PETALING JAYA: Klang Valley folk will soon be able to book a taxi directly with the driver, thanks to a new app called TaxiMonger.

The application, which is being tested for a month starting from today, is available free on the Google Play store. For now, it only works on mobile devices running on the Android 2.2 operating system or higher.

Fifty taxi drivers are participating in the trial run conducted by TaxiMonger, a unit under technology incubator EPIWeb Sdn Bhd.

Fare deal: Shafiu (right) and TaxiMonger co-founder and business development executive Nizreen Noordin posing in front of a taxi in Petaling Jaya.

“The trial will provide us with more insight into the needs of drivers and passengers in order to fine-tune our service,” said its founder and chief technology officer Shafiu Hussain.

In order for the app to work, both passengers and taxi drivers will need to download it onto their Android smartphones.

To book a taxi, passengers will need to key in their destination, current location and time the vehicle is needed before sending out the request.

The request will then be broadcast to taxi drivers who have the app.

To accept the job, they will have to tap on the request, which will then send a confirmation to the passenger.

Once this is accepted by the passenger, the registration number of the taxi will be given.

However, to book a taxi, customers must have adequate credit in their TaxiMonger account, which can be purchased online at its website using credit or debit cards.

Booking will cost RM3 for a budget taxi and RM6 for an executive taxi, which will be deducted from the passengers' TaxiMonger credit balance.

After that, the passengers will only have to pay the fare displayed on the taxi meter.

The company is giving away RM10,000 worth of booking credits in conjunction with the launch of the app today. The first 1,000 customers to register on its website will each receive RM10 in booking credits.

For more, visit http://taximonger.com.

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