Vermont Business Magazine The ZabCab Taxi App, which makes summoning a taxi a snap for passengers, announced Monday that it has completed its 10,000th ride in Burlington, a city it has served since last year. To celebrate this milestone, ZabCab said all new customers who signup for the app using code “VT” will get their first ride for free through January 31. Today, ZabCab also announced it is now the exclusive technology provider of Dunwright Taxi Company, and is providing ZabCab technology to independent drivers in Burlington as well. ZabCab introduced its app in Burlington as a national pilot for other small U.S. cities. In major markets where the smartphone app operates, ZabCab is credited with dramatically reducing customer-taxi wait time--nearly 80% in Miami—down from an average of 20-30 minutes to just 4-6 minutes on average.
Brian Sloan (at left), City Manager for ZabCab Burlington, with Justin Weinberger, who yesterday booked the 10,000th ZabCab ride in Burlington since it began operating in the city a year ago.
“ZabCab has improved taxi service and the passenger experience,” said Martin Heikel, Founder of ZabCab. “More people are taking taxis now that they can call for a cab with just one tap. Burlington will be remembered as the birthplace of a smartphone technology platform capable of taking the taxi industry and the taxi passenger experience into the 21st century.”
ZabCab’s latest innovation to go national is “Taxi in a Box™” technology, which provides turn-key electronic dispatch software to cab companies. For the past 8 months, ZabCab and 11 Dunwright drivers beta tested Taxi in a Box for their customers.. The tech The technology automatically sends fare requests to the nearest or next available driver when passengers contact the cab company for a ride—either via telephone or by tapping the ZabCab smartphone taxi app. The cloud-based solution includes a suite of mobile apps, including a dispatch console that electronically sends passenger fare requests to the company’s nearest available driver. The taxi company has the option of entering the fare location into the system or allowing passengers to automatically get a cab with one tap on their ZabCab smartphone app.
“In this day and age, passengers want and expect to get a taxi through their smartphone,” said Heikel. “ZabCab ‘Taxi in a Box’ allows small taxi companies to compete on a technological level with rideshare apps like Uber or Lyft, offering a faster and easier way to get a taxi, while still providing the option of telephone dispatch to suit those who prefer to call for a taxi. It is the best of both worlds.”
Partnership with Dunwright
As part of its agreement with ZabCab, Dunwright taxis will be re-branded to feature both the Dunwright and ZabCab logos. Tim Ruarks, co-owner of Dunwright, called the agreement the next logical step for the well-respected cab company.
“Dunwright Taxi Company has a long history of providing reliable, safe transportation in Burlington,” Ruarks said. “ZabCab is modernizing our business by providing 21st century technology for our customers. We know that with our solid and reliable local knowledge, combined with our new partnership with ZabCab, our Burlington based business can compete head on with the giant rideshare corporations that have come to our home town.”
Heikel remarked that Dunwright and ZabCab are an excellent fit because they both have a keen customer focus. “Together, we have made taking taxis faster and more reliable for passengers. People who try the app see how easy it is to use and don’t need to make calls to the dispatcher anymore wondering when the taxi will show up. Passengers can also rate their drivers for the first time.”
Passenger No. 10,000 in Burlington
With the Dunwright agreement, ZabCab now supports roughly a third of all taxis in Burlington. The deal is expected to add further momentum to ZabCab’s growing passenger base in Burlington. On Sunday afternoon, January 10, Justin Weinberger, a resident of Winooski, Vermont, became ZabCab’s 10,000th ride in Burlington when he tapped his ZabCab app to instantly get a ride. Weinberger represents the rapidly-growing base of people who prefer to use an app to get a taxi. To mark its 10,000-ride milestone, ZabCab presented Weinberger with a $100 dinner gift certificate at The Farmhouse Tap and Grill (and free cab rides to and from the dinner, of course).
Weinberger does not own a car and relies on the ZabCab taxi app to grab a cab to run errands. Weinberger said he is a huge ZabCab fan because of the app’s convenience and consistent pricing— even during periods of peak demand. “They don’t surge price me when I go out with friends on weekends,” he said. “We can have a few drinks without worrying about who has to drive.”
Heikel said, “We’re seeing a surprising amount of growth among younger adults who are looking to avoid Uber’s sharp surge pricing. Surge pricing usually kicks in Friday and Saturday nights, and we want to encourage people to take a cab when out drinking, and not discourage them by inflating the fare,” noted Heikel. “There’s no surge pricing ever with ZabCab.”
ZabCab also is making it easier for restaurants, bars, and hotels to call a cab for patrons through “ZabCab Front Desk.” Designed specifically for the hospitality industry, ZabCab Front Desk can summon more than one cab at a time. “Hotel concierges and others in the hospitality business can order multiple cabs, track them in the app, and let guests know when their cabs will arrive,” Heikel said. “Hotels strive to provide their guests with a high-quality experience, but typically cringe when they need to call a cab for guests because they have no idea if and when a cab will show up. ZabCab Front Desk takes the guesswork out of the equation, helping hotels and other hospitality businesses provide better service to their guests.”
Transforming the Burlington Taxi Business
Since its launch in Burlington, ZabCab’s visibility in the market has heightened awareness for taxis, enticing new customers. It also has made the taxi business more efficient. Using GPS technology, ZabCab pinpoints a passenger’s exact location and the location of the nearest available driver. Once a customer taps the ZabCab app and requests a ride, ZabCab instantly searches for and offers that ride to the nearest available cab or to the passenger’s preferred driver.
Heikel said feedback from Burlington cab drivers indicate that ZabCab is streamlining their search for fares and reducing deadheading—time spent driving long distances to pick up a passenger. In addition to making it easier for passengers to grab a cab, ZabCab generates heat maps and uses predictive analytics to anticipate where passenger demand is highest—the first time such technology has been used in Burlington. ZabCab lets cabbies know where people need rides most so they can be close by when called. Similarly, ZabCab warns taxi drivers if there’s a surplus of taxis in an area, so they can more quickly pursue fares elsewhere.
“ZabCab is designed to shift the old taxi world to a better, simpler one and provide rides on-demand. The data shows we’re improving things for the entire community including local taxi drivers and operators,” Heikel explained. “As locals, students, and visitors find it easier to move around Burlington, they depend less on cars. As cabbies spend less time driving without fares or idling in front of event venues, there will be a reduction in fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and traffic. These should be priorities in a 21st century city.”
Heikel continued, “We’re seeing more and more ‘Happy Cabbers’ in each city we bring ZabCab to. Putting technology into the hands of passengers and professional taxi drivers is really a win-win.”
About ZabCab
ZabCab is a patented smartphone technology that is a better way to taxi. ZabCab helps passengers “call” for a licensed taxi with a tap of a finger, and ZabCab Driver helps professional cab drivers find passengers and generate more fares. A third app, ZabCab Front Desk, is the first smartphone and desktop app designed to help hotels call for more than one cab at a time. A dispatch console, Taxi in a Box™ is a cloud-based dispatch console that connects passengers and available taxis. ZabCab currently is available in Burlington, Vermont, Miami-Dade County, and Broward County, Florida. ZabCab is available on iOS and Android platforms and can be downloaded on the Apple App Store and Google Play. ZabCab was developed by Flatiron Apps, LLC, a company based in New York City’s Silicon Alley. Learn more by visiting www.zabcab.com.
Burlington, VT—January 11, 2016… The ZabCab