Transportation has been one of the most important challenges people have faced. Whether it is transporting goods for trade or transporting one’s self from one point to the other, we have witnessed an evolution across the ages – and at the core of all transport is technology.
Technology – excuse the pun – drives transport. Companies have been investing millions in researching and developing new and improved ways for streamlining, enhancing and/or automating transport, as well as building on the foundations of existing technology and further refining them.
These technologies however are not only limited to industry giants in the field of logistics; companies like Uber and Careem – as well as RTA Smart Taxi – utilise some of these technologies to enhance the transportation experience for commuters. The traditional way of finding a taxi is one of two: either wait for one to pass by (and hopefully the cabbie will stop for you) or book a taxi through the dispatch number (in Dubai, it’s the Dubai Taxi Corporation Taxi and can be reached on 04-2080808).
The problem with these traditional ways is (a) there is no guarantee there will be a free taxi (or even available in your area); and (b) the phone-booking system registers your home address, so if you’re in another location you will have to go through the process of giving directions to the customer service representative.
Uber, Careem, and RTA utilise existing technologies to create solutions for these problems. With the UAE leading the smartphone penetration worldwide, there is a huge potential for companies to create applications that facilitate the lives of commuters. Uber, Careem, and RTA all have offerings to service commuters through these technologies. The advantage offered by all three services over the traditional dispatch method is that you don’t need to give directions to the taxi driver; the apps pick up your location and the taxi will be dispatched to that precise location.
Thanks to various advances in technology, you can now safely and securely store the credit card information online with these services, so you do not need to have cash on you to pay. The services also pick up your precise location, facilitated by the built-in GPS on all modern phones. Information on the driver is readily available, can be contacted directly within the apps. You can also find out how much the trip will cost based on your destination. In Uber, for example, you can even see where the taxi is in real time on the map – something that has been unheard of a few years ago.
The rapid evolution in technology has given companies the opportunity to provide their services in unprecedented new ways, and these will continue to evolve as our smartphones become more powerful and incorporate newer technologies.
