Local established taxi companies have fired back at Uber and Lyft with their own new rideshare program, meet N-Route, the app hoping to get you to use a local cab again.
Local established taxi companies have fired back at Uber and Lyft with their own new rideshare program, meet N-Route, the app hoping to get you to use a local cab again.
The app functions almost exactly like Uber – you put in your location, you put in your destination, you pick your cab, and you’re off.
N-Route President Brevard said the design is pretty universal “You kind of have a blue-print, but we developed our own.”
And he’s not lying… N-Route is a little different. Bravard’s new app not only connects you with long time Richmond RVA taxi-staple Napoleon Taxi (A company Brevard used to be Vice President of) – it connects you with any and all licensed cabbies in the Richmond area.
All drivers are prescreened by police with full background checks and the vehicles are rigorously inspected by the same agencies before a rider ever steps foot in a vehicle because N-Route pulls from a pool of already-running taxi companies – over 15 different cab companies here in RVA to be exact.
Brevard left Napoleon about a year and ahalf ago after seven years with the company to work on the N-Route app. Though financed mainly by Napoleon, the app acts as a clearing house for any and all interested parties, a service he believes the little guys need the most.
“When you’ve only got 2 cars, there’s no defense against [Uber],” said Brevard. “You lean on leadership within your industry to… not bail you out, but show you the way… This industry needs a moses.”
Yes, Brevard essentially called himself the Moses of taxi cab companies in our interview, but he wasn’t afraid to admit the local cab industry needs real help.
“You put an individual taxi company against Uber, it’s going to fail almost every time,” he said. “But you put it out there and use an entire industry and really open it up, there’s no way an outsider could come in and get better coverage, service, knowledge, experience… there’s nothing that can stop it.”
Braved said it might take some time to build up support, but when Uber starts to use surge pricing – a program which allows Uber drivers to charge more during holidays, bad weather, or special events – that’s when N-Route’s regular fairs matter most and create loyalty.
There’s no fee to the consumer or company or driver, but fairs generated by the N-Route app kick back a %10-14 finders fee to the app.
As for the image taxis face as an aging fleet of yellow work horses, N-Route aims to give riders a chance to rate their driver and give feedback. In Bravard’s eyes, this will force drivers to improve accordingly to meet the market.
“Consumers will be able to say ‘I don’t want to ride with the two star driver, I’ll wait for the 5 star driver,’” he said. “It’s going to give the customers an opportunity to see what’s out there… and chose on their own… and hopefully the industry will respond.”
N-Route is up and running now – just search for the app on your smart phone.
