Smartphone app lets spendthrifts share taxis

Would taxi operators —and commuters— in the Philippines want to try this idea? Commuters in a hurry but on a budget in Hong Kong can soon use a new smartphone app to share taxis with fellow commuters heading in the same direction. Starting October, TaxiShare will launch an app allowing one to find other passengers heading in the same direction by using the phone's GPS. TaxiShare chief executive Sean Li Shing- him said passengers will only need to log into the app and a GPS to display their location, Hong Kong's The Standard reported. Li said the app may save passengers up to 80 percent of the fare if five people are traveling in the same taxi and heading to the same destination. The app is free and will be available for iOS and Android devices. But it will not display phone numbers will not be displayed to protect individual privacy. Li said the app targets office workers - those who usually travel the same route at the same time. Passengers will be able to pay their fare by credit card in at least 600 of the territory's 18,000 taxis by the end of the year. How the app works Once would-be passengers input their destination, number of seats wanted and their nearest taxi stop, the app will connect with others within a radius of 250 meters and direct them to a chatroom. In the chatroom, users can tell one another what they are wearing so they can be identified at the taxi stop. Taxi drivers air doubts But Urban Taxi Drivers Association joint committee chairman Kwok Chi-piu voiced security concerns that may keep the app from taking off. "Transportation [in Hong Kong] is not expensive. Would girls dare to get into a taxi with those they do not know? They can be robbed," Kwok said. He added that the app is more suited to western countries where taxi rides are usually longer and more expensive. For his part, Li reassured users about the security measures his company has taken. "When users log in, we know the number of their smartphone. Should an unfortunate incident take place, the person can be tracked down," he said. — TJD, GMA News