London-based chauffeur and minicab company Addison Lee is on track to generate £50 million ($80 USD) in bookings in 2012 through iPhones alone.
It’s a strong sign that the minicab business is really changing in the capital and that a mobile device application is a go-to method of booking transport along with making a call or hailing a car in the street.
Last year Addison Lee made £23 million through iPhone booking and this method now accounts for 25% of all bookings for the company. The firm says that 45,000 bookings are made per week with the free app which has been downloaded 350,000 times.
Noting the popularity of iPhone bookings, the company also offers applications for Android, Blackberry, Nokia and Windows phones and is currently working on ideas using HTML5 and NFC.
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Addison Lee is one of the largest minicab companies in Europe. Along with regular journeys it has a VIP chauffeur service, provides international delivery, couriers and executive coaches. The firm was founded in Battersea in 1975 and has a fleet of 3,500 minicabs.
The minicab and taxi services in the UK run in hot competition. Click a Taxi, Hailo, Uber and Get Taxi all vie for space to take us where we need to go whether it is in a private car or a Hackney Carriage.
While taxi and minicab companies continue to compete and innovate, the services provided are improved. The use of apps in this space means that customers have more control over bookings, creating a more personal service where bookings can be tracked and details filed for use in accounting.
Besides this all being useful, it’s also much nicer to make a booking and know when it will arrive rather than standing on the pavement in the rain unsure of when the ride you called might eventually arrive.
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