We do our banking through banking websites, our grocery shopping through supermarket websites, our job applications through recruitment websites, so why not airport transfers and minicabs through taxi websites?
There are many around the world doing this already, though apart from a select few, the online booking function is little more than a web text form to submit your contact and journey details through to the taxi company who will then get back to you with a price.
Some of the larger and more reputable cab firms around, have what would bе deemed a 'true' online booking systеm where prices can be obtained for journeys, bookings can be made immediately and you can then choose to either pay cash to the driver or even complete payment online. In this day and age, surely this is an industry that needs to better shape up to the world of the Internet, smart phones and on-demand services.
There are some important points to remember before getting in a maxicab which can help you in the long run. Taxi aggregators have mushroomed everywhere in the last few months and the idea of a taxi service is suddenly incomplete unless it is also the nearest and locally available service.
Having said all that, there is some evidence of the tide changing. Several smart phone apps have been released which target this market specifically. These allow you to launch the app on your phone, locate your nearest cab company using your GPS signal and either call the company, or get a quote for your journey and booking it directly via the app with just a few swipes of the finger. In peak times, this can be easier than dialing a number, waiting in a queue, saying the place names, repeat the place names, repeat them again, re-confirm how many people, re-confirm your name, remind them of where they're picking up from, etc.
For actual minicab websites, the reality is a bit hit and miss. Some have simple web forms as stated above, and some offer only advanced booking functionality, presumably because their operators are unable or unwilling to check web orders regularly enough. For airport transfers and journeys known about well before their due date then, this is fine, but for that last minute trip from the station to the office might not work as well. The designs of these minicab and taxi websites are let down by this as the 'call-to-action' features don't do what they are meant to.
There is no better way to see all the fascinating sights in Singapore than in a Maxi Cab. A Maxi Cab is a seven-seat taxi that is available 24 hours a day and will take visitors to the places they want to see.