A new ride-sharing service looking to break Uber’s stranglehold on the market in Australia has been put to the test.
Taxify began offering rides in Sydney on Tuesday morning, bringing with it large backing from Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi Chuxing.
In an opening swipe at its main rival the company issued a statement highlighting its commission of 15 per cent, almost half the amount Uber takes from its drivers.
Taxify is offering a 50 per cent discount to all riders for its first month. Daily Mail Australia decided to test out the new ride-sharing service.
The ride was paid for using a debit card registered through the app and totalled $9.
The base fare was $1.25, while the passenger was charged $3.91 for the distance of the trip and $3.84 for the time, as well as 82 cents GST.
A similar trip from Kent Street to Ultimo using Uber in September cost $13.39.
Before booking the trip an estimated arrival time of two minutes was given, but it wasn’t until 11.07 that Jawat arrived in his silver 2013 Toyota Prius (pictured)
The car was clean and tidy, and despite the service being only an hour old Jawat had already completed two other Taxify trips that morning
The Taxify app gives an estimated pick up time, as well as prices before a ride is accepted
A trip from Kent Street in the Sydney CBD to Central Station in Surry Hills was ordered through the Taxify app at 10.57am on Tuesday.
The app was easy to install and the interface was remarkably similar to Uber.
Before booking the trip an estimated arrival time of two minutes was given, but it wasn’t until 11.07 that Jawat arrived in his silver 2013 Toyota Prius.
The car was clean and tidy, and despite the service being only an hour old Jawat had already completed two other Taxify trips that morning.
He also drives for Uber, and told Daily Mail Australia he welcomed competition in the market.
‘It’s good to have another company, a monopoly isn’t good,’ he said.
Taxify founder Markus Villig is confident Sydney residents will embrace another ride-sharing option
Jawat used his car’s built in GPS system as well as a GPS through the Taxify app on his phone
The route was longer than it needed to be as Jawat missed a few turns, although this may have been due to being distracted with questions from his passenger
We arrived across the road from Central Station at George Street in Haymarket at 11.27am
He joined 4000 other drivers and signed up for Taxify – which claims to be Europe’s fastest-growing ride-sharing app – after seeing an advertisement on social media.
He said their reputation in other countries was a reason for joining.
‘I read that in China they had beaten Uber and were trying to do the same thing here.
‘Some of my friends have had their Uber registrations taken off them after one or two complaints from people, that’s all it takes.’
He has driven for Uber since 2014 and said he would continue to do so while also working for Taxify.
Jawat said he is charged a 20 per cent commission by Uber, compared to 15 per cent by Taxify.
Jawat said he is charged a 20 per cent commission by Uber, compared to 15 per cent by Taxify
Jawat said his car wasn’t checked before he registered to become a Taxify driver
‘The base kilometre and the metre are the same as Uber. It’s almost like they copied and pasted it from Uber.’
He said registering to become a Taxify driver was a lengthy process, taking two hours to complete a criminal record check.
However he said his car wasn’t checked by anyone at Taxify before he was registered as a driver.
The trip ended across the road from Central Station at George Street in Haymarket at 11.27am.
The route was longer than it needed to be as Jawat missed a few turns, although this may have been due to being distracted with questions from his passenger.
The ride was paid for using a debit card registered through the app and totalled $9
A similar trip from Kent Street to Ultimo using Uber in September cost $13.39
Taxify founder Markus Villig is confident Sydney residents will embrace another ride-sharing option.
‘We have based our business model on fairness and transparency,’ he said in a statement.
‘It is because of this that we have had so many drivers sign up to Taxify in such a short space of time.’
The app already operates in 20 countries around the globe after being founded in Estonia in 2013.
Trade and Industry Minister Niall Blair welcomed the investment in New South Wales.
‘This is a sign of confidence from a major player that overseas investment in NSW is in more demand than ever before,’ he said.
Jawat drivers for Uber and Taxify and said he will continue to do so (stock image)