DIGITAXI THE TAXI APP THAT CHANGES THE WORLD OF TAXI (AND IT'S NOT UBER!)

This is the article that the editorial staff of Smau dedicated to DigiTaxi App for Taxi born in Naples in 2013 and winner of the 2014 Naples Smau ICT Innovation Award in the category "Mobile and Apps that make life easier." DigiTaxi is a system based by two App and a web platform that allows you to contact the taxi driver without going through Taxi radio number call. Through the geolocation, the customer can see where is the closest taxi to his area. The app allows you to know the details of the taxi driver, waiting times and valuate the service at the end of the ride. The DigiTaxi service was recently launched in the city of Naples." THE NEED The goal is to stimulate the use of taxis in the city and improve the relationship with the customer. The project was born after identifying three main gaps in the current market: the unstick it between you and the taxi driver, the extreme uncertainty on the cost to be paid (even when it comes to fixed rates), uncertainty about the best route make. In general, you want to increase the trust between the customer and the taxi driver and make the service more efficient. THE SOLUTION The system consists of two free apps, DigiTaxi driver (driver) and DigiTaxi (user) connected to the internet via a server, and a web portal. The platform is based on geolocation user and the taxi driver, which allows the server to transfer requests directly to the vehicle closer to the point where the customer is located. The platform, therefore, allows the user to connect directly to the first available taxi driver without having to call services such as radio taxis. The app allows you to view on screen an overview of taxis available in the area, after the call to know the details of the driver and the wait time, follow the on-screen movement of the car from the moment of the call to the pickup point, know the ' recommended route, travel time and the estimated cost of the race, and to express a liking about the service at the end of each race. Further deployments are planned: in future it will be possible to display on the map points of interest cultural or tourist, you can share the ride with another passenger, and will develop a voice communication system to allow the driver to talk to the client (for as to confirm that it has received the call), the website and the app will be integrated with social networks, you will be activated on the app push notifications for real-time information about work in progress, strikes, accidents or road closures and will be able to book a ride. The operations of routing and geocoding are based geographically through Fake Rolex the use of a map server. The software is scalable and evolves based on the growth in the number of taxis and users. The app for the taxi driver (who pays a minimum fee for each chamata) is used to confirm or reject a request for racing, imopostare their work shift, see the list of races conducted. CHANGE The app, launched in February 2013, operates on an experimental basis in the territory of Naples and was used by about two hundred taxi drivers. In many cases they were the same taxi drivers to contact those responsible for the startup, since in this phase has not started a promotional campaign but the focus was on the development and improvement of the platform. The advantages are considerable both for the conductors of the means for customers. Users have appreciated innovation because it has decreased the gap with the taxi driver, it gives certainty on the rate to be paid and on the path to be performed and provides the opportunity to express a liking to the service at the end of the race. The app also had the advantage of bringing the use of a taxi type of customer young and computerized. Even in terms of environmental benefits are recorded, because encourage the use of taxis decreases the number of private cars in circulation and makes the cities more livable and more attractive for tourism. THE COMPANY DigiTaxi is an innovative startup founded in February 2013 following the activity of a Facebook group and an edition of Startup Weekend in Naples. It was founded by Michael Palmieri, who enlisted the help of six developers and two experts in marketing and communication. In May 2014 it has been selected three best applications from the Italian Consortium of Italian Chambers of Commerce during the "Room Hub Forum" that was held in Milan. Article published by the editor in Smau "success stories" http://www.smau.it/napoli14/success_stories/digitaxi-lapp-che-cambia-il-mondo-dei-taxi-e-non-e-uber/