Market Trends of Taxi Industry
Online Bookings are Driving the Market
One of the primary factors fueling the market's growth is the increased usage of online cab booking platforms, mostly because of the convenience they provide to clients. They also offer simple online payment options and the flexibility of choosing the pick-up and drop-off locations.
The ease of booking through the app has significantly attracted customers to prefer online booking over offline booking, owing to the increasing penetration of the internet and smartphones worldwide. Additionally, the availability of information on an app, like tracking the driver position, pre-estimated ride fare, driver contact, and vehicle details, has further increased the customer preference for online booking.
Many major operators, such as Grab, Uber, and Ola, provide ride-sharing options (which offer a fare-splitting option among co-passengers) in certain regions, capturing the increasing demand for low taxi fare services among customers. Operators are adopting the same strategy and incorporating the ride-sharing option in their app development to sustain the growing trend of ride-sharing services.
- For instance, in Vietnam, Mai Linh, one of the country's major taxi operators, focuses on providing ride-sharing services to overcome the country's mobility challenges, like traffic congestion and population. The company partnered with Kyyti Group to launch a ride-sharing service in Vietnam in the future.
However, with the surge in demand for online taxis, governments are implementing strict guidelines for taxi aggregators to regulate their prices. For instance,
- In January 2024, the Karnataka government implemented standardized fares for online taxi services such as Ola and Uber, as well as other taxi services operating within the state. This initiative is designed to tackle prevalent issues of overcharging in city taxi services and establish a consistent fare system across the board.
Asia-Pacific is Expected to Grow at a Significant Pace in the Taxi Market
Asia-Pacific has been dominating the taxi industry, accounting for about half of the taxi market. Key elements fueling the rise of motorcycle/bike ride-hailing services in Asia-Pacific are increasing traffic congestion and inexpensive taxi fares compared to other means of transportation. As the region is home to 60% of the world's population, its ride-hailing industry is substantial and developing rapidly.
In Asia-Pacific, the taxi industry is expanding rapidly. Players like DiDi Chuxing, Ola, and Onda are capitalizing on Asia-Pacific's high smartphone penetration rate. They are gaining market share by utilizing cutting-edge technology and innovation. Major South Asian cab service providers are increasing the competition in regional marketplaces while growing internationally. Didi Chuxing, a Chinese taxi company, launched operations in Mexico, Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, and several other countries. Ola, the Indian market leader, operates in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
China has the world's largest taxi market as it is the most populous country. Taxis gradually became a necessary service due to their flexibility, comfort, high availability, and end-mile connection.
India also has a huge taxi market after China. The taxi industry is changing continuously (even every quarter) due to the different socio-economic and political situations arising in the country. Pooling/sharing of taxis in the country saw huge demand. Bike taxis are also gaining popularity in the Indian market.
- In 2023, Rapido officially announced its entry into the cab aggregation space with the launch of ‘Rapido Cabs.’ The company already provides bike taxis and auto (three-wheeler) passengers to its customers. The addition of a cab service brings Rapido closer to competition with market leaders Ola and Uber. EV-based BluSmart and InDrive are also trying to tap into the market but have a relatively smaller presence in the market.
With a high demand for cabs, especially in tier one and metro cities, the online cab market is changing with the entry of bike taxis into the market, which are much more affordable than cabs and provide easy maneuvering in traffic congestion. Thus, the bike taxi market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.
