WINIcab (When/Where I need It)
Roy October 20th, 2009
I went to a focus group this afternoon where a group of Taxi drivers were given a briefing on a proposed scheme, whereby the above company would facilitate communication between Cab customers and drivers.
The system would be cost neutral, if you don’t get any work you pay nothing , if you do receive a fare you are charged €2 (Euro), the same as the pick-up charge you can add for receiving the call, after the first 500 fares you receive from the system this charge is reduced to €1 (the extra €1 charged with the first 500 fares is to pay for the software/hardware/administration etc…..there is no up-front charge)
The system works through an ingenious piece of software added to your phone which tells winicab which mobile cell you are using, thereby giving your location …. along with the customers phone provider giving them the customers location, therefore they can match the customer to the closest cab which should never be more than 2 to 3 minutes away.
There will also be a chip attached to the roof sign output of the meter, this will tell the system whether or not you’re engaged, therefore you will not receive calls while passengers are on board.
Features have also been added to allow drivers to reject calls (if they are finishing their shift or have a previously arranged appointment) and to tell the system they had a no-show, whereby no charge will be payable.
Winicab are hoping to attract 1200 drivers to sign up for this system prior to the launch in approximately 8 weeks time, this is necessary in order for them to be able to provide a good service from day one and to therefore build the business for their drivers based on a good reputation for service.
The driving force behind this venture is John, an economist (the founding father of the charity Concern) his son Paul and Paul’s wife Alva, all of whom have put a great deal of thought into every aspect of this business and seemed ready for every question posed.
Personally I hope this venture is a great success and have already signed up to be part of it when it starts…..
Why Don’t You? The sooner you do, the sooner you and I will be earning a little extra!
Email Paul with your name, address, plate number and phone number to show you’re interested!
- Taxi News
- Comments(24)
Roy is this just for Dublin only or the whole country?
From what I gathered they’d like to go global, send him an e-mail
I echo Roy’s comments. All three people we met seemed honest and straightforward,integrity was evident. It’s for Dublin only, for the small area cell sizes, and they feel that more people in the rural areas have personal taxis.
As Roy says, they hope to make it global someday, using the same phone number no matter what city you are in the world, but Dublin is the only city they have planned for Ireland.
Sounds interesting, what’s the spec for the phone? Oh, if any of you want the hunger thingy bypassed give me a shout!!
Were already saturated with dispatch companies offering no call out charge,20/25 discounts in a declining market. How do these people believe they will obtain any market share ?
There seems to be a glut of people around at the moment who think they have come up with a revoulutionary way to make a fortune out the Irish taxi industry.
There’s already plenty of well established bases using state of the art, tried and tested, booking and dispatch systems. This new crowd haven’t a hope of penetrating the marget. They won’t get enough work to cover 10 drivers let alone 1,200 and as for going global, that just shows there complete arrogance and ignorance of the industy.
Sounds as though the internationaly renound business tycoon Sam B has caught another fish.
Sounds like the future to me
No weekly freight
Only pay if you get work
Probably only outlay is a good internet phone
Almost any phone, doesn’t use GPS technology.
The problems are 1 obtaining the work in the current market
2 street busy ignore base why pay 2 euro when you can pick up for free.
3 obtaining a dispatch licence maintain records for 1200 taxi as required.
4 similiar product available from cabguru so now unique is this ?
I if they don’t provide work you pay nothing, so lose nothing
2, if streets are busy don’t sign in and work the streets if you are out in Shankhill though the streets won’t be busy!
3 not a dispatch company only a facilitator, the driver takes the booking, these seem like smart people and have done their homework
4 cabguru is an online booking system this is a phone call based system, believe me NOBODY books online
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1 This policy of paying per call only is often used by new companies to attract clients it soon changes.
2 Your response here will insure you never have a customer base.
3 Whats the difference? did the regulator ok this as exempt ? or is it wishfull thinking ?
4 Nobody uses a taxi company that doesnt discount and provide a good service regardless of how they book.
1 possibly, I’d leave the moment they introduced a weekly freight
2 Agreed, just answering your query, I believe if you’re part of the system you should try cover the work regardless of what the streets are like
3, the customer is transferred directly to the driver who takes the booking, they don’t pass on a booking which is the definition of a dispatcher, this is a mute point, I’m sure they’ll register if required
4 They hope to provide a good service (1200 cars!) and to offer discounts, so maybe people will use them?
As a taxi customer I would use the new taxi booking service, it sounds better than the Internet one.
As most companies are discounting fares by 20%, will this outfit do the same to compete in the market.? If they do,the driver is down 20% plus 2 Euros.
The other point about a “virtual” mobile phone based taxi service is.. will the driver who turns up be a “dog or a man”.?
If he is a dog-and there are plenty of them out there- what recourse has the customer to a complaints procedure.?(Cathleen, obviously)
Nevertheless will customers call this service again after a bad experience..?
,For example If a “street man” spots a job on the street just after taking a costly call from this dispatch company..?
Sounds fraught with problems but best of luck to the entrepreneurs who hope to make a killing in a difficult and overmanned industry which has been systemetically murdered by this government (Fianna Fail)
“Might is right”. Better far to be a civil servant in Ireland today.
@Tirnanog33. Customers will have the option of selecting a discount taxi. Drivers may opt in or out of the discount service. The other problems are the same as encountered by all dispatch companies, driver screening being the solution I guess.
This industry never ceases to amaze me.submissions and protests calling for improved industry standards better enforcement and accountability then along comes a company circumventing the dispatch licencing process and we queue up to sign on.
@brian. Are they circumventing the licencing process? Surely if they advertise a taxi service they will require a licence.
@Stephen, I believe so, however Roy thinks not nor do the leading lights behind this proposal because its not dispatching jobs its facilitating them. I feel the first port of call for a proposal of this type should have been the CTR to establish if a dispatch licence is required for facilitating jobs in this manner before the roadshows commenced.
@brian. I’d be surprised if their interpretation is correct.
They spoke to CTR a couple of times, but failed to get a definitive answer i believe.
@Roy, so its effectively a call diversion system to the nearest available taxi, if so who screens the calls that wish to book a taxi for tomorrow morning? get a price quote ? locate lost property? make a complaint ? ect.
[...] those of you who expressed an interest in learning more about the Winicab system (original Post) they will be holding seminars on the 1st 2nd and 3rd of December and their database is now open if [...]