With the taxi business getting more competitive these days, taxi operators have realized the need of investing in taxi dispatch solutions to streamline operations, and maximize their revenues. Gone are the days when a customer had to make a thousand calls or stand at the roadside waving at vehicles to stop.
Most taxi dispatch software has a mobile app that allows riders to book taxi at their convenience and safety. Some of the key benefits of taxi systems include:
- Higher returns.
- Brand enhancement.
- Efficient booking management.
- Proper driver management.
- More customer enhancement.
In addition to taxi owner operators, drivers and consumers enjoying the convenience of advanced technology, the use of taxi management system has also become an effective tool for increasing safety in the transportation industry. This article explores the various ways in which taxi software increases security for the taxi business and clients.
Insecurity in the Taxi Industry
In the past few years, the taxi industry has been tagged with many security anxieties and many drivers, car owners, and clients have been the victims. The number of life-threatening incidents and accidents has been on the rise, and many people have lost their lives and assets in the process. This has increased the demand for effective safety measure. Some of these safety issues include:
- Car theft.
- Fatal Road Accidents.
- Kidnapping of drivers and clients among other safety incidents.
In a market where consumers are more safety sensitive, these anxieties have affected the taxi business. This is because many passengers prefer buying personal vehicles or use other more secure means of transport. However, many taxi business owners have realized the safety benefits of using advanced taxi management system to fulfil their duty of providing safe travel services to passengers and address their safety concerns. Today, riders trust services providers with systems that are designed with security features in addition to convenience and transparency.
Taxi Booking Software Safety Features
Primarily, taxi dispatch software is designed as a tool for allocating jobs to taxi drivers by conveniently mapping riders with drivers for pickup. The system makes it easy for users to book a taxi from a mobile app, estimate fare, make payments, as well as provide feedback about the general services. Moreover, it enables the management of a taxi company to ensure high productivity through smart resource allocation and improved customer experience.
There are many types of taxi dispatch systems available in the market with different features and functionalities depending on the user needs and preferences. If you are looking for a system for your taxi business, it will be important to consider some of the following features as safety instrument for the vulnerable industry.
- Vehicle Tracking Feature – Integration with the GPS equipment to help the system administrator to monitor real-time movements and speed of the vehicle. This will alert the operator when the car is going to the wrong direction in case of a car theft to alert the relevant authorities. Besides, it also helps security officers to quickly recover stolen vehicles.
- Driver Monitoring – Road safety records reveals that more than half of deadly road accidents are as a result of drivers error. The system monitors drivers’ behaviour and identifies reckless driving including over-speeding, overloading, and dangerous overtaking among others to prevent road accidents. Moreover, the systems controls drivers working hours by preventing more assignment to drivers who have exceeded their maximum daily hours.
- Payment System – Robbers have always targeted drivers and customers to steal money from them. With the increase of digital payment options such as mobile banking, Web-based payment platforms, and mobile money transfer, most taxi booking software integrates cashless payment solutions. This enables drivers and clients to conveniently travel, make and receive payments without having to carry cash.
- Emergency Alert – Drivers and customer apps are equipped with emergency button that allows them to send instant alerts in case of an incident for immediate rescue. This feature is useful in case of vehicle breakdown, accident or any other critical event.
- Report Generation – The system admin can be able to pull out a number of reports upon request including information about a particular trip, customer data, vehicle location at a given time, and many other customized reports. Such data can be used by the management to screen driver’s misconduct as well as by safety authorities in case of any occurrence.
- The Customer App – This requires the customer to register by providing their details such as name, id number and sometimes credit card information and to access other functionalities of the taxi booking software. It also allows the customer to view the vehicle and driver details before pickup. This increases the trust between taxi drivers and riders eliminating general safety concerns.
Some more advanced cab dispatch systems can be used to provide analytical data to guide security policy development. Such analysis may include: vulnerable locations based on previous occurrences, driver conduct summary, and other insights that would help operators to make quick and more informed decisions.
To sum it up, with the main goal of every taxi business owner to increase the booking frequency so as to earn more revenue, investing in tools that make operations smooth and more efficient is very critical for the service industry. Passengers looking for a taxi these days are more concerned about their safety on and off the road, so it makes sense to get a taxi dispatch system that not only allocates driver tasks but also minimizes security threats for both the customers and the drivers. Therefore, when choosing a system for your taxi business, you need to check how the various features will be of benefit to all the business stake holders. Through this you will gain and maintain a significant competitive advantage over your rivals.