KUALA LUMPUR: Taxi booking mobile application, Easy Taxi, recently pledged to upgrade taxis within its network and roll out competitive incentive plans for its drivers.
Over the next few months, Easy Passengers can expect a unique and innovative experience as the company would be refurbishing its taxis in several phases.
They would get an upgraded level of service, which includes being greeted by the drivers, offered bottles of mineral water and listening to music of their choice.
Taxi drivers would also be trained through workshops provided by Easy Taxi to improve their customer service initiatives.
The interior of the taxis would also be upgraded to ensure cleanliness.
To add to a more comfortable travelling experience, Easy Taxi will introduce the ET Pay cash-free system where payment is made with a click on their smartphones.
To be able to do this, passengers must register their credit cards with the application beforehand.
“As we all know, the public transportation industry is experiencing a shake-up but out priority remains with the taxi drivers who are earning a humble livelihood.
“Our initiative in upgrading our taxis marks the first time a private company is investing to improve the condition of these taxis,” said Easy Taxi South East Asia regional managing director Joon Chan at a press conference.
With the improvement of taxi services and the ongoing mass rapid transit (MRT) project, Chan was confident that private car ownership and usage would decrease.
Easy Taxi also announced a competitive “Super Easy Taxi” monthly reward programme to motivate Easy Taxi drivers.
Under the programme, drivers are given incentives between RM200 and RM1,000 per month depending on their performance and customer ratings in terms of the level of service.
Easy Taxi also provides variable monthly bonuses to continuously motivate drivers to increase their level of service.
“We admit that there are some bad apples out there and they become the centre of attention while the good ones go unnoticed by the public.
“The amount of our incentives are unheard of in this industry where drivers can earn 30 per cent more than their monthly income,” said Chan.
“We want the drivers and not just the passengers to be happy using our service by developing a healthy relationship on both sides.
“We will call drivers to get their feedback and also the passengers for comments on the drivers, especially the new ones,” said Easy Taxi Malaysia country manager Nikolay Khokhlov.
Mohd Azary Abd Rahman, who holds the title of “Easy Taxi Hero”, has been an Easy Taxi driver for two years.
Azary, a cabbie for 15 years, said his income had increased since joining Easy Taxi, especially with the various incentives offered.
“Easy Taxi takes care of its drivers and it is a safe app as details of the drivers and passengers are saved on the system.
“There are also records of the rides, so passengers need not worry of being cheated by drivers,” he said.
Some 100 Easy Taxi drivers have signed up for the programme two weeks after it was launched.
The target is to achieve 1,000 drivers within three months.
The programme would be extended if there was a demand for it from drivers and passengers.
Easy Taxi is the biggest taxi booking mobile app in the world with 35 participating countries and 18 million downloads. Malaysia is its biggest market in South East Asia. By Farezza Hanum Rashid