@henryC the transportation problem is beyond apps, we need huge infrastructure development. As nice as these ideas sound, i don’t seeing them being functional yet.
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You hit it head on!. lates nights and odd hours was the primary motivation. Your idea is inline with what @Lamidi_b_a mentioned about infrastructure. Google map is not very accurate so having a locally developed map to solve our unique transport and street numbering problem could be a good start. @oreeh I think you should come in here.
I noticed I was the first to respond to this thread and finally, the thread is ending in almost same idea I posted in a link to my reply. The low and middle income class (I hate to call them poor) are a huge set of market (I believe) so creating a platform to service their need (Though a tough one to get them use it) I think will be goldmine.
That was the reason I developed PICKME www.pickme.com.ng ALSO www.pickmetaxi.com. First we want to make cabs available for the low and middle income class and move on to other transportation means they use. So we adopted the SMS option allowing them send us their details by SMS and we make the request for them though our platform or make the request themselves using either our web or android app.
@henryC @davidsmith8900 and @Nwabu one idea is usually in the mind of many, only few act on them. So do not think ideas are mostly stolen (Though strategies can).
Ezekiel,
Undoubtedly a taxi pickup booking service would be popular in major cities. But you have to do a lot of marketing and get the partnership right for those doing the heavy lifting (taxi drivers).
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Partnership - Having taxis register and pay a fee to me is a bad idea. They already have unions and they pay union fees. They pay park fees. They pay state and local government fees. Now you want them to pay you another fee? A company with zero record? Commission only is proof of performance like Konga and the rest’s cash on delivery.
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Marketing - For all intents and purposes an agent is basically a marketing company and I don’t see much of an effort at marketing or branding from you. I mentioned google in an earlier thread. Is it a search engine or a search agent? Google is a marketing company. When you want to search you think of who? Google. Google has become an adverb for searching. You have to think the same way and tie the #1 tool people use for taxi booking to you as a booking agent. People use their phone to book taxis not apps. So focus on your phone number. You need a phone number that is easy to remember like MTN’s smart numbers 0700 or 0800 number series or even one with no more than 2 different digits after the operator code: example: 0803 400 5000. Then market and market and market that number so that it is the first number that comes to any Abuja person’s mind when they want to book a taxi quickly. That is where the first part of the legwork is going to be for you. Marketing and you have to do it repeatedly for it to stick.
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The idea is nice, but the execution is everything. Nwabu is right on that one. The partnership has to be a very reasonable one. And having up to date records of keke riders is another huge deal. For this to really work well, I think
- Have a very good rapport with the union leaders. If you get the union leaders on your side, life would much easier
- Make the subscription super cheap for the keke riders, at least at the start, make the system pretty easy for them to use. Also don’t just rely on sms/internet to relay or dispatch ride feeds to them. It’d be really nice if you can find a simple radio device with very efficient battery so that they can go days without having to worry about charging their devices to stay connected.
- Finally, I think, marketing. And not just ads and stuff. Talk about overall branding. Let people know why it’s safer and faster to use your service.
Very good idea though.
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The fastest way is to get the union bosses on board and become a central phone and online booking center for them. Then interests and incentives align and they could help you out with free marketing. For instance all taxis using your service could have pickme.com and an easy to remember number plastered on the sides of their cars. Then you invest in a call center and customer care agents to take calls and route them to drivers. If you calculate an agent gets paid roughly 1000 naira a day then you would need each agent to take a minimum of 30 orders a day to break even assuming your commission per order is 50 naira or 10% of avg taxi fare in Abuja. An agent working 10 hours a day should be able to do at least 60-80 orders a day if you are busy. For a city with 2 million people that has poor public transport and few cars if there is awareness the demand will be there. Of course if you follow this model you better give the union bosses a seat on the board and a slice of profits because they can easily replace you.
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