Need a taxi? There's an app for that

Stuart Corner
Monday, 05 September 2011 14:26

Your IT - Mobility

A free iPhone and Android app, myTaxi, has the potential to revolutionise the taxi market in Australia, disintermediating the lucrative phone booking services.

The app, myTaxi "brings together taxi drivers and their passengers faster and more efficiently than any existing booking systems in Australia", according to Claus Gosch, director of 1 Touch Taxi Systems, distributor of myTaxi in Australia.

He claims: "There is no need for passengers to speak with an operator or stumble through an automated telephone system. Whether you're at home, on the street, leaving a club - even if you don't know where you are - just launch the App, and catch a taxi with one touch."

The app works with a parallel app on drivers' smartphones, both use assisted GPS coupled with Google Maps to provide location and navigation information. Both can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, or from Android Market.

Travellers don't need accurate positioning from GPS. The app uses base station triangulation to determine an approximate location and then the user simply moves their location on the Google map to their exact address. The app then shows them the nearest available myTaxi equipped cabs, and when they make a booking, provides locational information to the driver who accepts the request.

According to Gosch, "You can book from the street, or remain in a safe location and watch your driver approaching on Google Maps - no need for a call on approach - you're already connected through myTaxi."

The service generates revenue by charging the driver a fee for each booking accepted: it does not carry advertisements.

The myTaxi App was developed by Intelligent Apps in Germany. Its local distributor claims it has been downloaded more than 300,00 times and has 4500 participating taxi drivers.

However 1 Touch Taxi has much work to do to get a sufficient base of equipped taxis, in Sydney at least. When iTWire tested it we found only one taxi in the whole of the Sydney metropolitan area, which did not move for over an hour and then disappeared.