Safety Measures Undertaken in Online Cab Booking Services

Imagine the time when you would have to go outside and actually wait on a passing-by taxi or hail it from afar for you to get the transport services. Unless you had a specific cab driver that you would need to call prior to your need – just to confirm that your driver is available – then you must have gone through such challenges at one time or another.

But that’s now a thing of the past thanks to the internet. Cab companies – just like most other companies - have established their brands online by enabling online cab booking making it easier for their current and potential clients to get into direct contact with the companies.

The establishment of taxi mobile applications by various cab-services providers has made life much easier and convenient since you can now get your transport from online. You no longer have to wait for taxis to pass-by your location.

This convenience also comes with reviews and therefore, passengers can rate their ride experience which in hindsight guarantees professionalism and safety – since every driver under an online management will want to get a good online reputation to ensure more client confidence which in turn increases their earnings.

Despite these positive aspects, online cab booking service providers are prone to facing challenges which can lead to their defamation. Taking safety measures to curb these problems has become a constant need in order for these brands to progress.

What are the challenges?

Despite being an online entity, these firms face difficulties in both online and the real world. They therefore, require to constantly review any arising issues.

Here are some of these challenges.

• Customer care services– Customers like to be heard and lack of this will be termed as poor customer care services.Customer care is an important factor that affects a business entity. If a customer complains about a driver or raises payment issues and does not get prompt action or feedback, it leads to a negative attitude towards the online cab booking service. The customer will feel the need to share their experience with others and thus the online entity eventually gets a bad online reputation.
• Lack of data – Since you can only book a cab by being online, this factor limits various people who have data challenges like low internet connection and expensive data charges. Therefore, booking a cab online is then limited to clients who meet certain data specifications.
• Maps –

Online cab booking services require the use of maps for transportation of passengers. Some of the maps on Google are either outdated or non-existent and may not provide the exact location of small areas. This now becomes a challenge when a firm’s driver wants to pick a passenger from a remote area and the map does not display the directions.

• Payment – Some drivers of such firms may demand extra payment besides the computed payment which can lead to poor rating of the driver and if no action is undertaken, the brand’s reputation may be at jeopardy. Sometimes, customers may also come up with ways to evade payment which in turn leads to losses.
• Safety – While the online entities may guarantee safety, it might not be the case in the real world. Some drivers may end up using their phones often while driving which poses a danger to the driver and passengers. Also, some drivers have been accused of sexual harassment or assault which makes passengers feel unsafe. This in turn reflects back to the cab booking service providers and may cause defamation.
• Multiple affiliations – Since there are many online cab booking service providers, some drivers may be affiliated to several online entities as they seek to search for more customers. They therefore, lack loyalty towards to one company. Firm which fail to perform a proper background check may be prone to future problems if such drivers are involved in legal charges.

The challenges faced can be resolved through proper evaluation of and seeking possible solutions to enhance safety.

Safety measures

While challenges facing online cab booking may be a problem on one hand, seeking possible solutions to these issues will guarantee safety and increased online reputation for the growth of the business.

Safety measures undertaken to curb the challenges above may be:

• Performing proper background checks to potential driver employees. Also having a copies of their identification documents and recent photographs will go a long way in authenticating employees. These firms should also brand their vehicles before selling them to the potential drivers so that the drivers can only undertake work from one brand.
• The firms can introduce a ‘no cash’ policy and provide drivers with payment accounts so that customers can pay into the account and not experience overpriced payments.
• Well detailed and updated maps can be provided for drivers so that they can easily maneuver through new regions.
• Online cab booking can be made more accessible on online platforms so as to reduce the data charges incurred by customers and drivers.

Safety measures for clients and drivers require policy changes and service improvement. Many cases of assaults and homicides have reportedly been from taxi services. In order to curb these issues, online cab booking service providers have undertaken various measures to ensure the safety of their clients and drivers.

Such include:

• Introduction of an SOS button in their cab booking applications
• Introduction of gender-based chauffeurs such as women drivers transporting women passengers.
• Fitting of GPS panic devices in the taxi cabs.
• Dis enabling the central locking system.
• Ensuring taxis have a working radio which connects to the dispatcher. This is for driver’s safety.
• Some companies have gone ahead to introduce pepper sprays inside of the car.
• Ensuring proper identification of the drivers.

The bottom line is, as the world embraces the internet so do most taxi transportation service firms. Customers are able to book cabs from these online platforms and can even review their experience with their drivers. Regardless, safety of both customer and driver is paramount for these transportation firms to thrive.

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