Oman Wires It's all about Oman
OTaxi is the very first Omani application on smartphones to give clients a handy, hassle-totally free ride. Its achievement tells the story of a team of Omani youth beginning a enterprise in spite of several challenges.
Speaking to Muscat Daily
, Harith al Maqbali, CEO of OTaxi mentioned, “Our aim is to give customers comfortable rides whenever and wherever they want.”
He mentioned that they very first came up with the app in 2014 as a result of a Sas 48H competitors organised by Information Technology Authority (ITA). The competitors fostered startups with revolutionary suggestions and options in info and communication technologies to compete for the greatest eGame, Web and mobile solutions or apps inside a span of 48 hours.
“We started operations in January 2017. In August 2017, we were asked to close operations by MoTC due to certain administrative and technical issues. In February this year, we resumed operations after getting the licence from the ministry. With new competitive rates, we are now growing rapidly.”
OTaxi manages a fleet of 200 orange-white taxis who are connected by means of the app. “OTaxi is as of now operational in Muscat. We are conducting trials for operations in Salalah.”
A ride can be pre-booked by means of the app which also has a timer to let the traveller know how a lot time it would take for the automobile to attain. One can also see how a lot the traveller has to spend for the ride.
“The app gives a confirmation when a ride is booked. We have eight supervisors in our operations team, working in shifts 24×7. There are three women in the marketing team. After restarting operations this year, we have been focusing on ensuring quality.”
Stephanie Trier, an expat, hired a cab on the OTaxi app and travelled from Muscat International Airport to Muttrah. “I was more than happy with the service and affordable fare.”
She mentioned that she paid a lot much less than the earlier occasions when she had taken taxis from the airport.
Mehek Khan, a resident of Muscat has comparable views. “The fare is affordable. I was also impressed with the gentle and polite behaviour of the drivers.
OTaxi charges 190bz per kilometre. Talking about competitors, Maqbali mentioned, “We offer better rates. On-time performance is also an important factor for us. Transparency is another factor that we focus on. Travellers can track the movement of drivers throughout the journey duration. The most important thing is that customers’ information is kept confidential.”
Information Source: Muscat Daily
