How to move your taxi company to its own app

Why companies move to their own app

Most taxi companies start with a phone line and a dispatcher. Then riders ask for an app. The company joins a marketplace app, and soon half the rides come through someone else's brand, with a commission on each one.

Your own app changes three things:

• The rider is yours. You know who rides, how often, and when they stop.
• The price is yours. You set tariffs, airport prices and surcharges.
• The cost is predictable. You pay a platform fee, not a share of every fare. Try the calculator to see the difference with your numbers.

It does not mean you must leave marketplace apps. Many companies keep them for volume and build their own app for regulars. Our guide on competing with Uber and Bolt explains how the two work together.

Step 1: prepare before you pick a platform

Write down what you have today. It makes every later decision faster.

• Your numbers: rides per month, average fare, number of vehicles and drivers.
• Your tariffs: pickup fee, price per kilometre and minute, minimum fare, night and airport rules.
• Your regulars: companies, hotels and riders who book often. They move first.
• Your accounts: make sure the Apple and Google developer accounts will be in your company's name.
• Your payments: which payment methods your riders want: cash, card, company invoice.

Step 2: choose a platform

Look at four things, not only the price:

1. Fee model. Revenue share, price per vehicle, or a fixed fee per ride. What a white-label taxi app costs compares them.
2. Ownership. Who owns the app store accounts and the rider data? Get it in writing.
3. Fit. Is it built for taxi, or for something else such as scooters?
4. Proof. Does the vendor run a real service on it?

The comparison page sets HOPIN next to Onde, Atom Mobility and TaxiCaller, with sources.

Step 3: bring your drivers along

Drivers decide if your app works. If they do not like it, riders wait.

• Show the driver app early, on a real phone, with a real job.
• Explain how payouts work, in plain words and in their language.
• Name one driver in each shift who helps the others.
• Keep drivers' terms at least as good as today. A move that lowers earnings will fail.

Step 4: a soft launch with regulars

Start with 20 to 50 riders you know: your best corporate accounts, a hotel, loyal regulars. Ask them to use the app for two weeks and tell you what annoys them.

Fix those things before you spend money on ads. A smooth first week matters more than a loud launch.

Step 5: move everyone else, slowly

Over the next four to eight weeks, give every phone caller a reason to try the app:

• A small first-ride discount for new app users.
• A message to your customer list on the day you launch.
• Stickers and a QR code in every car.
• Your dispatcher offers the app at the end of each phone call.

Keep the phone line. Some riders will always prefer to call. Add rewards for riders who come back, which is what the Growth System is for.

Four mistakes to avoid

• Switching off the old way too early. Run both until the app carries most rides.
• Forgetting the dispatcher. Your team needs training too.
• Launching without enough cars at peak hours. A rider who waits twice will not try a third time.
• Not measuring. Track rides per day, share of app rides and repeat rides every week.

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