The battle for mobile phone generated taxi business continues to see more apps produced.
While Uber is the most well-known of the apps, a new start-up called Maaxi could be set to shake up the industry. This new app is aimed at black cab taxi drivers in London and is designed to let them compete against the likes of Uber and Hailo.
The idea behind Maaxi is that a maximum of 5 people who plan on travelling in the same direction can share a taxi and split the fare between them. Of course, there is also the option to ride along for those who prefer to travel in that way.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association has already given its backing to the service. This support is mainly down to the fact that this app is described as being only for black cabs, while other apps of this sort also allow private hire cars to use it.
Two Benefits for Drivers
The benefits for black cab drivers are expected to be two fold; more business and higher fares. While black cabs don’t traditionally charge for extra passengers, they will with Maaxi. The cost per person will be less than it would be if they were travelling alone but the overall earnings for the driver will be higher than with a standard metered fare.
Each passenger’s share of the fare is worked out according the distance they travel and the amount of time they sit in the taxi. The fares are worked out automatically for each passenger.
It will be interesting to see whether people in London are tempted to use this service instead of others and whether they are happy to make additional stops to pick up and drop off other passengers.
Would you be happy to use this service?
