Managing a taxi business is no cake walk. Uber did take some serious strides in those departments, but is it easy to succeed everywhere? History has proven that some places are more sensitive to the “new” than others. Places such as Trinidad and Tobago have always favored their local people and local services over any foreign concept landing up there. You can’t blame them. If they can trust something wholeheartedly, they will welcome the concept. Otherwise, they will always remain a little skeptical about everything.
Entering the Trinidad market as an app based taxi solution
Uber’s entry in the Trinidad market space as a full-fledged taxi app solution, sometime during the end of the year 2016. The initial steps were as usual slow and weak, but it did seem to gain some momentum over the last year. People were learning to accept it as a new solution to moving around in the country.
However, there was always this background of distrust. This distrust was probably not very visible or out in the open but it was definitely there in the sense that people would prefer a local taxi service than that of uber. Call it reluctance or simply the fear of the unknown, Uber did not seem to do quite well here.
Backing out
Of all the things that Uber is, it is definitely not a sore loser. This means that while Uber is trying to spread its wings to every different part of this world, they have known how far they can stretch themselves and when is it the right time to back out.
This app-based taxi service was born in America, catering to the needs of the people there. Now, Uber did in time realize that somehow, it was just not catching on. Catering to the local needs has never been their strong suit. This is why probably they ended up making a big faux pas regarding driver safety.
After one of their Drivers passed away in a violent incident, Uber decided to retrace its steps. Although they haven’t admitted to this being the reason for halting their services in Trinidad and Tobago, people have started putting two and two together. According to Uber, “The decision was not made lightly, but at this time, we believe that there is a lack of a proper environment for innovation and technology to thrive in Trinidad and Tobago”.
Impact on the market
The unfortunate death of the Uber driver led to an uproar amongst the other drivers of Uber regarding their safety. May drivers refused to drive in Uber cars because the company took no responsibility what so ever over the incident.
The ultimate backing away or pausing operations in Trinidad and Tobago was the result. This, however, has definitely opened newer avenues for other Taxi app business solutions in Trinidad and Tobago. See, the need for transportation is never going to stop or get over. People are always going to want to travel from one place to another for some reason or the other. If Uber stops providing this service, it definitely opens up an avenue for you to start your own Taxi app business solution in Trinidad and Tobago.
How to begin your own Taxi app business solution in Trinidad and Tobago?
Since the on-demand sector has been a booming sector right from the start, it is only fair to begin an app-based taxi business here. There will always be the requirement of the right kind of taxi for your customers. While there are few different companies starting their own taxi business across the globe, Trinidad and Tobago are very ripe for the taking. It is a market waiting to be explored. People need a solution and if you can offer it to them right now, you are most certainly going to be able to make a whole lot of money on it.
But if you are too worried about where to start and how to go about it, then don’t seat too much. Think of it as a simple business which needs to be undertaken. Do a little research and you can make the most of it. There are two basic ways in which you can begin your taxi business for Trinidad and Tobago.
- Develop your own mobile app for Taxi Business
You can first lay out the basic requirements of your application. The best way to do this is to study your competition’s mobile application. First, study each and every part of the app and then hire a team of developers to build you an app exactly to your specifications.
However, one very important thing to note is that it’s not as easy to build apps from scratch. It takes almost 2 to 3 years to get it done. And when you hire developers, they charge by the hour. You can only imagine how much money it would take to have your developers working on your application for so long.
Buy a pre-developed mobile app
There are many companies that develop these apps for you by cloning the Uber platform. This is a wonderful option because when you get the application, it is already all set. It is ready for you to launch and begin from the get-go.
You can swing either way but it is always better to buy a pre-developed app because the companies have completely made the app ready for you. Developing it from scratch requires a lot of money and years and years of research and development.
