, I lost it there. I'm in Scotland not America. Come back when cabulous.co.uk is up and running. meanwhile, zzzzzzzzzzzzz I'm well aware that you are in Scotland, that's why I posted this under the Scottish section. Call me crazy but I thought it might be a sensible idea to undertake a bit of market research before I spend thousands and thousands of pounds to set up all the systems for this app. Before I get to that stage I simply want to get your general thoughts on Cabulous and see if it is something that you would use. Suggestions that I can go back to the programmers with to make changes would also be welcome. OK you're crazy. (sorry couldn't resist) Anyways, I would have thought the equipment section would have been this topic's natural destination, but I digress. I don't deny the idea has merits (as do the numerous others floated on this site) perhaps that why the apathy before. I was serious about coming back when the UK version is (about to be) launched. Then some might see the app in a more (could be) interested light. In the meantime I see it as a street car system, rather than for any company with an established customer base. More so if the company is already using a computerised dispatch system.