TECHNOLOGY developed by a Cork software company is set to revolutionise the way customers interact with taxi drivers.
The Pickacab technology will allow electronic hailing of a taxi. Smart-phone users will be presented with a map of their local area displaying nearby taxis when they dial up the application. The onscreen information will also show them where the nearest cab to them is, display picture of the driver of each car and their psv licence and inform them of what languages the driver speaks.
It will also provide information on vehicle type and accepted payment methods. The revolutionary technology has been developed by Cork company Nixatel Sotware solutions based at the Rubicon innovation centre at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT),Bishopstown.
It is “location and real-time aware” and uses GPS to track the location of users and registered taxi drivers. Now the company, headed by Russell Quigley and Paul Higgins, both from Passage West, is gearing up for a full Cork launch this month and a nationwide launch in October. It is also ready for a UK roll out later in the year and then to other countries after that.
“It has worldwide scalability with cloud application,” former Coláiste Chríost Rí and CIT graduate Russell
said. The service is free to the user, all journeys are traced, and a feature can send an email about when and where the fare was collected and dropped off. The software also has the ability to send a link to a parent if they wish to monitor the journey that their child is taking. Trials in Cork earlier in the summer proved hugely successful Russell said.
Taxi owners and their customers had praised its efficiency, ease of use and reliability. For further information please go
to www.pickacab.com.
Tell us something about yourself:
Russell: I have always been self-employed, from opening the first Irish Subway Sandwich Franchise (in Cork) to being a director in Futurehomes with my brother Conor. www.futurehomes.ie. Paul: Vastly experienced in the software and telecoms industry he has a double black belt in Karate. Who is your product aimed at and what advantage will your customers get from using it.
It is aimed at independent taxi drivers and taxi-dispatch companies. The benefits of using our service are an
increase in fares, fuel saving by eliminating prospective cruising, no hardware to purchase-use your smartphone to operate the system and that our system is safe, secure and efficient. Organisations which you have found helpful.
Padraig O’Sullivan and Paul Healy, managing the Genesis Enterprise business innovation incubation Programme (GEP) at CIT have been very helpful. Also Dave Cody, Cork City Enterprise Board and Joe Burke, South Cork Enterprise Board have given us great support.
