Black Cab Only App Launches In London 

Rothschild’s new London Black Cab app will rival Uber and Hailo

Nathan Rothschild and Gabriel Campos, former Chief Executive Officer of online gaming site Pokerstars plan to launch Maaxi within the next couple of weeks. Maaxi is a new taxi sharing app designed to make travelling in a black cab cheaper as individuals will essentially be car sharing with others. It was an idea conceived around 24 months ago, and is similar to Uber and Hailo in that users can hail a cab straight from their smartphone. The only difference is that Maaxi offers a black cab only service in shared or normal fare format and individuals can hail taxis that are already carrying passengers, to share the cost of the journey. Maaxi also boasts that for shorter journeys they are even cheaper than bus or train fares (source MaaxiTaxi.com).

However, some taxi drivers oppose the concept of shared journeys as they are bound by rules that do not apply to the smartphone-based app. It also restricts earning potential if several prospective customers are car-pooling and threatens jobs. Other taxi drivers are more welcoming to the Maaxi app and it has been reported that around 1,000 drivers have already signed up. Some black cab drivers have even gone as far as offering free rides to work on the 22^nd September  to anyone who tweeted “Free taxi ride to work by #maaxiapp” to help publicise the app. To help support taxi drivers and alleviate concerns some might have, Campos stated Maaxi drivers will be better compensated than those that drive for Uber or Hailo.  Maaxi also promises to create new work as potential customers will be tempted by cheaper fares.

Car-pooling is a recent development within taxi apps and Uber has recently set up a new service called Uber Pool which allows its users to carpool in a bid to become the dominant car-hailing service. It also described its commission as being the lowest in London, whereas Maaxi have failed to disclose how much commission they will be receiving from bookings.

We’re excited to see how the release of this new app will affect the taxi trade and how car-pooling and a change in the way taxis operate will affect Taxi Insurance costs.