A new application, Taxify, will launch its operation in Bratislava on December 2nd. It aims to treat its customers better than other similar services and offer lower prices, the Sme daily reported on its website.
Founded in Estonia by Markus Villig in 2013, Taxify is the second biggest European taxi application, active in 21 cities in 15 countries.
The application works in such a way that the users will see the drivers who are in their surroundings at any given moment and who are willing and capable of giving them a ride, the Teraz.sk website reported.
Taxify uses dynamic prices, which means that if the demand for services outnumbers the supply, the customers pay more. Unlike Uber, the new service is capped at 1.5 times the basic tariff.
Taxi drivers blocked centre of Bratislava in protest against Uber Read more Users will pay for the service in cash or by a paired payment card. Without pairing the card it will not be possible to create a user account.
The service is currently looking for drivers who will undergo special training. Taxify checks all its drivers, including the register of their potential driving offences. Moreover, users will be able to rank the drivers. The cars should not be older than 10 years, the TouchIT.sk website reported.
Moreover, the company will pay VAT and income tax, Sme wrote.
The company is not afraid of its rivals.
“Taxify has not experienced any failure yet,” said Matej Beňuška of Taxify, as quoted by Sme. “We do not want to witness the first fiasco in Bratislava.”
People in Bratislava can currently order a taxi service via three other mobile applications: Uber, Hopin and Liftago.
Sharing economy gains in transport Read more “The market in Bratislava is big enough for several companies,” Beňuška said, as quoted by Sme.
Unlike Uber, Taxify wants to offer more social conditions for drivers. It has lower margins, so the drivers will receive a bigger portion of the fee paid by the customers. Moreover, the drivers can receive various bonuses, Sme reported.
In addition customers can use the new service for free after typing in the code “AHOJBRATISLAVA” which will give them their first ride free of charge, Sme wrote.
For now, Taxify does not plan to launch services in other cities in Slovakia although a possible market in the future could be Košice, TouchIT.sk wrote.
