FOLLOWING the lead of third-party taxi booking applications like GrabTaxi and EasyTaxi, the R&E taxi group has become the first local cab company to roll out its own taxi-booking mobile phone application.
The taxi group composed of Nine Stars, Sturdy and EFE launched on Tuesday the “RE Taxi” smartphone app which would allow users to digitally book an R&E cab. The app can now be downloaded for free on both iOS and Android devices.
“This is in connection [with] and [in] support of our program for safer journeys on the road. The public has started to have a bad impression of taxis, especially here in Metro Manila. But with the modern technologies available to us now, there’s no other way but for our taxi operators to level up their standards in order for them to compete. They will be wiped out if they don’t adapt to the challenges,” Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chair Winston Ginez said during the application’s launch at the agency’s office in Quezon City.
Dennis Ng, president of Govago Inc., the technology-provider for the RE Taxi app, said the booking system was enabled with Global Positioning System technologies, allowing passengers and drivers safer, documented rides and making dispatching and fleet management easier for the operators.
Jason Enriquez, R&E taxi group vice president, said that right now, there are 150 R&E taxis in Metro Manila connected to the digital booking system. He hopes to raise this to 500 units.
For now, there will be no additional booking fee for using the application, he added. Jaymee T. Gamil