Well here we bloody well go. This is only something people comparing Uber to Taxis have been bleating about in the past forever.
The taxi industry is well and truly up against it trying to navigate the tricky new world of ridesharing, but thus far their response has been less lifting their game to try and meet the new standard, and more trying to either stamp their feet at the Government until their industry monopoly is returned, or out-and-out blaming customers for choosing a different option.
Uber, of course, is not without its issues in and of itself. But when customers are voting with their feet (and wallets) they’ve clearly got the upper hand.
Fortunately, not *every* sector of the ole’ taxi sector is trying to plug their ears and hum over the top of the growing noise of change.
Cab booking app Ingogo is attacking the commonly-made criticism of fare fluctuation head-on, by introducing fixed fare pricing to its services.
Ordinarily the price of a cab ride is subject to wild fluctuation based on a number of factors; traffic, time of day, distance travelled, even the whims of whoever’s behind the wheel.
But Ingogo, using what it refers to as “precise determination,” will give customers a fixed rate for a cab fare which is then locked in and paid for, with riders not forking over a single cent above that quote no matter which whackadoo way old mate driving you tries to take.
Ingogo CEO Hamish Petrie explained the new development thusly:
“Our redesigned application is the next stage in providing customers with the superior experience that they have come to expect.”“Our intention is to keep taxi drivers competitive, both in terms of service and pricing transparency. That way, everybody wins.”
The app makes a determination on a fare based on distance travelled using the most economic route, estimated time of the journey, and includes any potential tolls along the way.
The function will be introduced into the Ingogo app from next week.
It’s not, y’know, an ideal fix to a lagging industry. But it’s definitely not the worst start in the world.
Source: SMH.
Photo: Robert Prezioso/Getty.
