When it comes to managing a fleet of any type, more data is always better. The right software can enable your taxi business to save time and optimize performance. Taxi dispatch software often has a wide range of features that can help your business compete at the largest levels.
What is Taxi Dispatch Software?
Taxi Dispatch Software is a software system that allows taxi companies to track drivers and drivers to catalog data such as:
- GPS Tracking
- Schedule Ride Requests
- Automate Payment Information and Processing
- Driver Availability
- Optimized Route Directions
- Manage Customer and Driver Requests
- Detailed Analytics
- Price Setting
- Manage Users and Dispatchers in Software program
This software system allows dispatch teams to automate certain functions of the dispatch process, such as automatically listing rides as they come in and scheduling them correctly. A taxi dispatch software helps track data on peak ride times, cut down paperwork, and negates booking mistakes.
Benefits For Your Taxi Company
Taxi dispatch software is a vehicle management system that not only optimizes your back-end dispatch services but helps provide your customers with more accurate information. Like all vehicle management systems, the software is designed to eliminate missed bookings and optimize data for drivers and dispatchers. Not every taxi dispatch software is designed the same. However, there are a few key benefits you can find amongst most taxi dispatch software fleet management software.
1. Real-Time Taxi Tracking
An advanced taxi dispatch software will give you accurate GPS location to maximize trips in a given area. You can use this real-time GPS tracking to better assign jobs or have an automated service do it for you. This is critical as you expand into multi-location taxi services and tracking your fleet properly.
2. Automate Payments
Most taxi dispatch software can take different forms of payment or forward them to a third-party service. Instead of using another application for payment processing, it can all be housed in one software application.
3. Better Customer Experience
Customers want to book taxi services in a number of different ways. A taxi dispatch software should be able to help integrate all booking requests, whether they be from a mobile app, phone call, website, etc. Customers viewing availability and clear guidelines will help secure more bookings. It will also help set clear expectations for the trip as well as ensure better customer service.
4. Ease of Use
Using a taxi dispatch service will help cut down on excess paperwork and optimizing scheduling. Some services will just record the booking and allow you to confirm. Other services can automate the entire process for you. The software will assign the nearest available driver on a shift in a specific location and record that information digitally all in the app. This eliminates wasteful time for the driver and dispatch staff.
5. Detect Dangerous Driving
While not every taxi dispatch software does this, advanced services can help you negate harsh driving. Some software allows data tracking on occurrences such as speeding, harsh braking, hours worked, and more.
6. Cloud-Based
Most taxi dispatch services are cloud-based, meaning your information isn’t being stored on one single device, but servers. You’ll be able to access that information on the go as well as not having to physically store that data on-site as you grow. You can buy your own cloud storage solutions or a taxi dispatch service will include the storage in your software package.
7. Scalability
Running a taxi service is a complicated task. There’s high competition from apps such as Uber and Lyft, not to mention, other taxi services. To be competitive and grow your business, you need to be able to compete with companies that have software solutions for their dispatch services. The proper taxi dispatch service will enable you to scale your operations and automate services. These services can help you grow and expand your business and optimize fleet performance.
8. Multiple Location Use
Every passenger market is different. From managing airport transportation and pickups to competing in cities with little public transportation, a taxi dispatch service can help you adapt to a new environment. For example, a taxi dispatch service can help you plan out pricing between different cities.
Why is this important?
Because the average distance, gas expended, and traveler volume in a city like New York versus Austin Texas is going to be different. You should adjust pricing and business operations because of that.
9. Analytics
Accurate data is the key to making sound business decisions. A taxi dispatch service can provide you with information such as miles traveled, passengers carried, peak times, harsh driving, and more. Using that data can help you optimize for peak performance.
Example:
Photos of Taxi Commander dispatch services.
Leading Company Comparisons for Taxi Dispatch Software
Samsara:
Samsara is an industry-leading fleet management system that can be adapted to many different business types. Used by taxi and trucking companies alike, Samsara is a well-established brand that can offer your taxi company a robust system for your dispatch needs. Common features taxi services can take advantage off:
- Real-time GPS driver tracking
- Optimized route directions with live traffic updates
- Recorded dashcam footage
- Customer location sharing
- Paperless data integration
- Booking log of all drivers and routes
- Dispatch and driver monitoring
Price: Custom quote dependent on the size of business
Taxi Commander:
Taxi Commander is a company that has designed software specifically for taxi services. With over 17 years of experience, Taxi Commander has built a large portfolio of taxi companies in multiple major cities. It’s a cloud-based system design with taxis and cabs in mind. Taxi Commander offers three basic tiers:
Taxi Commander Basic:
- Bookings accepted by phone, call, or smartphone app
- Automatic or manual dispatch options
- Payment processing in-app
- GPS driver tracking
Taxi Commander Advanced:
- Everything included in basics
- Automated detailed reservations through calls
- Dispatching system for fleets with pull zones and driver zone lists with advanced fleet configuration
- Dedicated dispatch tablet device for each vehicle
- Integrated Driver and Vehicle Productivity Reporting System with Unlimited Trip History
Taxi Commander Professional:
All of the services from the previous tiers are included. However, you know get to choose from an A La Carte suite of services to fully customize the software to your needs, including:
- Vehicle GPS playback
- Integrated push-to-talk
- Driver pay programs and cashiering
- Shared-ride loading
- Integrated billing
- Loyalty programs
- Website booking
- IVR Voice Integration
- Multi-Fleet Dispatch
- Rugged Mobile Data Terminal
Price: Taxi Commander offers both purchase and rental options. You can rent and then purchase at a later date as well. If you do purchase, Taxi Commander requires 25% of software plus the system setup fees in advance.
KeepTruckin
KeepTruckin is a brand that is mostly known for its services with trucking fleet management software. Additionally, they offer services for passenger transit as well. KeepTruckin can be a more budget-friendly option for larger businesses as their services can scale to large operations. KeepTruckin can not only offer taxi solutions but other passenger carrier options such as private and government busses. Common features you should know:
- Real-time GPS driver tracking
- Integrated GPS data and 3rd Party Apps
- Optimized route directions with live traffic updates
- Paperless document and data storage
- Fleet view (you can see all of your drivers, assets, and vehicles all in one central hub)
- Log of routes and drivers
- ELD Compliance Tablet
- Distance logging and fuel purchasing logging
- Driver Apps
Price: Custom quote dependent on the size of business.
Chetu
Chetu is a world-class software building company. They develop software solutions for industries ranging from agriculture to real estate. One of their core business software offerings is for dispatching and monitoring services. They offer custom software solutions designed around specific needs, oftentimes, with the goal of automizing time-consuming tasks away. If you are looking for a custom software solution for your business, this could be a good choice for you. Common features you can expect:
- Computer-aided dispatching
- Multi-call management
- Real-time GPS driver tracking
- Geo-fencing
- Fuel price tracking
- Scheduling modules
- Automated dispatching services
- Integrated 3rd party apps such as Google Maps and ESRI
- Fuel management software
- Dispatch mobile application
- Route optimization
- Billing & Invoice
Price: Chetu first requires consultation for your needs and then will price out the service. Chetu is a full software service, so this can be great for large organizations that need 3rd party app integration and custom tracking solutions.
| Samsara | Taxi Commander: | KeepTruckin | Chetu | |
| GPS Tracking | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Schedule Ride Requests | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Automate Payment Information and Processing | ✔ | ✔ | N/A | ✔ |
| Driver Availability | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Optimized Route Directions | ✔ | N/A | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage Customer and Driver Requests | ✔ | ✔ | N/A | ✔ |
| Detailed Analytics | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Price Setting | N/A | ✔ | N/A | ✔ |
| Manage Users and Dispatchers in Software program | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
What’s Right for You?
If you are looking to take your taxi business into multiple locations, need help keeping track of transactions, or want to optimize your driver time then you need taxi dispatch services. You gain insightful data and negate wasteful time. Your business is optimized to grow.
Taxi dispatch software is a management system that allows you to scale. The best time to implement the software is before you start expanding past a small number of taxis (1-10). Although, you can implement at any time.
Ready to Integrate?
Want to take that next step for your taxi business? Ready to optimize and manage your taxi fleet more efficiently?
360Connect can provide you with top-tier vehicle and fleet management systems quotes for your business. We can help you find providers in your location that fit your needs.
Check out our other content on different types of fleet management systems.