Taxi driver strategy: attract more drivers to your app

Everything starts with a decision. Yeah, that’s the thing you’ve heard so many times. But nobody prevents the decision is just the first easiest step on the way.

Starting a taxi company hides many business-threatening pitfalls. One of them is expanding the network of drivers.

Here are Onde growth hacking tactics to take over cab business world.

Think globally, act locally

Taxi companies exist for solving local issues. Can you name a taxi business operating worldwide? Oh, sure, Uber. But even Uber started with addressing a local San Francisco's problem. Even though Uber is a cab-hailing giant, it tries to adapt to the regional specifics to get loyalty and confidence.

Start thinking narrower to see the milestones of your business. You are here to understand how to ease both drivers and passengers lives. People will appreciate about ordering a taxi in one click. And drivers will love to earn more by getting more rides at good tariffs.

Concentrate on solving the local issues and then, if you feel the strength, move forward to expand to other markets.

Doublecheck before going public

Foreseeing the risks is an essential skill for a business owner. You need to understand that 20 drivers for a million city won’t work out. Want to have a small checklist? Here it’s:

• Adequate number of drivers
• 50% of them should be available while launching at a time
• Control over orders via My Hub
• Drivers and passengers support
• Marketing activities guaranteeing you instant clients

And don’t forget about your plan B. It’s a must-have for any company to succeed. You need to be able to fix the bottlenecks so fast the drivers or passengers don’t even notice them. No worries, Onde knowledge base will save you from the panic. Also great news, your Onde account manager is always there for you!

Bonuses

Attracting drivers is a challenging task. Not only for a startup, but also for already existing growing business. How to make drivers believe you’re the only one from the first click? Trust cannot be earned in one day but taking small steps from the very start can.

One of the ideas to get drivers loyalty is to give them bonuses and extras. Create a sign-up bonus or a special offer for the first month. People will test your service and make sure the app is worthy. Generosity goes a long way. Encourage new drivers with unique bonuses. Build a reward system, say, completing 150 rides in the first 60 days to get $500. Just invent a great stimulus for drivers to try the service out. And then do everything possible to retain them! But that’s another story…

Referral programs

When you already have the first drivers, you need to grow the taxi driver community as fast as possible. Already signed-up employees can help with this challenging task. Creating a referral program is one of the best engaging options.

Referral programs kill two birds with one stone: attract new drivers and retain existing ones. Drivers are eager to refer their colleagues to earn extra money without actually working a lot.

Money is not the only interest for the employees. As they use your taxi app, give them bonuses inside it. Reward drivers with extra app points that will increase their rating or provide them with a privilege in ride distributing process.

Want to outsmart your competitors? Create referral rewards for their ex-drivers. That’s what Uber did with Lyft exes. Make drivers boast about your ride-hailing app!

Take advantage of your competitors

It’s difficult to create something revolutionary. In fact, it’s not always needed. Take a look at your competition… and focus on what they miss. It will give a huge advantage! Don’t try to copy – try to overcome. Think about the employees more than competitors do. Grant more than anyone can do. Love and care as much as you can. Say, no one offers cashless payments at your local taxi market. Be the one to implement it first. Take advantage of them, and both drivers and passengers will appreciate it. People value comfort and care.

Tipping, cancellation fees, paid waiting time, long trips notifications can become your strengths. Just be faster and more revolutionary than business rivals. Drivers will be left with no option rather than choosing you!

Say NO to primitive marketing

Taxis vary a lot from country to country. Yellow or black cabs, tuk-tuks, rickshaws, gondola taxis are only a few examples of transport ready to get you from A to B. Even though taxis may differ drastically, drivers worldwide have common traits. Such likeness should be a strong point in a company marketing plan. Having Facebook and Instagram ads doesn’t surprise anyone in 2019. Even if you are a social media guru, drivers are quite difficult to target in the digital world. Most of the time they are concentrated on the route and don’t surf the Internet. Here creative thinking takes up a battle!

Radio marketing

Just consider it once for a moment. What device do drivers use more often than a smartphone? No need to be as wise as Solomon to say it’s radio. Find out the most popular local radio stations and buy ad placement there. Be creative, don’t just try to sell the app. People like useful things, so tell why using an app is better than staying with ordinary taxi service. CEO speaking on local radio is another cool story. It makes the company more humane. Telling about app features, benefits, and corporate culture can attract more employees dying to work with you.

If your mobile taxi app is the only one in the region, make use of this privilege. Show drivers the app is an additional way to get more passengers and earn more money. They will love it!

Offline marketing

Taxi drivers don’t follow the latest tech trends. They are not the most active Instagram users too. But they are quite communicative and sociable though. Don’t forget they meet so many people every day – both passengers and other drivers. Chatting with their colleagues is a part of their daily routine. It can become an effective strategy: tell 20 drivers about your app and get 100 new drivers knowing about it. Word of mouth is a power, don’t underestimate it!

Taxi forums

You’re lucky if there are any in your region as it’s a real taxi driver pot of gold. The idea is to target local blogs and city taxi forums. No need to search for global online platforms as the percentage of local drivers is likely to be small there. Keep in mind, direct ads usually lead to banning. Instead of this, share opinion, help people or ask for help, create relevant taxi threads with a title containing company name. It will increase brand awareness. Don’t have a local forum? Take it easy. You have the privilege to be the first. Creating the first local taxi blog is even better ad than just being active in the existing one.

The placement matters

Creating a nice ad is just a part of a deal. Another part of it is to find a perfect place for it. Consider the places drivers visit the most. What’s the first thing coming to your mind? Bingo! Gas stations – these are the locations plenty of “fish”. Place the ads on the fuel dispensers, near the gas stations or in the convenience store nearby. Collaborate with gas station owners and make a joint program. Say, a gas station will provide your app drivers with a discount or a certain bonus. It will motivate gas stations to advertise the app more as it means more loyal clients for them.

Petrol stations are not the only goldmine locations. Try to think of other points of taxi driver interest, and you’ll find there are plenty of them. Fast food next to a taxi parking, dedicated taxi parking, train stations, airports are the ideal places for a ride-hailing app job ads.

Drivers as marketers

This marketing tactic is as old as time. But it still performs perfectly. People believe those who are professionals in a particular domain. Remember who the best marketers for chewing gum are? Sure, dentists. It will work out with drivers as taxi experts as well. Taxi drivers totally trust their colleagues, take our word for it. At least, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.

Struggle for uniqueness

Everyone wants to feel special. Give this feeling to your drivers. Show them the advantages of using your ride-hailing service – exact pick-ups and drop-offs, data about passengers, customers from the upper class, user-friendly navigation. Make them feel unique by trying out your taxi service. The aim is to show how much they win by working with your app. Do it, and drivers will choose it without thinking twice! Feeling unique is priceless.

Summing up

Hope you’re not lost in this growth-hacking world. Just in case you need a small reminder of how to act, check these points:

• Focus on the local market
• Be ready before going public
• Doublecheck everything is running like clockwork
• Create attractive bonuses and referral programs
• Think of your drivers more than your competitors do
• Be creative in marketing strategy. Use offline marketing, local forums and blogs, try radio ads, and choose the right ad placement.
• Hire drivers as company marketers, they know better what to pay attention to.
• Aim to be unique.

Grab some inspiration from these insights and make your company a dream place for taxi drivers. Be ready to rock it!