Local taxi company wants to compete with Uber with new app
The owner of local taxi company has decided to get more tech savvy in an attempt to compete with Uber, which has made getting a ride extremely convenient with the pressing of a few buttons on its app.
Joe Olivar, owner of Border Cab Taxi and President of the Taxi Cab Owners Association of El Paso, has purchased a new app for his company and is inviting other taxi companies to join him.
“I’ve heard the people of El Paso loud and clear, they wanted better service and we are trying to meet that demand by providing this new technology,” Olivar said, “(We will) use the technology that’s available to bring the taxi cab service up to the same level as Uber.”
The app is called “Andale Ride” it works a lot like Uber. Its screens not only allow users to find the nearest driver, but also to communicate directly with them to arrange pickup.
The app is breaking with the traditional taxi model by letting customers know how much a fare will cost before they request a cab ride.
Relief could be on the way for the local taxi industry.
Dionne Mack, the Chairman of the City of El Paso’s Transportation for Hire Committee, says the committee is working to propose new recommendations to city council in the wake of Uber’s threat to leave the Sun City.
“One of the things we thought about when we talked about competition, was reducing the fees for taxis in particular,” Mack said, “So that they could use that investment to put back into their companies to help them to be more competitive.”
