13cabs

Background

13cabs is Australia’s leading taxi company, with the country’s largest team of professional drivers. However, the rise of Uber and other ride-sharing services shifted customer preferences, making fewer people choose taxis. Ride-sharing options were cheaper and much easier to access, while booking a taxi felt outdated and inefficient, the process was inconvenient for customers and didn’t match the simpler, mobile-friendly services now being offered by new competitors on the market.

Starting Point

At the time, 13cabs had no dedicated mobile app. Customers could only book a taxi service through the website, or by calling the dispatch centre, and even then it wasn't guaranteed that a driver would show up. To address this outdated process, we began by researching areas for improvement.

Passenger Interviews
‍We spoke directly with customers to understand their frustrations with the overall booking process and what would make them choose 13cabs over Uber, despite the different price points. Their feedback gave us valuable insights into the needs and preferences our customers are looking for.

Competitor Analysis
‍We studied Uber and other ride-sharing apps on the market to understand the features they offered, the process of booking a ride, and the overall user experience. This helped us identify the best practices utilised and areas where 13cabs could improve on the customer service.

In-House Research
‍We also looked at the data recieved from our existing booking system, which already had the ability to track the passenger journey from booking to drop-off. This helped us spot pain points in the process and how we could streamline the experience for better convenience and customer satisfaction.

Findings

Our research revealed several challenges affecting both the customer experience and the brand's reputation.

No Mobile App
‍The majority of customers preferred the convenience of booking rides with their mobile phones. Without an app, 13cabs was not meeting the needs of an increasingly mobile-focused audience.

Outdated Process
‍Customers found the phone-based booking system slow and frustrating. They wanted quick access to real-time updates throughout the process, including confirmation that a taxi was on the way and estimated arrival times. The lack of these features made the experience feel extremely outdated and untrustworthy.

Customer Dissatisfaction
‍Passengers were frustrated with expensive prices, inconsistent service, and concerns about vehicle cleanliness. This dissatisfaction made customer retention very difficult and posed a challenge with rebuilding trust.

Solution

To keep us competitive within the evolving transportation market, we developed the 13cabs mobile app.

One of the first things we wanted to do was onboard new customers as quickly as possible, so we streamlined the sign-up process by only requiring essential information to create an account.

Since cash was still a payment option, we didn't require any credit card details from the start, and if the customer wanted to include any extra information to their account to make the booking process even simpler in the future, they were able to do so after the sign-up process.

The app also allowed customers to quickly book a taxi and track their journey in real time from pick up to drop off, with the ability to view detailed information for added safety.

All the data provided to the customer throughout the journey was already available within our dispatch system, and since passenger safety is a top priority, we implemented extra driver information and additional emergency options should there be any unforeseen incidents along the way.

With these modern features, we created a faster, more transparent, and enjoyable experience for our passengers. positioning 13cabs as a competitive alternative to ride-sharing apps.