Easy Taxi, a leading taxi booking mobile application, has completed 50 million rides since its launch across the dozens of countries it serves, the company said in a Sunday statement. Launched in 2011 in Brazil, the application registered less than 500 completed rides in December 2012, but recorded 6 million last November alone. At the current run rate, the rides Easy Taxi intermediates have an underlying estimated transaction value of around $500m per year. The company's objective is to provide a "convenient and safe" booking experience for its 17 million customers around the world, the company said. "When called via Easy Taxi, a cab takes on average less than four minutes to arrive, versus up to 25 minutes for a traditional radio taxi company," it said. It added that drivers are screened before being admitted into the network, and only those who comply with the company's service standards are allowed to join. Participating drivers, which currently amount to around 400,000 worldwide, can earn up to 50% more and drive up to four hours per day. "This improvement allows for better standards of living for them and, consequently, better service levels for passengers," it added. "Our solution has always been focused on getting the fastest and safest cab to individual and corporate passengers, and on providing a new tool for drivers to make money. And I think those numbers show that we are in the right direction," says Dennis Wang, Easy Taxi's co-CEO. "We want to work towards improving urban mobility in a way that is more evolutional than simply disruptive." For 2015, Easy Taxi's strategy entails further growing its corporate product, which already counts with over 1,000 corporations onboard, and to increase the penetration of its wallet solution – Easy Taxi Pay – which allows passengers to make payments via the app. New service options will be launched in target markets to serve additional needs from the company's growing and diversifying client base.
