Maaxi lets you share a taxi across London with up to five strangers
Uber is still pushing for world domination, but in London regular black cabs are still one of the most popular ways to get around town. Ride-sharing is also on the rise, but Uber is yet to launch either UberPool or UberPop in Britain. Spotting a gap in the market, newcomer Maaxi is launching a similar offering with the aid of regular black cabs. The app lets you book individual seats, which means you can share your journey with up to five people in order to cut down your fare. Maaxi says, at least to begin with, it'll be focusing on journeys that follow public transport routes. Drivers will deviate for specific pick-ups and drop-offs, but the idea is to focus on the areas of London with the highest demand from passengers. After all, this kind of service will likely thrive or die based on the number of people using it -- if you find yourself travelling solo for most journeys, the app's key selling point is moot.
When you launch the app on your smartphone, you can set various parameters (price, time, exclusive or shared ride, etc.) and review a live "departures board" to see which rides are available. With 2,000 taxi drivers signed up for the service, the hope is that it shouldn't be too difficult to find an option that suits. But again, it's the demand from users that will ultimately decide whether the service is actually useful. If you need a ride immediately, but the next available car-share is 30 minutes away, the app is useless. Still, the concept is unique for London and should help Maaxi stand out against the likes of Uber and Hailo.
