Nearest Driver
Since TaxiCall was first launched in 2005, it has offered a Virtual Rank service. This means that calls are distributed to drivers according to how long it is since they last had one, and the driver who has been waiting longest gets first chance at an incoming call.
Now with the availability of new technology, TaxiCall is also able to offer a Nearest Driver version of the service. Instead of sending a call to the next driver in turn, the Nearest Driver service sends it to the nearest driver, which saves time and fuel, and allows you to offer a better service to your customers.
How Does It Work?
To route a customer call to the Nearest Driver, the system needs to know not just where the customer is located, but also where all the drivers are. Each driver on a Nearest Driver system uses a GPS device to keep the system informed of his location.
Locating customers depends on what kind of phone they call from. For callers from mobiles, and that's about two-thirds of all the calls through TaxiCall, the caller's location is supplied by the mobile networks, based on the location of the mobile base station. For landline callers, a database of postcode locations is used.
When a call comes in, the system automatically determines the caller's location, and looks up the locations of all the drivers who are currently logged in to find the nearest. It then routes the call through to that driver's mobile number. If for some reason that driver doesn't take the call, it will try the next nearest driver, and so on.
Driver Equipment
With either version of TaxiCall, each driver needs a mobile phone. The system works with any make or model – you just need to be able to receive calls.
For Nearest Driver, each driver also needs a tracker. This is a device with a GPS receiver to determine your location and a mobile data connection to transmit it to the TaxiCall system – all packed into the size of a matchbox (see picture, right). The tracker costs £60 and there is a service charge of £5 per month for its mobile data connection. It comes with two batteries, and both car and mains chargers.
Tried and Tested
For most of 2010, TaxiCall has been developing and testing the Nearest Driver technology. There have been extensive trials, involving taxi groups in busy metropolitan areas, so the service has been put through its paces in real life by drivers like you.
Andre Rodziewicz runs TaxiCall Wimbledon and Kingston in south-west London, and has been involved in the trials since April. “Being able to send calls to the nearest driver is an enormous benefit in busy city areas like Wimbledon and Kingston. TaxiCall Nearest Driver saves us time and fuel, and we can give our customers a better service.”
How Much Does It Cost?
Even with all this new technology, TaxiCall Nearest Driver charges are still only a tiny fraction of the cost of running an office. At £15 per month, plus £5 for the tracker, the subscription is still less than £5 per driver per week and the basic call cost is still 20 pence per minute. The main difference from Virtual Rank is that there is a 12 pence location charge on each connected call, which is the additional cost for finding out where the customer is, whether he is on a mobile or a landline.
For example, a call lasting 36 seconds (that's about the average) would cost 12 pence for the location plus another 12 pence for the call time, making a total of 24 pence. A driver taking 80 calls per month (again, that's about the average across all the TaxiCall groups) would pay a monthly bill of £39, less than £10 per week. All those prices and example costs are given with VAT included.
Remember Zingo?
Some readers may remember the Zingo system and may be interested to know how Taxicall Nearest Driver is different.
Firstly, Zingo was set up to be a national system, with a single central number 08700 700 700 distributing calls to the nearest available Zingo driver. TaxiCall has always been about local groups providing a local service. Almost all TaxiCall groups run their service on local geographic telephone numbers.
Secondly, Zingo used specially developed (and expensive) data systems in the cab. These are no longer necessary.
Thirdly, the customer was charged a premium for the call which took money away from what they gave the driver.
And TaxiCall Nearest Driver is just an optional feature on the very well-established TaxiCall service, so you still get all the existing TaxiCall benefits as well.
Which Version Of TaxiCall Is Right For You?
The TaxiCall Virtual Rank system may still be the right one for you. But with the introduction of the Nearest Driver capability, TaxiCall offers big system features at a very attractive price. You still get fair distribution, (nearest, second nearest, etc. - instead of least recently called, etc.), but no more need to transfer calls by phone or radio if you are the wrong side of town, and less time and fuel getting to customers.
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