Taxi Booking App Comes to U.S.

October 10, 2012  - By
Image: GPS World
Image: GPS World

myTaxi, a taxi booking smartphone application, today launched in Washington, D.C., its first introduction into the U.S. marketplace. The announcement was made during a live-streaming press conference given directly in a moving taxi.

myTaxi was first launched in Germany in June 2009. It connects 2.3 million users to more than 18,000 taxis worldwide. Today marked the first time consumers in the U.S. will have access to the app. myTaxi’s services offer consumers a personal, transparent and convenient way to travel with features such as:

  • Peer-to-peer connection between driver and passenger, including driver photos, information and phone numbers.
  • A ratings system for selecting and reviewing your taxi driver and a favorites list to save your favorite drivers for future pickups.
  • Live tracking of taxi approach on display including arrival time, fare calculator, distance and automatic positioning via GPS.
  • View of every myTaxi in the area on the taxi radar.
  • myTaxi Payment – a direct billing process in the taxi via smartphone.

“Americans took more than 10 billion trips on public transportation last year,” said Niclaus Mewes, co-founder and CEO, myTaxi. “Smartphones can have an immense impact on urban mobility. At myTaxi we want to rethink and reshape how taxi trips are taken. Passengers and drivers want something convenient, transparent and tailored to their needs. We want to deliver on that.”

Every driver using myTaxi has the ability to become a contractor and build their own client base by consistently providing passengers with good service and earning high customer ratings. myTaxi offers a driver-side version of its app allowing taxi drivers to efficiently monitor the locations of customers and receive basic information on each customer once an order is placed.

“The DC Taxicab Commission welcomes any electronic reservation company such as myTaxi, bringing technological advancements to the District of Columbia,” said Ron Linton, DC Taxicab Commission Chairperson. “We are delighted that passengers using DC public vehicles-for-hire will enjoy the enhanced quality of service.”

During its press conference, myTaxi outlined a voucher system that will be provided to the app’s early adopters. The voucher campaign is one of the many programs and features myTaxi will continue to roll out in the D.C. marketplace. myTaxi will also bring new payment facility into the D.C. taxi market. The implemented feature “myTaxi Payment” provides users with the ability for cashless, card-less payments on all myTaxi rides by registering a credit card to their account. The myTaxi application is available in stores for free download to iOS and Android devices.

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