In today’s digital age, having an online presence is crucial for businesses in every industry, including independent taxi services. An online taxi booking website allows drivers to tap into new customer demographics, increase bookings, and optimize operations.
This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how independent taxi drivers can create their own taxi booking website easily without needing to hire a developer. We will cover topics like:
An online taxi booking website unlocks numerous benefits for independent taxi businesses:
A website allows drivers to be discovered online by new customer demographics beyond just locals who know your taxi service. Tourists planning trips are very likely to search for airport transfer or local taxi services online for their destination city.
With a website, drivers can tap into this visitor market and be easily found and booked online by them.
Being discoverable 24/7 online inevitably increases bookings and drives up revenue for independent taxi businesses. Instead of relying solely on street hails or regular customers calling for a pickup, you expand your reach and get new bookings directly from the website.
Online bookings can account for a significant portion of trips and be a major source of income.
Taxi booking websites allow drivers to manage all bookings and dispatching digitally in one system. This optimizes day-to-day operations, reducing phone calls and manual booking tracking.
Everything from new trip requests, allocation to drivers, scheduling, customer communication, and payment can be handled by the website.
An online booking website helps independent taxi drivers compete with big taxi and rideshare companies. It gives you the same digital presence and convenience of hailing and paying offered by companies like Uber.
This levels the playing field and you are no longer at a disadvantage for not having an app. Your taxi service becomes just as discoverable and bookable online.
For an online taxi booking website to be effective, there are certain features and functions it must have:
This widget allows customers to book a ride directly by entering their pickup/drop off location and details. The date/time, no. of passengers etc. can also be captured.
The widget should show available cars and estimated fares. Customers should be able to book and pay instantly to confirm the ride.
The website should automatically allocate new booking requests to drivers based on factors like availability, proximity, vehicle type etc.
Drivers should be able to indicate their availability status so dispatch is efficient.
Customers should be able to schedule bookings for future dates/times. All bookings should be organized into an easy dispatch system to assign to drivers.
Real-time tracking of assigned vehicles and communication with drivers and customers is also important.
This facilitates online payments by customers when they make a booking. Secure payment gateways like Stripe should be integrated into the booking system.
The website should have an admin portal or dashboard for managing bookings, viewing reports/analytics, updating content etc. Drivers can log in to update their status and availability.
There are a few options for independent taxi drivers to create their own booking website:
Hiring a web development company to build a custom website from scratch. This is expensive but allows full customization.
DIY website builders like Wix, Weebly or Squarespace allows anyone to build a website without coding. But lacks robust booking functionality.
Using an existing taxi dispatch software-as-a-service platform that provides the full functionality out of the box.
This is the quickest and most cost-effective option.
Self-hosted open source scripts like Taxi Booking Pro can be installed on your hosting to create a booking website. Requires technical expertise.
For independent taxi drivers, SaaS taxi dispatch solutions are the best option as they handle the website hosting, development, maintenance and provide responsive support. The software is kept updated with the latest features and compliance.
Unlike DIY website builders, SaaS solutions are designed specifically for taxi businesses and have all the required booking, dispatch and payment functions built-in.
So drivers get a fully functional, mobile-ready booking website without complex and expensive development.
To gain maximum visibility on search engines, the taxi booking website needs to be optimized for SEO:
Target local search queries like “taxi near me”, “airport transfers London” etc. with relevant content optimized for local SEO.
Create dedicated pages highlighting your service in key locations like airports, cities, neighborhoods etc.
Meta titles, descriptions and tags should be keyword-optimized. Include service location prominently.
Blog articles and FAQs focused on customer queries help boost SEO. Include target keywords naturally.
Positive online reviews on Google Business Profile and other directories improve local SEO rankings significantly.
Faster page load time improves search engine performance. Optimize images, enable caching, lazy loading etc.
Get listings and links on local business directories like Yelp to increase organic visibility.
Dispatch software helps manage driver tracking, job allocation and two-way communication for a streamlined operation:
Real-time visibility of all active driver locations to efficiently assign jobs based on proximity.
Auto-optimization of routes for multi-stop trips to reduce transit time and miles.
In-app messaging between dispatchers and drivers enables quick coordination before/during trips.
Driver details, availability schedules and vehicle info is stored for easy dispatch planning.
Performance metrics helps analyze driver KPIs and identify areas for optimization.
The website should support secure online payment options:
Integrate a compliant payment processor like Stripe or PayPal to handle card transactions.
All processes must adhere to PCI security standards to ensure customer payment data is protected.
Implement tools like AVS, CVV checks and IP address monitoring to minimize fraud risk from stolen cards.
Clearly display total fares and break it down by components - base, distance, time, tax etc.
Provide digital receipts for all completed rides with details of the trip and amount charged. Maintain invoicing records.
A promotional strategy is key to driving website traffic and conversions:
Publish relevant blogs, guides, local pages etc. optimized with target keywords including city names.
Run ads on Facebook/Instagram targeting travelers in your location. Share posts showcasing your service’s benefits.
Get listed on all relevant local and taxi service directories and optimizer citations with accurate info.
Print flyers, banners at airports focusing on transfers to city center, hotels etc. where potential demand is high.
Partner with local hotels to be recommended on their website or promoted through brochures in rooms.
Pitch travel blogs/vlogs and contribute posts on getting around the destination by taxi for backlinks.
Pitch your tech-driven taxi service to local journalists and blogs to earn media coverage and links.
The website needs to be mobile-friendly to cater to site visitors on smartphones:
Site layout adapts smoothly to any screen size on mobiles. Content is readable without zooming in.
Streamlined booking process with minimum steps. Large clickable buttons.
Optimize images, enable caching and compression to ensure fast page loads over mobile networks.
Auto-access visitor location on mobile to prefill pickup address on booking widget for one-click hailing.
Account for fat fingers with larger click/tap areas. Prevent misclicks.
Track mobile vs desktop traffic. Identify most popular mobile pages and optimize user journey.
Analytics provide data insights to track the website’s performance:
Monitor bookings, revenue, reservations rate, repeat booking %, driver utilization rate etc.
Identify best channels driving website visitors like organic search, paid ads, referrals etc.
Optimize booking workflow to increase reservations-to-bookings conversion rate.
Monitor peak booking times, seasonal trends to align supply and meet demand.
Analyze most frequented routes, user demographics, service feedback etc. to tailor offerings.
Track organic traffic growth, rankings for target keywords and local pack impressions.
Creating an online booking website unlocks tremendous opportunities for growth and improved operations for independent taxi businesses. The guide above summarizes the key steps involved - choosing a suitable platform, incorporating the must-have features, optimizing for SEO and promotions.
By following these best practices, taxi drivers can establish their online presence and tap into new customer demographics to drive more bookings. The end result is the growth of their business and ability to better compete in the digital age through technology adoption.
Want to easily create your own online taxi booking website? Check out WizzTaxi.com - the leading taxi dispatch SaaS platform designed specifically for independent drivers and small fleets. You can get your own white-label booking website in minutes with powerful built-in features to take bookings, manage dispatching, integrate payments and much more. Sign up for a free demo now!