Cebuano developers pitch mobile app for taxi riders

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuano developers have introduced the first-of-its-kind technology application, providing taxi commuters easier access to commercial cab transportation within the Metro Cebu area.

Kennet Baylosis, Keith Levi Lumanog, and Eddie Ybanez have introduced the MiCab app to the Cebuano riding public, giving commuters access to taxi service anytime and anywhere around the metropolis.

“We are commuters ourselves and we wanted a remedy for this problem,” the MiCab developers said. “So we pooled our talents together and came up with an app that works as a taxi-dispatching service.”

MiCab app is a cab-hailing smartphone application intended to give the Cebuano riding public hassle-free conveyance and never require them to wait in queues on taxi stands or even outsmart and outrun each other on the streets as they can simply hail a cab to their location by just tapping on their mobile phones.

The three young developers got full backing of award-winning ICT company, the Next IX, in their startup venture.

Next IX chief executive officer and founder Bobby Suson said he offered to support the young trio of developers as he has seen the potential in the MiCab startup.

“This kind of app is already in Manila, why not have this in Cebu?” Suson said.

“Since the use of new technology in almost everything is inevitable, common sense only dictates that we should also be able to use our mobile phones to hail a taxi,” he said.

The app is just easy as ABC to use, according to MiCab founders. They said people only need to download the app, key in some basic personal information and their self-description for recognition purposes.

With MiCab, a user can request for a taxi by just tapping on the app, which will then send a signal to available cabs within a two-kilometer radius.

Taxi drivers are also equipped with smartphones which they can use to either accept or decline the request for pick-up. MiCab is charging the drivers P30 a day for the smartphones and data load credits.

For using the app, the passenger will only pay a minimal P5 charge on top of the taxi fare.

MiCab decided to team up with Ken Taxi which now has 60 of its cabs equipped with smartphones for this pilot program. MiCab aims to have at least 200 taxi units under its fleet.

The MiCab app is only available for Android devices at the moment, but the three young developers said it will soon be available for iOS and Windows devices this month. /JMD (FREEMAN)