Taxicab Confessions

In London, if you tell someone you need a lift, you're likely to be pointed toward an elevator. But if you need a ride, you now have the option of dialing up Zingo, a U.K.-based start-up with a mobile taxi-hailing service.

When you call Zingo on your mobile phone, CGI (cell global identity) technology spots your location, typically within about 500 meters, and reports it to nearby cabbies who are located through GPS equipment in the cab. With hands-free mobile phones provided by Zingo, the cabbies can then be patched through to waiting passengers in case they have trouble finding each other.

Zingo collects a £2 ($3.21 U.S.) fee per ride plus £15 ($24.06 U.S.) per week from subscribing cabbies. For those who pay by credit card, Zingo adds an additional 10%.

Zingo Founder Trevor Powers admitted the service is currently "not always pinpoint precise," but said he expects 3G and location-based GPS technologies to sharpen its focus to within 10 meters in the next two years.

One would think the chief benefit of such a service would be the ability to call a cab when you don't know where you are--and who hasn't been in that situation? But Zingo's appeal is even broader. In London, calling a cab from a landline phone means an automatic £7.6 ($12.19 U.S) charge to the user. By linking cabbies directly with fares, Zingo omits the call center and its costs, offering a cheaper ride.

Trials of 190 cabs ended well in November. This year Zingo plans to activate 3000 to 4000 taxis. "We expect millions of journeys each year," Powers said. He means "lifts."

For a related story, read our February 2002 feature, How a Little Software Company in Seattle is Mobilizing E-mail for Everybody (One Person at a Time).