Three independent taxi companies based in Merseyside have joined forces in a “soft merge” to form the One Call Group. SRC Taxis, A1 Cars and Excel Private Hire operational areas compliment each other, meaning there is no overlap in terms of geography. The combined group is able to offer a large range of services from private hire journeys, corporate work, wedding car services, airport transfers and bespoke taxi tours with knowledgeable drivers acting as guides.
Having recognised the competitive threat from large fleets and ride hailing apps from technology companies, One Call recognised that building scale will bring many more potential customers than each individual partner could reach.
Integrated Booking Systems
The key factor in the arrangement has been the integration of the booking systems of all three companies. The group averages around 60,000 bookings per week, around half of these are automated. Around 20% of the bookings are related to account work.
A customer who calls either SRC, A1 or Excel will have their enquiry handled by the relevant company’s operator as usual. If that company has no operators available, the call will then be routed to one of the other companies. The booking will still be made on the original company’s system, allowing customers to have a faster response to their call and receive their car more quickly.
The group is expanding its technological footprint through the deployment of an app that ensures the nearest car will be sent to pick up the customers, regardless if SRC, A1 or Excel. This has helped build the overall customer base of the group.
Future Growth
Having recognised the competitive threat from large fleets and ride hailing apps from technology companies, One Call have built scale that will bring many more potential customers than each individual partner could reach. The success of the experiment has been noted in the taxi trade and two more companies have come forward to join the group. The group has developed a new ‘Connecting Merseyside’ motto, and technology at the core of their fast booking and dispatch linkage, One Call are fulfilling this promise.