Taxiwala, the much talked carpooling startup, re-launches today in Dhaka. Originally conceived by Faraj Rahman and Osama Maqsood back in 2015, the startup aims to reduce the struggle the dwellers of Dhaka city suffer due to unavailability of timely, safe, fast, and reliable transport.
The startup first launched in 2015 in collaboration with Toma Taxi but went stealth mode after a couple months in operation. After working hard to refine its offerings and features in the past months, the startup finally re-launched by Global Pass Technologies today in Dhaka and aims to become the Dhaka's first premium carpooling service.
To avail the service, you can use either of these options: you can have Taxiwala app, available on Google Play or AppStore for free, you can use Taxiwala website, or you can call the Taxiwala team. For now, the service is mostly available for North Dhaka zones. The startup plans to cover Uttara, Banani, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Bashundhara, Rampura (the route from Hatirjheel to EWU only), Dhanmondi and Mothijheel.
Once you have the app, it allows you to inform your location, view the types of cars available for the service, and order just by a click. Rate per ride is mentioned in the app to help the passengers decide. The app also allows vehicle tracking in order to ensure the safety of both passengers and the drivers. There are packages for professionals, students, families, and individuals looking for a ride. Payment can be made through bKash, credit or debit cards or in cash.
Apart from offering a safe and reliable ride, TaxiWala also offers facilities like the phone charger, recharge cards, first aid kits, WiFi services, etc that a passenger may need en-route.
Funded internally, the startup is now a team of 11 people and manages by Global Pass Technologies, an organization that states creating or enhancing market access and communication for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) across the world as its objective.
We wrote a couple months ago that, Dhaka is increasingly becoming a popular place for a lot of ‘car services’. There already are a number of players in the market like Toma, Chalo, Sam, Oikhali, and Pathao. Uber, the unicorn ride-hailing startup, is also planning to launch in Bangladesh soon. Being said that ride-hailing and transportation is still an unsolved problem in Dhaka and anyone who solves it effective and efficiently will be the winner.
Note: This is a developing story, we will update with more information as we get it.
