There is no argument that Uber is the pioneer in the on-demand ride-hailing service sector and has kickstarted the concept of merging existing businesses with the on-demand service model.
Several companies have followed Uber’s footsteps by taking their startup entirely online and have significantly boosted their overall revenue. At the end of the day, on-demand ride-hailing apps offer easy commuting services for the customers, and they are ultimately satisfied with it.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every industry in the market. Entrepreneurs are facing a hard time to run their businesses as people have started to adopt a new lifestyle to keep themselves safe. The spread of hazardous pathogens has resulted in a temporary plunge in the average number of rides. Now that people have completely adapted to the social distancing measures, they have started to live in a new reality. The ride volumes are increasing steadily as more people have begun to prefer cab rides over public transit.
Hence, the responsibility of providing safer rides is entirely on the entrepreneurs’ shoulders. They ought to strengthen their safety standards to ensure the safety of both drivers and passengers. Here is how entrepreneurs can pick up the pace from where they left before the onset of a pandemic. Ensure the safety of drivers: Safety is the top priority of almost everyone globally, and people will prefer it more than anything else. With the effect of COVID-19 still on the air, ensure that you take good care of your workforce. Their services are necessary for your business to strive, and so it demands your fullest attention to curb the spread of the deadly microorganisms.
Encourage your cab drivers to wear face masks and shields at all times. Provide hand sanitizers regularly and ask them to disinfect their cabs after every ride. People will take cab rides if they get convinced with your safety measures and so install partition shields in your cabs to keep them at a safe distance from the drivers. Ask your drivers to upload their selfies with masks on the taxi booking app solution and update their body temperatures regularly.
The drivers’ information, such as body temperature and safety etiquettes, should be continuously updated in the app. This can be an excellent strategy to win the confidence and trust of the drivers. Implement transparent business transactions: Gaining your drivers’ trust is the primary anchor that holds your business together in this challenging situation. During uncertain times like these, you must keep track of the revenue that flows into your business.
You should monitor the overall revenue continuously, and the drivers must be on a consistent payroll. You can also offer predefined commission rates as everyone is going through a hard time now. The drivers should also be aware of their commission rates and should be able to access it from their app. This way, you can gain complete transparency in your business and seamlessly get closely connected with the drivers. Reward your drivers regularly: Rewards will definitely boost their enthusiasm to work and help in this critical situation. Send appropriate rewards to the drivers who exhibit maximum productivity in their work as they are ultimately contributing to your overall revenue. You can seamlessly monitor the drivers’ performance from the dynamic admin panel and analyze their data in various aspects.
You can also introduce driver referral programs to increase your workforce and to serve more customers. By providing bonuses appropriately, you can retain old drivers for a long time. Creating new opportunities: Keeping the drivers engaged with business operations is the key to boost your overall revenue. The more rides they make will ultimately contribute to your business and so reduce idle time for drivers. Try to implement more value-added services in your app apart from the conventional ride-hailing services. Explore other verticals in the business and integrate them appropriately to witness a whopping growth in your niche.
By unleashing new business opportunities, you can explore more profitable prospects in this niche. Integrate the COVID-19 tracker: Integrating a COVID-19 tracker will assist drivers and customers in keeping track of the infections in their vicinity. The tracker panel should be updated dynamically so that they keep themselves abreast with their safety and revenue.
The drivers can choose to cancel the rides if they are not sure to provide rides for passengers from a particular locality, and the tracker data can help make such critical decisions. No ride cancellation fee: Entrepreneurs will charge a cancellation fee from the drivers each time they cancel a ride after a specific time. Since the situation is critical, they can cancel the rides, and no charges will be incurred. No ride sharing for the time being: The ride-sharing feature should be suspended on the app for the time being, and no more than two passengers should be allowed to ride in a cab.
This move is taken to extend the physical distancing of passengers and to ensure the safety of drivers. Entrepreneurs should provide essential health and safety for the drivers at free of cost. In a nutshell: Besides ensuring drivers’ safety, entrepreneurs should also concentrate on increasing their revenue from other monetary streams. Innovative ideas will generate fresh prospects for the business and contribute to positive business growth in the future. It also holds promising business opportunities for entrepreneurs.
