Next taxi app promises to beat Uber’s prices

Mérida, Yucatán — Apps have been developed to rival Uber, but none of them have claimed to undercut them on price.

That changes on Wednesday.

Taxi unions Usty, Tayac and Taxi Yuk have joined forces to offer the passenger transport service through the Taxi Roll technology platform that will have, according to its promoters, the lowest fixed rates in Mérida.

According to the offer, this application will have rates 8 percent lower than Uber’s, the 800-pound gorilla in the app-based transportation market.

Melissa Canul Rodriguez of Zaphei Technologies shows off a new taxi app. Photo: Diario de Yucatán

But it’s starting modestly, with a fleet of just 120 Radio Taxi Meter cars, all late models, air conditioned and in good condition, they say. They claim that’s enough to scour the city, reaching passengers in four to 10 minutes.

Jose de Jesus Flores Martinez, USTY general secretary, said they are in talks with other organizations such as Econotaxi, Surty and Apsty to join this project and increase the fleet.

The Taxi Roll application will be available in the Google Play Store starting Wednesday.

Pricing is simple. With no morning, night or dynamic rates, riders pay a flat 8.50-peso for every kilometer, with no exit fee.

Diario de Yucatán compared the same hypothetical trip on both apps. A trip from Parque Zoológico del Centenario to the Centro cost 33 pesos on Taxi Roll and 39 pesos on Uber.

At the moment, Taxi Roll takes only cash, but plans to take credit cards as the app upgrades.

“We are analyzing the possibility of inviting the FUTV partners to join our platform because we know that their (Mi Taxi Yucatán) has problems,” said Flores Martinez, referring to the city’s most dominant taxi union.

The creator of the Taxi Roll technology platform is the local company Zaphei Technologies, a business that emerged five years ago. Their representative, Melissa Canul Rodríguez, explained that the application reveals the price of the service, the photograph of the driver, the plates, taxi model and the group to which it belongs.

In addition, the taxis will have a hologram sticker proving its affiliation with Taxi Roll.

Canul said that the platform operates under the approval of the state Transportation Directorate to operate in Mérida.

Source: Diario de Yucatán

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