We have previously introduced Easy Taxi Singapore and Taiwan on Vulcan Post, and since then, the taxi booking app has expanded to over 30 countries with more than 10 million users worldwide.
How did this Brazil-based team expanded to countries in South America, Middle East, Asia, and Africa so rapidly? By interviewing Gustavo Vaz, the COO of Easy Taxi from Brazil during his visit in Taiwan and Pei-fu Hsieh, the CEO of Easy Taxi Taiwan, we hear the full story of how the team expanded globally.
Stepping onto the global stage
Easy Taxi started from Brazil in 2011. The team spent a year developing its product in Brazil and promoting it to the local market. One year later, the team decided to expand to more countries starting from its neighbouring countries in South America.
Since then, Easy Taxi has expanded to more than 30 countries in 2 years. The secret to this? Easy Taxi offers a fundamental convenience to riders and people around the world, and this is appreciated by all their users. Easy Taxi benefits both the taxi drivers and passengers by providing in-time and accurate information for both parties. The drivers can pick up the nearest passengers and thus reduce time spent without customers, while the passengers no longer have to wait for taxis and enjoy a safer ride.
After joining Rocket Internet, the world’s largest Internet incubator based in Germany, Easy Taxi is able to find outstanding team more easily in each country to run the local operation. For example, Easy Taxi first find it hard to enter Africa markets because that they cannot find the right person in Kenya and Nigeria. However, Easy Taxi has now successfully entered several African countries including Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Ivory Coast and South Africa, thanks to its association with Rocket Internet along with its sister companies Zalora or Lazada.
Easy Taxi have built a global operation based around a strategy of taking tested e commerce models and launch them into untapped markets.
Globalized product and localized market
However, huge gaps among different markets still exist. For example, when Easy Taxi first entered into Columbia, which is the country sharing the closest culture with Brazil, the team found major difference between the two markets.
Therefore, Easy Taxi have different versions for each market. For example, passengers pay tips in Malaysia, but the Easy Taxi App requires passengers to enter both their location and destination. While in Mexico, passengers do not pay tips, but they can have four types of taxis to choose from.
Gustavo Vaz (left) and Pei-fu Hsieh (right) in Taipei office
Entering new markets with the help of synergy
Easy taxi has over 10 million users worldwide and they are currently working with more than 120,000 taxi drivers globally.
With the previous operating experience and know-how, Easy Taxi found it easier to enter the different countries. The experience also helps to speed up the progress of starting up a new branch, which is crucial in today’s fast-changing markets. For example, Easy Taxi analyzed each market and decide the size of team, marketing events, and market size after comparing with similar markets with their past experience.
For passengers, they can enjoy the same Easy Taxi experience consistency in different countries with the same platform and operation.
Easy Taxi in Taiwan formed the first fleet
Easy Taxi started its Taiwan operations in September 2013. It currently has a fleet of over 1,000 taxis and is looking to boost the number by forming their own fleet in April 2014, which is the first fleet in Easy Taxi branches. To attract more drivers, Easy Taxi will provide the fleet maintenance insurance, children scholarship and social activities for all the drivers. Easy Taxi Taiwan believes that this will provide a sense of belonging to the drivers and form a strong community.
“Providing more benefits to the drivers is our goal set from day one when we first launched in Brazil. These drivers then become our best brand ambassador, and as they grow, we grow,” said Pei-fu Hsieh, the CEO and founder of Easy Taxi Taiwan.
Easy Taxi currently looking to integrate mobile payment into their mobile apps. Users will soon be able to choose from either paying with cash or credit card through their online account, and enjoy a pleasant and convenient ride without the need to pay when they alight.
Also read: Easy Taxi is now free in Singapore, wants to be your default taxi booking app
