BACKGROUND FOR DRIVERS

Taxis is all about giving you a better service.

Taxis.net.au has been designed to increase taxi drivers income by getting extra trips, extra commission on charged fares, and extra tips from passengers. It is a simple programme which works on any internet enabled mobile phone, it’s easy to learn and to use so that you make more money. Up till now every eftpos solution requires another device in the cab, and most cost you a share of the charged surcharge, or a minimum level of use.

Not so for TAXIS. It all works on your 3G Internet Mobile. FREE

Because Michael Jools and a few others, who have created this new system, are also taxi drivers and founding members of the Taxi Drivers Associations, they have linked TAXIS to the Australian Taxi Drivers Association (ATDA) such that the spread of TAXIS will also assist the spread and unity of the ATDA. We not only want a market competitive opposition to the current monopoly domination, but we want a unity of taxi drivers able to help themselves, and have respect as well as self respect. It is unfortunately very clear that we cannot rely on the existing “stakeholders” to provide a safe workplace in which we can reliably expect to earn at least the minimum wage. It is equally clear that, outside the ATDA, no one will stand up for taxi driver rights, or work towards the right to do our job without harassment and fines for simply picking up a customer from where he or she hails the cab.

So, TAXIS and the ATDA have some common ground. The TAXIS payment system will be available to all registered taxi drivers and a 2% commission on fares will be added to the weekly deposits to the drivers registered bank account. To obtain access to the job offer modules of TAXIS, a taxi driver will have to be a current financial member of the ATDA, and from that be also a member of his local or regional Taxi Driver Association Branch.

If there is some conscientious objection to joining a TDA formed to assist fellow taxi drivers interests and welfare, then a driver can make his own arrangements to obtain the extra jobs available.

From the charge, equivalent to the current authorised “radio booking fee”, made on the passenger who offers his job through TAXIS, and has paid for the trip, an amount equal to 50% will be deducted from the fee paid, as a service fee to TAXIS. The balance shall accrue to the driver. Where a ‘Premium’ taxi and a particular driver or driver group, has been requested, the appropriate service fee will be split between the driver, the driver group and customer's original driver whio introduced the passenger to the system, and TAXIS.

In designing the system, we have built in a number of checks and balance points to ensure that the driver who bids on the offer is actually a taxi driver, that only a taxi can do the job, and that only the nominated taxi gets paid for the job. And that there are comprehensive records.

Because we have much more information on both passenger and driver, there should be an elimination of “no shows”. If either passenger, or driver, breaches their contracts of job offer and acceptance, they will soon be neither a passenger nor a driver on TAXIS.

Because the system is live and on-line there are absolutely no issues about payment for a trip.

The passenger initiates the payment and twice confirms the total amount. The driver gets confirmation, and the fare goes into his account. From that account he can direct the “pay-in” to his Operator as required, and weekly the fares plus 2% are transferred to his bank account.

Our back-up, in the event of a total internet failure, is the existing system or cash. If the failure is web-wide, all electronic systems will fail equally, and some will retain enough information to re-create the transaction. TAXIS certainly can. If the passenger has not got a 3G mobile, or cannot get on-line, he can use the driver’s ( and change his password later).

Since TAXIS requires internet access, we have, through the ATDA, obtained a deal for pre-paid mobile and data services with Virgin Mobile. Virgin is the only carrier to have pre-paid data plus a voice deal for virtually unlimited Voice / SMS between users. One problem we have had, as cabbies, is a lack of credit. This option, pre-paid, is the solution for many drivers.

It also has an unlimited plan on account with included data for $99 a month.

You also get, as a part of the ATDA sign-up, two Virgin SIMS, with $5.00 credit on each, so that you have free to Virgin calls to your partners’ mobile as well. Numbers can be ported, and if you are locked on a plan elsewhere you can take up the Virgin deal for minimal costs until that plan finishes.

The Registration form is on-line and downloadable, and our hand–outs will have a hard copy. For security and system integrity we require a colour copy, front and back, of your Taxi Authority, Drivers License,and BSB Bank Account details. If your Operator agrees to accept his pay-ins through TAXIS we also need his details.

We can commence registration from on-line info, but to process money to your account we must have a hard copy of the form, with your signed and witnessed authority to deposit to the account, and all the pictures. Please try to include the pictures with or on the actual document, or ensure that we get the pictures electronically. We have to be absolutely sure that the money paid by the passenger goes only to you, the actual taxi driver, and to an account which you have nominated.

TAXIS is a browser based programme which means that improvements and feedback from drivers can be incorporated at any time with immediate effect. So if you have an idea to assist either driver or passenger use, please e-mail your solution to us at comment@taxis.net.au

Thanks

Michael Jools ,,,,, 0419 27 27 44