Discount Cab is creating a peer-to-peer solution that will connect passengers directly to drivers near them.
The Glendale-based company currently has a mobile application that allows customers to order a cab directly from their phone. However, the president of Total Transit, Mike Pinckard, said he believes the solution will revolutionize the industry and better serve consumers. The new app will have user experience features that should make travel easier.
Customers can pay directly from their phones via credit card by signing up for an account online. Pinckard said one of the many stresses of getting a cab is the payment process.
“Customers don’t have to worry about exchanging cash and hoping the driver has change or being told that their cards aren’t accepted,” Pinckard said.
One of the biggest components to the application is the rating feature tied to the driver profiles. Passengers can rate the driver and the overall experience. The ratings will be attached to the name of the driver for other passengers to read.
Each of the drivers will have a photo along with their name and ratings in the mobile solution for customers to look up. When picking a car the customer can check the review of the driver that is nearest to them and choose which driver they like best.
“The ratings will influence a better service for the customers,” Pinckard said. “Some drivers make mistakes and some don’t. Even though judgment is being passed, I think they will embrace it.”
While most of the drivers who were asked agreed with Pinckard that the service is a benefit, one driver, who preferred not to be named, said he thinks the ratings may not always reflect the driver’s ability. He said there are some “crazy” customers who might leave negative ratings.
Arizona State student student, Katie Benson, felt the ratings would ensure that the customers are getting the best rates.
“I’d think it be great to rate the drivers. If you look like you don’t know your way around the area then they will take the longest routes. They will take you all over Phoenix, when all you wanted to do was go a few blocks. Rating the drivers could hopefully put that to an end,” said Benson.
However Discount Cab driver, Jon, said this notion might hurt driver’s ratings, when in reality most drivers are just following directions.
“Many people believe that drivers go out of their way just to raise the fare, when we really work off of a GPS system that directs us to drive all the way around,” Jon said. “It’s not our faults, and that could affect our ratings.”
A driver named Randy said he loves the idea and does not envision any negative drawbacks.
“It’d be great for a driver like me who takes care of their customers,” Randy said. “It would improve our company and make us the best in the industry.”
While Jon and Randy both thought the new services would actually be a benefit for drivers, they asked that their last names not be used because they didn’t want to risk being fired for speaking about the company without permission.
Pinckard said the overall goal is to enhance their services to make it the best experience the customers ever had. He said he believes the only way to do that is to create this peer-to-peer solution and give the passengers a self-policed service.
“The customers that are unhappy will be able to let us know right there on the spot,” Pinckard said. “The drivers that are having issues can get helped or corrected by the company in a faster manner.”
The company is said to be growing at a 25 to 30 percent rate each year. A large part of that is the use of the service by Arizona State University students.
Johana Soto is a student employee at ASU and has used Discount Cab every few months. As a consumer she said the app is a good idea because it would make it easier to order a cab.
“It’ll allow the clients to be able to get exactly what they want,” Soto said. “It’ll also allow the company to go over and fix everything that is wrong with the drivers.”
ASU journalism student Daniel Santa Cruz said he commonly uses cabs to go to the airport. He said he thinks the solution is a great idea especially for travelers.
“It’ll make it more convenient for travelers who already have a lot of stuff to take care of before they leave,” Santa Cruz said.
There are also other features to the new application such as a car tracker, driver information profiles, vehicle choice and guaranteed fare.
If customers want to pay a set price that is not calculated per mile, then they can use the guaranteed fare feature.
“It puts the customers at ease to not have to worry about what the final cost will end up being,” Pinckard said.
The vehicle choice feature allows customers to select a vehicle best suited to their specific travel requirements. If they need a van, mid-size car, SUV or sedan, they can select it while ordering the cab. Pinckard said this solution would make pick-up more efficient for passengers with specific needs, such as wheelchair accessibility.
“I think the app is a good idea because I hear a lot of students complaining about how the prices always change and they feel like their getting ripped off. I think the guaranteed fare is a really good idea and should make everyone happy. The app overall sounds great,” said David Silverstone, who works for Securitas.
“The most important feature is being able to offer our consumers alternate forms of service,” said Pinckard.
Total Transit is said to launch the service in late January after a test phase that starts on Dec. 15.
Contact the reporter at asia.poole@asu.edu
