Autocab is the investment for the future

Making the right investment for the future, especially given the current economic climate, has in recent years, become more important than ever before. That’s why Skyway Minicab have chosen to invest in Autocab. To provide a sound investment for the future.

Skyway previously operated without a computerised system and were finding it difficult to recruit drivers and provide the level of service that they and their customers demanded. After consulting a friend, who also operates a taxi firm using Autocab, they decided to invest and install Autocab’s latest Ghost booking and dispatch software and PDA’s.

Improve driver earnings by 30% with Autocab

Compared to not having a computerised system, Autocab brings a whole range of benefits. Superior booking and dispatch capabilities are the first and most noticeable which is many times faster than any voice system. Fleets are managed with GPS and jobs are intelligently dispatched to the best available taxi so saving on fuel costs as there is less dead mileage. This is also better for the environment. Drivers can typically expect to earn around 25-30% more which is a magnet to attract more drivers and so expand your business.

Expand your fleet & improve your service with

Autocab

Skyway Minicab are now on their way to realising their ambitions of expanding their fleet and providing a premier service to their clientele with Autocab. Malik Shahzad, Manager, is delighted with Ghost and Autocab overall…

Ghost dispatch is lightning fast

“…We wanted a system for the future. After Autocab was highly recommended by another taxi firm we

made our decision. We want to expand our fleet and improve our service and we will do that with Autocab. Booking and dispatch is now much easier and faster then ever before. When a repeat customer calls their details are already on the screen which makes our job easier and helps provide an excellent service. The accounts suite in Ghost is also incredibly useful. We have a great feeling about Autocab and are looking forward to a bright and prosperous future…”

Becoming one of the biggest and best taxi firms in Manchester is no mean feat especially considering the amount and level of competition there is in the area. However, Street Cars have done exactly that. But it’s not just expanding where they have set the standards. They are also widely regarded as one of the smartest and most reliable firms on the Mancunian circuit and come highly recommended by the all-important patrons who use their services in and around Manchester. As far as Street Cars are concerned image is everything. Their reliability, high calibre of service and lightening-fast response rate is complemented by the smart, well attired and professional staff and drivers who wear a full uniform (including shirts, ties, shoes and trousers). Just another area where they have raised the bar. In fact, they were the

first firm in Manchester to make it mandatory that drivers wear their full uniform at all times. But, what taxi driver will put up with that? Well there are 350 drivers at Street Cars who do, and they wear it with pride and a sense of wellbeing.

Street Cars gain 290 drivers with Autocab

Since installing Autocab in 2005 with 60 drivers they have expanded to 350 but have remained a close and valued customer. They have maintained their dominant position by keeping up-to-date with technology and upgrading with the times which, more recently, comes in the form of Ghost booking and dispatch software and Minos data terminal.

Ghost & Minos are the future

Naeem Arshad, Director at Street Cars, has cited these two products as platforms to enhance the business and help take them to new and exciting possibilities. With the accounts package in Ghost and coverage

provided by the Minos as the two most notable improvements over their Autocab classic system with Sigma data terminals. Naeem told us…

“…We have always had a good relationship with Autocab and the service is second to none. We have taken our business to the next level with Autocab. The accounts package in Ghost seems to be the most important item as it makes the admin work an easier job than ever before. The Minos helps improve operations as we get better coverage and the drivers like them which is huge plus. We are using the dual mode which allows us to operate on Radio and switch to GPRS only when required. This saves on GPRS costs as we don’t use it all the time…”

Aqeel and Atiq Arshad, also directors, agreed adding…

“…We have been particularly impressed with the service of the tech support team and the engineers at Autocab over the years…”

Improve profits and reduce overheads with Phantom

phone system

Moving forward, after the successful upgrade to Ghost and Minos, Street Cars still have one eye on the future with further expansion first on the agenda. To achieve this, Street Cars have once again set the pace by ordering the new Phantom phone system to handle their ever-increasing volume of calls. Phantom will pave the way to take more calls and operate more efficiently by reducing workload on operators and freeing up lines for previously missed calls. They plan to open a new office specifically for management and accounts whilst keeping their current office as a dedicated call centre fitted with Phantom. Now that is smart!

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For more information on Ghost & Minos please call 0161 491 7777

Skyway Minicab – London go live with Autocab

Tel: +44 (0) 161 491 77 77 Fax: +44 (0) 161 491 77 11 Email: info@autocab.com Web: autocab.comTel: +44 (0) 161 491 77 77 Fax: +44 (0) 161 491 77 11 Email: info@autocab.com Web: autocab.com

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Street Cars - Manchester smarten up & upgrade to Ghost & Minos

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GPC Computer Software, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Oakfield Road, Cheadle, SK8 3GX+44 (0) 161 491 7777 info@autocab.com autocab.com

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Alpha Taxis Luton, a fairly young company of 15 years, had until recently, conducted business with the old fashioned and traditional yet inefficient pen and paper process. Perhaps a little surprising considering the firm takes around 50% of it’s business on accounts work which equates to many painstaking hours enduring time-consuming paperwork. Any taxi firm, without a computerised system, will be able to testify that managing accounts and invoicing becomes a difficult and tedious chore once a fleet gets to around thirty cars. Not to mention dispatching jobs and trying to allocate them fairly to drivers whilst trying to guess which is the best available taxi without sending cabs right across town causing unnecessary waiting time to customers.

Alpha Taxis Luton were no stranger to this and, bearing in mind their high volume of accounts work and a fleet of 75 cars, it is no surprise their workload was more than a headache.

Alpha Taxis install Ghost & Minos the most advanced

software & hardware on the market

To reduce this workload and reinvest the time spent on it in to developing and expanding the business whilst reducing stress, Alpha thought it was time to upgrade and install a computerised system that met the requirements of a busy and soon-to-be expanding taxi firm. That came in the form of Autocab and what better

way to go than with the top of the range Ghost booking and dispatch software and Minos ‘touch screen’ data terminal. The most advanced combination of hardware and software available to the taxi market today.

Reduce workload & improve efficiency with Ghost

With almost immediate effect the benefits of these two components were realised. Accounting workload was reduced whilst efficiency improved and the once ‘chore‘ of processing accounts work became a thing of the past. Mr Tariq Aziz, manager, is delighted with the upgrade and was keen to express his opinion on the beginning of a new era for the firm, saying…

Alpha Taxis are delighted with Ghost

“…We have made life much easier with Ghost. It handles all our accounts and invoicing work with a refreshing simplicity that has taken a huge weight off our shoulders and has brought with it a new and exciting era for Alpha Taxis. Not to mention the improvement in dispatch and fleet management which is so marked that it is infinitely better than previous methods. We are delighted with Ghost and the efficiency it has brought…

If success with Ghost wasn’t enough, the installation of the Minos has also had a huge impact with both management and

drivers alike. Tariq was more than happy to repeat his already positive feedback and high praise for the Minos data terminal…

It’s Minos all the way

“…The Minos has been and will be instrumental to our development. It is the reason we chose Autocab, being perfectly suited to the needs of our business. With integrated GPS it enables us to track our drivers in real time and locate them instantly. We can pin-point which zone and street they are in allowing us to effectively manage our fleet. The Minos integrates seamlessly with our taxi meter and that was one of the key factors in our decision. However, we did consider PDA’s but, in the end, it was ‘no contest’ as the Minos is a far more robust and durable terminal. Being a ‘fixed’ data head the driver cannot receive jobs outside the cab (unlike the PDA which we didn’t want) so it was Minos all the way!

Tariq was also quick to add that he is very satisfied with the service from Autocab praising the level of training and technical support.

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Autocab has the recipe for success

The recipe for success for most taxi firms in today’s modern world (other than investing in the right system) is in three golden rules which are; quality of service, value for money and ambition. These were certainly the ideas of the twelve hackney carriage owners who formed Radio Taxis Southampton way back in 1972 with the objective of changing the taxi services of Southampton for the better. By doing just that they successfully built a fine reputation based on their reliability and outstanding service that left the competition trailing in their wake. As the old saying goes ‘If you can’t beat them, join them’ and this was certainly true for the seventeen drivers who decided that becoming part of a winning team was a far better idea than competing with them and fighting a losing battle. With that, the association of Radio Taxis was formed. It operated with unrivalled success for twelve years building a solid and unequalled reputation which led to the association being dissolved and the limited company of Radio Taxis being registered in 1984 - this was to take the business to even greater heights.

Radio Taxis Southampton expand to 350 drivers

The company has evolved to become a large and expanding force providing a service that is second to none. Today, Radio Taxis operate with 250 cars and 350

drivers enabling them to provide cover in and around the Southampton area delivering an excellent 24/7 service. For this reason, their popularity has soared, and with it the bookings have more than doubled in recent times. In fact, they have recently passed a new milestone by dispatching one million jobs in record time this year. It is no surprise that the Autocab booking and dispatch software handled this volume of work with ease. Although Wayne Mitchell, General Manager, and his team are delighted with this achievement they are by no means complacent, in keeping with the companies history for an appetite for success, they are still looking forward to expanding the business further thus demonstrating an admirable sense of ambition.

Upgrade to Minos the world’s most advanced data

terminal

Radio Taxis are undergoing an upgrade from Autocab’s classic Sigma data terminal to our latest state of the art Minos which will pave the way for further development and help maintain their superiority for the foreseeable future. Wayne was only too happy to share with us his positive feedback on their recent achievement and the reasons for the upgrade. Saying…

Double your bookings with Autocab

“…Since switching to Autocab we have doubled our bookings. Autocab helps you take more work, it is as simple as that. We are delighted to have taken over one million bookings in record time this year and Autocab has handled this extremely well. The system is rock solid…

Huge success with Autocab’s text facilities

“…although the Sigma data terminal has served us extremely well over the years it is time to move forward and get equipped for a new and modern era. The Minos has many advanced features such as built-in GPS & dual sim facility. It is compact and easy to fit and complete with a touch screen - no buttons! It really is a data terminal for the future…”

80,000 Text back’s per month

Radio Taxis also took advantage of some of our other booking facilities like Text Booking and Text Point - these have been extremely popular with students, largely due to Wayne’s aggressive marketing campaigns within the student unions and universities. But he believes the most popular feature is still Text Back, mainly because of its safety aspect & helping to reduce the risk of getting into a rogue taxi. They send a massive 70-80,000 Text Back’s per month. No wonder they are hitting one million dispatched jobs!

Radio Taxis Southampton dispatch 1 million jobs with Autocab

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Alpha Taxis Luton Choose Autocab

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