Taxi-app Company, Taxigo has signed a partnership agreement with the Lagos taxi-union of National Union of Professional e-Hailing Drivers Partners (NUPEDP) in helping drivers boost their income and operate within best service standards, as it is set for launch in August.
The agreement entails that all taxies in app should be licensed, can choose their own pricing model and have to be classified according to different service-level categories. Also, all taxi-companies are welcomed to drive in Taxigo under their own brands.
According to the president of NUPEDP, Ayoade Ibrahim, the Taxigo is a pure technical and customer friendly platform which allows drivers and taxi companies to drive with their own prices and welcomes only legally licensed taxies.
“Taxigo has a very different approach to its business than most the competitors we have seen” says Ibrahim. “They are not discriminating or fighting any drivers or taxi companies, but support them by providing just better technical platform. Taxigo does not make any price-decision behind the back of client, but lets him choose openly what he or she drives. I believe we have not seen such app before in Nigeria that makes the co-operation interesting.”
He stated that both Taxigo and Union stand for legal taxi-transportation only, because it is much safer to the riders and consumers. “We encourage all drivers to cooperate with Taxigo, with this we make legal transportation stronger and better.” Ibrahim said.
He added that the concrete plan for mutual co-operation activities shall be ready in couple of months.
Speaking in the same vein, Dominic Ajayi, the operation manager of Taxigo Nigeria, said he is happy to start business in Nigeria with co-operation and not confrontation message. “Taxigo started in Estonia, where Taxigo is also the main supporter of Taxi-Union and almost all taxi companies use our platform in their business” he explained.
Ajayi added “Actually, we have started our business from different angle: we don’t push drivers to swallow our hard conditions, but let them do their business as good as they can, mirroring its quality and prices to consumers and riders.
“In Estonia, we are the biggest taxi-app before Taxify in terms of active cars in system. So we hope to win same position soon in Nigeria. Together with NUPEDP we plan to start creating quality standards to taxies, as we have done in Estonia. So, in near future the best drivers will probably earn 2-3 times more than an average service provider and clients can simply choose the level of the service they want.”
Taxigo app is managed in Nigeria by local startup company GoAfrik Solutions Limited. Taxigo originated from Estonia, Europe and is keeping the market leader position on its homeland where it has more taxi-companies in its network.