Taxi booking app, Zoomy, has launched a ‘hospitality’ version of its booking app that gives businesses such as restaurants, bars, and hotels an option to book taxis for customers. ZoomyGo was launched in December as a pilot to 40 businesses in Auckland, and is now being rolled out to hundreds of locations around the country. The app business’ co-founder, James Fisk, said Zoomy wanted to provide businesses with a similar experience to individuals. ZoomyGo units are a simple ordering dev
ice with a built in SIM card. The business taps a button and a taxi is ordered.
“Businesses love seeing how far away the taxi is, and the massive amounts of time saved of pressing a button versus having to ring a call centre to order,” said Fisk.
Units are provided free to businesses, and installation takes only a few minutes.
“We’ve been watching the battles Uber are having on a regulatory front, and are obviously interested in how it plays out. Prior to our launch we enquired with the Transport Agency whether we could operate a service similar to how Uber was working overseas. Their response was no. We have been endorsed by the NZTA and comply with all legal requirements.
“Regardless of if we agree with the law or not, we are not about to go down the path of breaking it. For the past few months, we’ve been offering 25 per cent off all fares which has contributed to some excellent growth,” Fisk said.
Zoomy was first launched in November 2013, and has since been downloaded by 30,000 kiwis. It operates on both iPhone and Andriod, and is free for customers, with taxi drivers paying a small fee for each successfully completed ride booked through Zoomy.
