Mytaxi launches new taxi sharing service with Smart Dublin

mytaxi has announced a new taxi-sharing service – “mytaxi match,” that will be piloted across Dublin locations in the coming months.

mytaxi will be changing its name to “FREE NOW” on July 2 as part of joining a wider mobility international “NOW” brand family, which is focused on expanding transport services offered to passengers in Ireland, across Europe and globally. Passengers will not need to download a new app on July 2 and there is no technical or data switch – all that will immediately change is the name so customers just have to update their app and they’re ready to hail.

“mytaxi match” is the first new service to be launched on the app; and will be part of the “FREE NOW” rebrand. It will allow passengers travelling in the same direction, the option to pair up and more efficiently utilise taxi capacity, reducing carbon emissions and lowering fares paid by customers.

The pilot, already trialled successfully on a smaller scale in Limerick, will initially be operational in the Grand Canal Dock area and Sandyford Industrial Estate and will roll out across more Dublin locations as the pilot progresses.

mytaxi is partnering for the pilot with Smart Dublin, a collaborative initiative of the four Dublin local authorities. It partners with universities, citizens and private industries working with smart technologies to tackle challenges and aims to improve services and quality of life for businesses, residents and visitors across the Dublin region.

Under the themes of Smart Environment and Smart Mobility, Smart Dublin has engaged with local authority champions working on solutions to investigate and introduce EV charging points, reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion and provide alternative transport options. This pilot will provide additional insights that will complement existing project initiatives and could feed into future planning in these areas.

A smart solution to better use mytaxi’s fleet in Ireland

Alan Fox, General Manager for mytaxi Ireland said: “Taxis are one of the most flexible forms of transport, but usually do not travel to full capacity. Our new ‘match’ technology forms part of a smart solution to better use mytaxi’s fleet in Ireland, particularly at peak hours, and offer passengers a cheaper, more environmentally-friendly taxi-sharing service.

“This innovation, currently being used very effectively in a number of other European cities, gives passengers travelling in the same direction the option for the first time to ‘match up’ and share taxis. We believe this new innovation has the potential to reduce waiting times at peak hours, decrease traffic congestion, reduce carbon emissions and more effectively offer customers a flexible, cost-effective transport solution that really meets their needs.”

The Smart Dublin Lead, Alan Murphy, said: “One of our key goals at Smart Dublin is to collaborate with industry partners and all four local authorities to position Dublin as a world leader in the development of new urban solutions using the city region as a test bed. Match’s taxi-sharing capacity has the potential to provide additional transit options, build awareness and promote multi-modal shift and showcase alternative approaches to transport in Dublin. This pilot with mytaxi will help us gather valuable information and generate insights to better inform local authorities and our partners on alternative and more sustainable transport options.”

As part of this pilot between mytaxi and Smart Dublin, mytaxi will geo-fence the locations in the app where passengers can use ‘match’. Passengers will be notified of ‘match’ availability when inside the virtual fence. The geo-fenced areas will have taxi-sharing options available 24/7 and fares will be calculated transparently using the technology on the app.

It is intended overall that the pilot will garner more insight into Dublin travel patterns and will better gauge public interest in alternative transport modes as part of local authority understanding of the city’s sustainable development.