Uber like service released for minibus taxis

Compton_effect

Compton_effect

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Just found this one.

Johannesburg
Move over Uber - a new smartphone service has just been rolled out for taxi drivers.
Kwaai - launched on a trial basis by a Sandton startup, is going to revolutionise Johannesburg traffic.

'It works a lot like Uber. Both the passenger and the driver are notified of a new ride via a smartphone app. But there is no payment or fee scale. The system will use in-app advertising to generate revenue. Its main goal is to streamline traffic flow and allow the taxi drivers to increase their income.' Andrew Watkins - the spokesperson for Kwaai told us.

The concept behind it is simple. A passenger indicates on his app where he would like to go, and the number of passengers. The system then dentifies the best taxi for him, based on available seating, destination it is driving to, as well as proximity. It then notifies the driver of a new fare and gives him directions to the passenger.

The coordination software behind it is quite solid. The same logic has been used in open-cast mining for over 40 years to coordinate the movement of haul trucks and heavy mining equipment. A combination of traffic flow analysis, based on Waze and Google Maps data, linear programing and best path calculation is used to coordinate the movement of taxis. Gone are the days of a empty taxi with just the driver rushing though traffic, trying to pick up a fare.

This system would allow a more coordinated movement, speeding up the passenger experience, cutting down on air pollution and excess fuell consumption. A rating system would also be included in the app, allowing the passenger to rate the driver's overall performance anonymously. A driver with a low rating would get less 'fares' allocated to him, forcing drivers to improve their driving and overall vehicle condition.

'The system is currently only avialable in a trial basis. We are already in discussions with various taxi associations to lock drivers into certain areas. But the numbers so far indicate that opening up the routes would acually increase revenue, making taxi-wars redundant. If it works here we'll roll it out to Cape Town and other cities. We are also in discussion with the City of Johannesburg and other parties to integrate this into the BRT and Gautrain networks.
The city of Lagos has also expressed interest.' - Watkins told us.
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Ninja'd

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A whole minibus for one person? Unless they allow me to screw in the backseat I'll pass.
 
konfab

konfab

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What would make this a steal is if they put in two driver ratings. An automated one based off data pulled from the phone's accelerometer and one pulled from the user satisfaction. If they put those two features in, they would certainly see more wealthier people in taxis. More people= more monies.
 
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krycor

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The problem with Minibus-Taxis is that they want to be tax free ;) using an app = taxing and will highlight this fact directly or indirectly ;)
 
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