App-based taxi services offer distinct advantages, making them a whole lot more popular today than traditional taxi services. More than a million people use services like Uber, and Lyft every day. And every taxi app uses GPS – one of the things that any taxi app cannot do without.
How can GPS Help?
GPS performs some of the primary functions of a taxi dispatch app. Here is how taxi apps normally use GPS.
- GPS locates the position of the customer and the destination they want to get to. The customer can choose to enter the destination or pin it on the map.
- Shows the customer where the nearest taxis are, and their ETA.
- Finds the drivers nearest to a customer looking for a ride
- After confirmation by the driver and then by the customer, GPS is used to track the location of the driver as the customer waits for the ride. The customer can see the live location of their ride as well as the ETA.
- Track the ride by a third person with whom the customer chooses to share the ride details. This can help for safety purposes.
The Benefits of using a GPS enabled dispatch system
So, why do taxi app companies insist on using GPS on their apps? For one, it makes the entire process a whole lot smoother. Here is a look at some of the benefits.
No waiting for the customer – The customer has an ETA regarding the driver and can also see where the driver is. This allows the customer to make their plans accordingly and weeds out any extra waiting which may have to be done in case of a traditional booking of a taxi.
This makes the whole process highly convenient for the customer. The customer can also see how far the nearest taxis are (and their ETA) before booking.
Easy tracking of location for the driver – The driver can easily reach where the customer is, and there need be no hassle about finding the customer. In case of booking by just a phone call, often multiple phone calls have to later be made to ascertain the exact position of the customer. With the help of GPS, the driver can easily arrive at the location simply by following the location on the map.
This is important because of two reasons – one, because it obviously makes the driver’s job easier; and second, the service in itself becomes very convenient and hassle free for the customer, because they simply have to book a taxi and it arrives at their location. They don’t have to continuously keep explaining their location to the driver. This saves time on both sides – driver and customer.
Ease of navigation – There is complete ease of navigation even when the driver is not completely aware of the route. Not only does GPS provide the route, it also provides information about upcoming traffic, any disruptions or blockages etc. which makes the route shorter, leaving the driver more time to work his day, and also keeps the customer happy.
No unnecessary delay or miscommunication – GPS provides a meeting point for both the customer and the driver. This makes sure that there is no miscommunication as well as no delay on either side, leading to a great experience to which the customer will return time and again.
Your taxi app needs to use GPS to its full potential. It will help reduce delays and errors, and build trust. A good app development company can help you do this and more.
Ritesh
