In a fiercely contested local e-taxi market that seemingly indicates a significant growth among top players, it is certain that the competitiveness has the capacity to build on the platform’s shortcomings to offer a better product for people who continue to embrace technology-based replacements for conventional products.
Today’s story focuses on Taxify, which received favourable reviews during the festive season that saw Uber drop the ball thanks to tens of complaints that were posted on multiple social media platforms.
The online taxi firm was introduced locally in 2016, and for the last 12 months, it manged to complete an impressive 5 million rides in Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. The app’s most popular destination is Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Additional statistics include its longest ride that cost KES 6000 that covered a neat 176 kilometres, and Toyota Fielder as the most popular vehicle.
These strides are no small feat. In a bid to thank its loyal customers, Taxify plans to celebrate with them by offering 12 iPhone X’s. The device is one of the best smart handhelds money can buy as it does not come cheap. However, the reward is limited to Nairobi customers. Details regarding the gifts have not been disclosed, but our guess is that random customers will be picked upon requesting a ride.
Uber is still at the top of the local e-taxi business. In a bid to shush unhappy driver partners who were not happy with its practices, Uber has since launched ride categories such as UberSELECT for premium rides. Taxify launched a competing product dubbed Taxify Comfort, but marginally cheaper. Little Cab, on the other hand, takes a completely different approach to attract customers, with emphasis on innovative products, a prospect to crack the public transport sector, as well as a spin-off product that focuses on fintech services such as loans and mobile money.
