Taxi in Indonesia is not just another mean of public transportation.
Taxi is the preferred public transportation, especially for corporations, because it’s easier to keep track of the usage of each person on a set period of time. Not to mention their extra added value of comfortability compared to other public transportations.
The number of taxis in Indonesia is also growing very fast, in addition to “the big guys” such as Blue Bird and Express, new taxi operators just came and stirred up the competition every few months. Added services such as GPS and Mobile TV have also been provided to the new taxi fleet in order to further attract Indonesian customers. While there is no lack of taxi operators in the country, getting a cab is still a pretty big problem in Indonesia.
Finding a taxi can be pretty difficult, especially when it’s raining, or when it’s late at night. Your best bet will be to hail a taxi outside, right beside the road. However, security becomes an issue. Calling a taxi can be problematic, especially when you stay in small streets. GPS is the only acceptable solution in this case, but only big taxi companies like Blue Bird and Express has GPS access for their taxi fleet.
GrabTaxi to the Rescue
Taxi booking app such as GrabTaxi provides a great solution to this problem. Having launched its service in Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam, GrabTaxi recently launched its app to users in Indonesia. Users can download the app and book a taxi through the app. The app can be used to flag down any taxis, not just the two main taxi operator.
GrabTaxi also claimed that drivers using their app will go home with 30% – 300% more income than non-users. Other than providing the passengers’ location via GPS, it also works the other way around, showing available taxis to user, making it easier for knowing whether you should move on to another location or stay where you are.
To date, the app has been downloaded over 1,200,000 times from the app store, with over 250,000 monthly users. GrabTaxi combined several important aspects, such as GPS integration (making drivers know their way better), complete information of the vehicle and driver (making it safer for each user), and real time location of the taxi (making it easier to track).
“Since the mobile app was first launched in 2012, the response from commuters around Southeast Asia has been amazing,” said GrabTaxi Founder and Group CEO, Anthony Tan. “The ease-of-use and safety aspects made it an instant favourite among commuters with one GrabTaxi cab being booked every two seconds regionally. Now, we are bringing the convenience and reliability of the GrabTaxi mobile app to Indonesian commuters.”