By: Staff Reporter
E-Taxi Namibia, a locally owned and developed ride hailing platform, was officially launched in the Central Business District of Windhoek on Friday.
Speaking at the launch, E-Taxi founder, Ester Kalangula, stated that the company was created out of the desire to provide safe, reliable and trustworthy transport services to Namibians.
“I used to use taxis every day as a student, just wanting to get home safely. Today as a mother of four, I want my children to experience our culture of taking taxis in a safer and more convenient way,” Kalangula expressed.
Speaking on how E-Taxi differentiates itself from the existing players in the market, Kalangula said that E-Taxi allows drivers to set the price of a journey, with the company only taking a fixed N$2 from each ride, no matter the distance.
“A person decides to trust in our technology. Not for months, not for years, but exactly for one trip. We are proud of our mobility solution, but we are even more proud of the fact that E-Texi was created in Namibia,” Kalangula added.
The user can choose between a ‘shared’ ride and a ‘private’ ride. With a shared ride, the taxi driver can pick up additional customers along the way (as standard taxi drivers traditionally operate).
The ‘private’ option ensures that the passenger requesting the ride remains by themselves throughout the duration of the ride.
The technology behind the E-Taxi was developed by WOW Technologie, a Namibian company.
“We should be able to build apps here locally. E-Taxi is not a technology to complicate your life, but a solution. There is usually a thought that technology must be imported from outside; we want to constantly change that narrative,” said Werner Alweendo, CEO of WOW Technologies.
Registered E-Taxi driver, Thomas Shimbango, praised the creation of E-Taxi, describing it as another source of revenue for drivers and urged drivers not to abuse the fact that they can set the prices.
“We have to be clever and reasonable, so we do not lose customers,” Shimbango expressed.
There are currently 250 taxi drivers in Windhoek registered as E-Taxi drivers.
Kalangula stated that the platform will expand to the entire country as the company grows. Private vehicle owners are also able to register themselves as drivers on E-Taxi.
