‘Taxiyak’ to make taxi booking easier and trip scheduling more flexible
With just three clicks, Taxiyak’s ‘Quick Book’ option enables users to get Tuks, Nanos, Minis, and Cars sent right to their doorsteps. TaxiyakTuks are flooding the streets of Colombo in order to ensure high level of availability for riders. With the best
‘Taxiyak’, the latest taxi booking and trip-scheduling app, which offers the most flexible trip planning and scheduling options, has entered the market.
Built on a superior platform, to deliver an unmatched experience, the app, is now available for downloadson the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and comes with a host of other cool features as well.
Taxiyak’s key differentiator is its tripscheduling feature that gives users an overall summary of their trip, with point- topoint destination selection, making trip planning far more flexible compared with conventional apps.
With just three clicks, Taxiyak’s ‘Quick Book’ option enables users to get Tuks, Nanos, Minis, and Cars sent right to their doorsteps. TaxiyakTuks are flooding the streets of Colombo in order to ensure high level of availability for riders. With the best rates in town, customers can now find a reliable ride, with a courteous driver screened for safety and security throughout their journey. In fact, Taxiyak drivers are handpicked and ensured to have a clean police record before they are sent for hires.
‘On the road Taxiyak, on app Taxiyak, on call Taxiyak,’ is how Mr Hanif M. IbrahimManaging Director of Taxiyak- the newest venture by Airport Travel Holdings (Pvt) Ltd- introduced TaxiyakTuks. The threewheeler fleet of Taxiyak is so easy to book. You can either book the ride through the Taxi Booking and Trip Scheduling App or simply hail one while you are on the road. And that is where all similarities with other taxi apps end.
The TaxiyakTuk takes both the rider and the taxi industry on a ride that is new, exciting and addictive. Don’t believe us? Read on to find out what Mr Ibrahim has to say about his vision for the three-wheeler fleet.
“My purpose is to change the entire dimension of the trishaw industry,” commented Mr Ibrahim.
His purpose seems like a tall order. As anyone who has taken a tuk- tuk knows, neither tuk-tuks nor their drivers have a glowing reputation in the country, and the government is bringing in new laws to improve the sector, beginning with the age restriction on the three-wheeler taxi drivers.
So how does Mr Ibrahim plan to revolutionize the industry? When we asked this of him, his reply was that a happy driver means a happy customer. Sounds simple enough; when a service provider is happy, his dedication towards his work is heightened, and the service that the customer receives is more satisfactory.
“How are you going to make sure that your drivers are happy?” I asked him.
“By uplifting the driver standards and their well-being,” is the answer I received. “If you are not happy, you can’t give a good service,” continued Mr Ibrahim. “The taxi industry has gone to a different level and I want to change it. Make the drivers who are our partners happy, and they’ll make others happy”.
TaxiyakTuk’s first step towards oiling the rusted wheels of the industry and ensuring drivers are happy is through looking after their well- being. “Today nobody looks after the drivers’ welfare,” he noted, “That’s why Taxiyak has signed up with Fairfirst”.
Taxiyak’s partnership with Fairfirst Insurance Limited means that the threewheeler drivers are protected by an insurance policy. In the event of his death- naturally or through an accident- the bereaved family gets a hefty compensation. The driver can also nominate two members of his family, and the insurance covers the funeral expenses. The driver also gets compensated on hospitalization.
Taxiyak is still barely scratching the surface of how they can make their threewheeler drivers satisfied. The insurance policy is only the beginning.
“We are not cheap, but competitive. We give our customers the best rates but also a rate our drivers are willing to drive for” Mr Ibrahim asserted. When our driver partners have that money, at the end of the day, they are happy. Technology can only give a function. Technology can’t take over the human touch. If you win their hearts, you can discipline them.”
But does Taxiyak charge a commission? “We don’t charge a commission. We only charge a daily rental. They are happy to pay for the package they have selected. They don’t have to pay a commission.”
I had to concede that Taxiyak drivers are taken better care of than the drivers from previous taxi services that I have interacted with. But what about the customers- the people who order the TaxiyakTuks over other tuk-tuks? What can they expect?
“The customer wants quality,” Mr Ibrahim seemed to know instinctively what my question was going to be and answered before the question was even posed. ‘Within the next two months, the drivers will have a shirt with the Taxiyak badge. And also we are introducing a license plate.”
The license plate- whose prototype Mr Ibrahim showed me displays the driver’s name, driving license number and the policy. The government gazetted license plate will be introduced by Taxiyak and every three-wheeler will be required to display the plate.
“When you see the license plate, you know that our partner driver is a responsible fellow,” Mr Ibrahim said. “That is how Taxiyak will change the culture; it is not just an ‘app’ culture. You hail it, you call it, you app it. The vehicle you get should be reliable and most importantly, you should feel safe.”
Once again a tall order; you cannot judge a book by its cover. How can Taxiyak be confident that the driver is reliable?
“We are giving absolute attention to training and development. The initial training is given by myself,” he replied. “You can’t change things overnight. Over a period of time, we’ll discipline them.”
TaxiyakTuk has its own meter. “Use the Taxiyak meter,” Mr Ibrahim urges both drivers and customers, “We guarantee the meter. Your journey is being monitored; you have a smartphone meter which doesn’t have any faults because it’s tacked by the GPS. Now normal meter taxis have rigged meters with adjusted prices, that’s why our revolutionary meter makes the difference.”
About 85% of TaxiyakTuk hires to date have been through hailing, and Mr Ibrahim revealed that every three-wheeler has used the Taxiyak meter. “The journey has started,” Mr Ibrahim further said, “It’s a long journey, but I believe that by the end of the year, we’ll achieve it”.
Taxiyak is a product of, Airport Travels Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, which was Established in 1996. The company is specialized in offering passenger transportation services to all parts of Sri Lanka. The company commenced business providing transportation to passengers to and from the airport, which continues as their core service, however their services are now enhanced to meet a wider range of transportation needs desired by the customer. With their rich history in the industry, the company has now amalgamated their experience with innovation, bringing to life innovative customer service touch points where customers can reach, connect and collaborate in a timely, convenient and seamless manner. Thus, Taxiyak aims to add value to users by enabling them to pursue on their journeys, smartly and safely by offering riders the finest riding experience.
The TaxiyakTuk takes both the rider and the taxi industry on a ride that is new, exciting and addictive. Don’t believe us? Read on to find out what Mr Ibrahim has to say about his vision for the three-wheeler fleet.