Taxi Driver Online

...and by 'globe' I mean the whole wide world. And not the Wirral Globe across the Mersey

Anyway, it's a while since there's been an article about a new app

But I suppose that at least a dedicated Liverpool HC app is a bit different.

On the other hand, the rhetoric is pretty much same old, same old.

Not to mention the ambition to roll it out across the globe


Dad's £50k decision after ride with Liverpool taxi driver

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-o ... e-34309339

Andrew Iniabere said it all started with a chance conversation

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A Liverpool dad spent thousands of pounds on a new business after a conversation with a taxi driver. Andrew Iniabere, 40, from Wavertree, is the co-founder of Cabalot, a new ride-hailing app designed exclusively for Hackney cabs across the Liverpool region

The former professional footballer said the idea came after he discovered how much local drivers felt they were losing out as apps like Uber grew in popularity. The dad-of-one, who played in the academies of Everton, Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers before an ACL injury ended his football career at 21, said he has always had an entrepreneurial mindset.

After owning an off-licence and working as a football agent, he believes Cabalot is his biggest venture yet.

He told the ECHO: "The idea came from a conversation I had with a taxi driver. I asked him how he felt about Uber coming into the city, and he told me it was affecting his income. That made me realise there was an opportunity to create something that better supports local black cab drivers.

"I also felt that Liverpool's black cab heritage was being diminished. I wanted to do something that would help preserve it while giving drivers a platform that works in their favour."

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Andrew partnered with app developer Ryan Jones to bring the concept to life, with Cabalot launching around six weeks ago. So far, he says the response has been encouraging. Unlike other ride-hailing platforms, Cabalot works solely with Hackney cabs.

Andrew believes that gives passengers greater accessibility while also helping protect an iconic part of Liverpool's transport network.

He said: "The app has been live for around six weeks, and the response so far has been really positive. We're focused on black cabs because they're more accessible for people with disabilities, parents with prams and passengers with luggage. They're also an important part of our city's heritage, and we want to help keep that alive.

"Uber is a huge multinational company, but our model is different. We charge drivers a subscription and take just a 5% commission on each job, leaving them with a much larger share of their earnings."

The dad said he has invested more than £50,000 into the business and believes Liverpool was the natural place to launch. Andrew hopes that not only will he create a successful business here before moving elsewhere but also to protect local jobs.

He added: "Liverpool was the obvious place to launch because it's my hometown. I was born and bred here, I know the local taxi trade well, and many of the drivers are friends of mine. It made sense to start by supporting my own city before expanding further.

"The plan is to establish ourselves in Liverpool first, see how the market responds, and then expand regionally before looking at the rest of the UK.

“I believe this is the right product, at the right time, for Liverpool. If we can support local drivers while giving passengers another quality option, that's a win for everyone. I've invested more than £50,000 into the business so far because I believe in its long-term potential.

"Right now, our focus is on marketing and getting the word out. I believe the platform has the potential to grow across the UK and, eventually, internationally, but it's important to get the foundations right in Liverpool first."

Hate to say it, but somehow I can't see it rivaling Uber

For a start, I doubt there'll be many HCs left in the whole world in 10-20 years or so

there must have been nearly a hundred apps launched in the uk in the last 10 years all claiming to revolutionise the trade.

The only one that even came close to taking off was hailo. As they say a fool and his money are easily parted.

I like the name though

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Indeed, Edders. And like the ladies' taxi thing, it would be interesting to know how many of these app start ups are still around, and how many have fallen by the wayside.

I mean, even Ola - which apparently had 100 million customers over 100+ world cities - didn't get far in the UK, despite a significant investment. And has withdrawn totally from the likes of the UK and Australia.

That said, once these apps are up and running it probably doesn't take much to keep them going, particularly if they're simply local in scope and don't intend going on national or even international marketing and expansion drives

And indeed that's where Uber also has advantages in terms of expansion. They can retain a presence in an area without it costing them very much, because of the level of automation. Aberdeen, for example, at least once the start up costs are out of the way (sunk costs, sort of thing).

And people (particularly visitors to a local area) are always accessing the Uber app, even if no cars are available. So Uber can maintain a presence for limited cost, even where they initially have difficulty recruiting drivers, like Aberdeen and Dundee. And they can just tough it out very slowly, and hope that more drivers come on board, and then it all snowballs. Which seems to be happening to an extent in Aberdeen, if not Dundee.

But for a more traditional start-up, in the likes of Aberdeen they'd have fallen by the wayside by now, because maintaining a manned office 24/7 costs a lot of money if drivers aren't coming across.

But Uber can maintain a presence at relatively low cost, and tough it out, even if growth is pedestrian - it'll come eventually. And, of course, it helps that Uber has deep pockets and economies of scale anyway

That's a lot of money to develop something that, I'm pretty certain, could be open-sourced for next to nothing.

I hope he hasn't pi***d it up the wall, and he eventually gets a return on his money. But I doubt he will.

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IDFIMH