Despite the advent of tech companies such as Uber and Lyft, which provide mobility and transportation as a service, the taxi industry remains strong in most Western countries.
England, for example, had 289,400 registered Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) as of 2023, a 15% increase from 2021.
In the USA, New York City alone has over 13,000 registered taxi cabs.
Data from the last 20 years show a slow but steady increase in the number of taxi cabs in most major cities. In fact, the app-based taxi industry holds a 72-75% market share and is forecasted to remain strong in the near future.
In order for taxi companies to operate efficiently and allocate jobs to the taxi companies, most taxi companies use taxi dispatch softwares such as Autocab, TaxiCaller, iCabbi, etc.
In this article, we want to help new taxi companies in the UK and the USA by talking about what taxi dispatch softwares is, how much it costs, and what you can do to reduce the operational costs of your taxi company.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Taxi Dispatch System Price: Finding the Best Deal
What is a Taxi Dispatch Software?
A taxi dispatch software/system helps taxi companies distribute jobs to their drivers who are registered with the software.
Such softwares helps a taxi company manage its automated dispatch operations by mapping the customers with the drivers for traveling to their drop-off point from the pick-up location. It also allows customers to book a taxi and helps the taxi companies manage data, finance, and taxi rides efficiently.
How Much Does A Taxi Dispatch Software Cost?
Truth be told, many taxi dispatch software applications are on the market, some more popular than others because they provide additional solutions apart from dispatching systems.
Not all Software as a Service (SaaS) companies list their prices on their websites, as some require you to take a demo, have one of their experts give you a walk-through, and discuss your needs before providing you with a price quote.
We have tried our best to research and give you accurate information, so if you are looking to get taxi dispatch system prices in the UK, USA, Canada, UAE, or any other country, I think this is one of the best comprehensive guides!
1. YellowTaxi By Yellow Soft
YellowTaxi by YellowSoft has a pricing structure based on a set number of trips per month instead of per Taxi that you own.
Their starter pack is $79/month, billed annually, and includes 500 trips/month, with $0.20 per additional trip.
The professional pack costs $199/month, billed annually, and includes 1500 trips per month, with $0.17 per additional trip. The growth package costs $649 per month and includes 6000 trips, with $0.13 per additional trip.
Additionally, there is a one-time setup fee ranging from $999 to $1,999, depending on your chosen package.
2. AllRide Cabs
AllRide Cabs has an easy pricing system that charges per vehicle per month. Their starter pack charges $15 per vehicle per month, billed annually. The growth plan is $17 per vehicle, and the Pro+ plan is $19 per vehicle.
Each plan upgrade comes with additional features, which you can find on their web page.
3. iCabbi
Unfortunately, iCabbi, a popular taxi dispatch software used in the UK and Europe, does not disclose its pricing. Their customers do have to sign an NDA to agree not to disclose their pricing.
However, from our research, it seems that you have to sign a 5-year contract with them.
4. TaxiCaller
TaxiCaller, a Swedish-based mobility-as-a-service platform, charges $20 per vehicle monthly for pay-as-you-go rates. For Enterprise plans that are for large fleets you have to contact them for custom pricing.
5. TaxiMobility
TaxiMobility's Professional plan costs $10 per driver per month, and the Enterprise plan costs $12 per driver per month. Additionally, there is a white label cost for each taxi.
6. ZoomTaxi
ZoomTaxi is a dispatcher app developed by Matriks LTD, an IT company based in the UK. Its pricing plan is per completed trip, and it even has a free plan for you to try out the app.
Their basic plan starts at £0.14 per trip; the standard plan is £0.22 per trip, and the premium plan starts at £0.45 per trip.
Each package upgrade comes with many additional features, and depending on your taxi fleet, you can choose the one that most suits you.
7. AutoCab
Similar to iCabbi, AutoCab does not disclose its price on its website. You must book a demo with them to know about their pricing.
8. TaxiAppz
TaxiAppz markets itself as an Uber clone app for taxi companies. It states it does not have a long-term contract or any monthly payment. It is just a one-time payment, depending on the package you take, that gives you lifetime access.
EasyTaxiOffice, a UK-based Taxi dispatcher system, has a competitive price of £30 per month that includes up to 5 drivers and £2 per additional driver, and a business package that is £40 per month and includes up to 15 drivers.
10. TaxiPulse
Like AutoCab and iCabbi, TaxiPulse does not provide pricing on its website. You can, however, request a demo to get a walk-through and know their pricing.
Advantages of a Taxi Booking / Dispatch System
Taxi dispatch softwares has become essential for taxi companies if they want to beat the competition from Uber and Lyft.
This is because a dispatch system not only automates part of the operations but also helps you track trips and customers and helps your customers book rides with your taxi company.
Below are some of the advantages in greater detail:
1) Seamless Booking
Waiting by the sidewalk for a taxi to reach your destination on time has to be the most bothersome task. Now imagine the same during sweltering summer days. It doesn’t seem pleasant at all, right?
And this is precisely where taxi dispatch software comes in handy. It makes 24-hour booking of a taxi feasible right in the palm of your hand. Simply open the app, input your pickup and dropoff destinations, and relax as you travel.
2) Automated Dispatch
To ensure that all customers get assigned taxis available in their proximity, maintaining automated dispatch software can be the wisest decision for a business owner.
This can streamline the processing of rider requests and assign drivers without needing a call center rep.
As a result, passenger wait times, disputes, and cancellations are reduced while driver efficiency is enhanced.
3) Vehicle Fleet Management
Service quality should be thoroughly maintained to keep your taxi company’s brand presence intact. Otherwise, you may end up losing your business shares like Lyft did to the diversified Uber.
Using software tools for scheduling, fuel consumption, and optimizing routes makes improving fleet management and effective resource utilization easier.
4) Fleet Driver Management
Many car booking businesses have come and gone solely due to driver mismanagement, leaving cases where drivers would often opt for personal rental opportunities. In order to tackle such scenarios, it’s necessary to monitor the drivers’ performance.
Additionally, the taxi dispatch system app features can track daily earnings, live locations, and vehicle maintenance alerts, enabling better coordination and increased transparency between the company and drivers.
5) Tracking and Safety
For the highest customer satisfaction and retention, it’s always advisable to stick to a GPS tracking system and safety measures for a taxi booking and dispatch system. Not only does it guarantee the security of the passengers on board, but it also helps a virtual operator monitor and communicate with the entire fleet.
Even when safety is compromised, an automated alert is sent to the emergency contacts and the company.
Finding the Best Deal with Taxi Dispatch Systems
Taxi dispatch systems offer many different solutions besides dispatching systems for taxi companies. However, not all such systems provide the same type of additional solutions; thus, when finding the software that best matches your needs, a number of factors need to be considered.
Below are some of the factors you need to consider when choosing a taxi dispatch software for your company:
1. App Design and Development
To keep up with the fast-paced technological advancement, it’s mandatory on
your end to consider a simple and accessible UI/UX for your taxi management
software.
Once you make it easier for your clients to schedule and book taxis
through apps, they’ll definitely utilize the app in a relaxed mood.
Besides, the pricing may vary depending on your demands for complexity and
customization, let’s say, wireframing, language options, operating systems (iOS,
Android), etc.
2. Taxi Dispatch Features
Another essential aspect to consider while estimating taxi dispatch system prices
is the features you decide to incorporate into your app.
These may include multiple administrative and tracking panels, SOS buttons for
safety purposes, fare estimation, and choosing a vehicle before requesting a ride,
among other things.
3. Third-Party Integrations
White-label solutions call for external integrations to make booking taxis feasible
for the customers while allowing your business to expand and gain recognition on
a national or international scale.
As you can guess, such built-in features will require you to spend more cash on
software development.
In case you’re confused about what type of integrations to offer, here’s a little list:
Payment Gateways: PayPal, Flutterwave, PayU, Pegasus Pay, etc.
SMS Gateways: Twilio, MSG91, Clickatell, etc.
Decrease Operation Cost Through Hiring Remotes Dispatchers
Once you choose the most suitable dispatching system, you can hire dispatchers from an outsourcing firm that helps you run your operation.
Hiring an outsourcing firm to get dispatchers will reduce your costs substantially and help your business be profitable amid competition.
Wrapping Up
Setting up a taxi dispatching system wouldn’t suffice if your business remains unknown to the public. Make sure to avail of necessary social media management services and back-office support to keep your taxi cab software up and running while retaining customers.
I hope this guide helped you understand the pricing structure of these dispatcher systems. If you find this blog helpful, please like and share it. Don't forget to leave your comments below!