Good News From Flag

[Belker]

I would rather pick up out of councils estates all the time. Never had any trouble, have their money ready, usually cash and 99% give you a tip.

I'd rather the students than the council estates, at least with the students you know your not in any Danger,
picking up in council estates is frought with Danger by night, ya never know what is coming at ya !

[Belker]

Pity to see it (Whistle) floundering. I went in at the start and told John that I had a similar idea and rather than compete, we could work together to create a genuine driver owned app and no contact after that.

I could have used that time and resources to develop eircab. Genuinely believe in a drivers app that is really owned by drivers but would have been mad to go head to head with whistle and deflect from either's success. Whistle was a few months ahead with their app development.

Maybe give Whistle another call and see if'n there interested in you as a consultant or a technician or whatever that pays a premium wage. They seem to be Floundering these days and could probably do with all the help they can get.
Flag is just an accident waiting to happen, Hailo burnt all their bridges with the drivers.

[Rat Catcher]

I disagree with most of what you've written there, Ken. I do most of my work from working class areas and I've never encountered any serious issues. The working classes were always the bread and butter of night work, the middle/upper classes generally don't go down the local seven nights a week. Students tend to be pissed (hence relatively messy) on their way to the pub/disco. Fortunately, I don't work late enough on student nights to witness the state they are in going home. With mytaxi I actually now serve a good few regulars in working class areas that I wouldn't necessarily stop for on the street (hooded young lads, etc) all of whom have proved to be perfectly decent folk. Furthermore the working classes generally tip and would be able to divide 24 by 3 without the aid of a calculator in the unlikely event that they found a need to do so.

Having spoken with Richie Cummins a few times over the last couple of years I reckon Flag is geared for success. Whatever about having ex-Hail0 enforcers in the office, it has forged some seriously impressive alliances. As far as getting value for it's investment goes it's streets ahead of Whistle , Hail0, Uber and mytaxi combined.

[Belker]

I will bow to your superior knowledge about Flag, but somehow I just can't see the drivers hooking back up with "Hailo".

As fer the "Working class". "Council estates" was the word I used Not "Working class", I have no problem with Working class, the vast majority are perfectly sound and as you say most add a generous tip (I even published that in my book that Cork Northside women were the best tippers of all), my problems are with picking up from council estates by night, track-suited social welfare Druggies are the norm and Yes I have had my fair share of problems with them. I lost Two wing mirrors and the back light to some crazed nut-job in a council estate a few years back and then a kicked-in car and a smashed windscreen to some other Glue-head from a council estate a few years later. There is many estates in Cork (All Council) that I won't pick up in after Midnight and with good reason.

[Rat Catcher]

With houses on some "council estates" up above in Dublin selling for €500,000+ it seemed more appropriate to specify working classes as the traditional occupants of those schemes.

[john m]

I logged on with Flag but like other apps  I cant really see it succeeding .You all know my logic we dont need competition as the only way to compete is on the Fare card and we the drivers will pay .Flag have one small chance and that is Drivers First .The App with the drivers gets the passengers .No fucking about with Ambassador or Priority drivers first man first if you are nearest you get the first offer .This might create some tech problems based on how long you have to accept before the job is offered to the next driver causing slight delay to the passenger but that is a small issue .Mytaxi have improved and started to listen If they could only drop or cover the exploitation of the backhander of two Euro out of your earnings which they promoted among Hospitality customers they would have an Ideal product .I can forsee lots of Bonus Pyments by Mytaxi  to Drivers to cover work when FLAG launches to try to abort it at conception .I spoke with people from Amazon and they were not interested in taxi apps as they saw no profit in them as any kid in a bedroom could create one .Its all about promotion and I dont think FLAG will have the funds to take on Mytaxi in the real commercial world .Remember the crowd who gave away steak dinners and had IDA grants they never got off the ground .

[Shallowhal]

Wini Cabs....daddy gave that toy to the spoiled brat so he couldn't fuk up a real business!!

[Rat Catcher]

mytaxi and Whistle have both conceded that drivers aren't going to offer discounts in the current economic climate. mytaxi has used vouchers and bonus payments to compete, others have used lower commission. The problem with no competition is that drivers become dependent on a commercial firm to make a living. We weren't far away from that being the case with Hail0 and we all witnessed how the then driver team sought to abuse the firm's dominant position.

[Rat Catcher]

Wini Cabs....daddy gave that toy to the spoiled brat so he couldn't fuk up a real business!!

To be fair, iCabbi started the same way and it's probably more successful than ISM now.

[john m]

mytaxi and Whistle have both conceded that drivers aren't going to offer discounts in the current economic climate. mytaxi has used vouchers and bonus payments to compete, others have used lower commission. The problem with no competition is that drivers become dependent on a commercial firm to make a living. We weren't far away from that being the case with Hail0 and we all witnessed how the then driver team sought to abuse the firm's dominant position.

I see it different .If Mytaxi have a big chunk of he industry they wont want to rock the boat .Their size gives us a strong hand they have to much to lose .In all my conversations with the Head Honcho in the Dungeon I always said their PR was Shit as that is what they are trading reputation if they mess with drivers they lose if they mess with customers they lose .With or without Mytaxi or any other app taxies will continue to operate.

[Rat Catcher]

If mytaxi have a big chunk and Flag have a big chunk and Whistle have a medium sized chunk and Uber have a small chunk, they are more likely to incentivise drivers as they compete for bigger chunks... that puts money in drivers' pockets. Furthermore, no driver is dependent on any one firm.

[john m]

If mytaxi have a big chunk and Flag have a big chunk and Whistle have a medium sized chunk and Uber have a small chunk, they are more likely to incentivise drivers as they compete for bigger chunks... that puts money in drivers' pockets. Furthermore, no driver is dependent on any one firm.

Again I dissagree if the pie was shared out then the pie owners would try for more pie and the only sustainable way is fare reductions and a race to the bottom.Keep others out let Mytaxi have their small piece of the pie and leave the rest to street hail and ranks .No need to institutionalise passengers into using the app and forgetting about the five digit hail .Cant see why drivers would promote another app to hoover up more customers .

[Shallowhal]

In the current economic climate,drivers won't be heading down the reduced fares route anytime soon,even Whistle saw the error of their/his ways there....and after drivers have just received a fare increase and the associated costs involved in implementing that,i think any app company will have to compete on a level playing field.

[Rat Catcher]

It's not up to drivers to promote anything, that's the app providers' area of expertise. As a professional driver you are going to promote the app that gave you the job on a job by job basis. Given a choice, drivers might prefer that apps didn't exist and all customers walked out onto a main road to hail taxis.

As alluded to by Hal, the "race to the bottom" is merely a propagandists term for the price elasticity of supply and demand. In the current economic climate supply and demand are as close to being in equilibrium as is reasonably possible at a price point which equates to the maximum permissible fare as determined by the National Transport Authority giving due consideration to taxi cost indexation. Ask yourself why Whistle had to (try to) withdraw it's recent discounted fare offer despite charging drivers zero commission.

[john m]

Whistle failed because it offered nothing worth while to drivers and has not got the funds to sustain a PR battle with Mytaxi/Daimlers billions .Dont think Flag will either, but as you pointed out Mytaxi dont mind giving drivers some of Daimlers Billions by way of driver Bonus so I welcome Flag as they might ignite another flurry of bonus payouts .