Hailing a cab joins the computer age

By Shaun Inguanzo
DANDENONG Taxis hopes new software will make hailing a cab even easier for its customers.
Manager Paul Smith said the company had just installed the Cabcall software on its booking system, which allowed a high-powered computer loaded with the software to take a customer’s cab bookings in less than half a minute.
Mr Smith said Dandenong Taxis would retain its phone operators but hoped the new software – which cost it $57,000 to install – would eliminate waiting times for customers who called during peak demand periods.
Mr Smith said Cabcall used a caller identity system that matched an incoming number with a previous booking and its address details.
“If the system then has the number and an address it prompts Cabcall to ask the customer for their destination suburb,” Mr Smith said.
“The customer then gives the destination suburb by voice, and Cabcall repeats back the suburb to confirm whether it is correct.
“They just press one to say yes, and the cab is dispatched.”
Mr Smith said Dandenong Taxis was not the first to introduce the automated booking system, and its introduction would be a step forward for the cab company, which had been in operation for more than 50 years.
“I think it’s a step forward in that our customers don’t have to always speak to the operator or be on hold during periods when we’re busy,” he said.
“Unfortunately some people don’t like it, but the option is still there to talk to an operator.
“Cabcall just makes booking a cab a lot easier.”
Cabcall spokesman John McEwan said the Queensland-based company had installed the software in many places around the world, including Dubai Taxis, which received more than 24,000 bookings a day.
Mr McEwan said the software also allowed people to use mobile phones, that would be linked to home addresses, and to book cabs from websites.
Dandenong Taxis is still in the process of setting up its Internet booking system, but cab customers can try the new Cabcall service using the priority booking phone number 9794 7599, or the regular number 9791 2111.