Business: cab service, cab branding in Europe and Ukraine
The history of cab began in 1891, when German scientist Wilhelm Brünn invented Taximeter to measure the distance traveled and the time spent on traveling. Today, cab in Europe and Ukraine is not only a convenient mode of transportation, but also a profitable business. Of course, it has its regional and cultural differences, but it also has typical features. What are they? Let’s analyze the branding of cab services in Europe and Ukraine.
European cabs: brands in England
Perhaps the most recognizable cab brand in Europe is the black English “Black Cab”.
Black has long ceased to be a mandatory requirement, now it is more of a tradition. Today, cabs of many different colors, including those with bright stickers, drive around London. Mandatory is a yellow sign “TAXI” on the roof, which lights up when the car is free to order. Branded cars are festooned with national flags and advertising posters.
You can read about the balance between colorful design and functional content in the blog of branding agency KOLORO: Creativity vs common sense: how to create a UTP that will work.
Regardless of the color, cabs are special vehicles produced by London Taxi International. Their unique design is an integral part of the “Black Cab” brand identity. They differ from other modern cars not only outside, but also inside:
- spacious interior that can accommodate up to 5 passengers;
- There is no passenger seat next to the driver, only luggage space.
Most cars have a terminal for paying with a bank card, but they also accept cash.
In addition to black cabs in London, there are ordinary licensed cabs. They are called minicabs. The fare in them costs less than in a Black Cab, but you need to order a cab in advance. The easiest way is the mobile application Taxi app London. For example, Taxi Guru, which is available throughout the UK. The app provides online access to all local cab services, allows you to compare prices and choose routes.
Cab brand in Germany: strict and conservative
Germany’s official cab services are some of the best in Europe. Judge for yourself:
- business class cars, new and tidy;
- qualified drivers (polite, punctual, honoring traffic rules);
- there are various options for paying for the trip (cash, credit card, online payments);
- available by phone or online ordering.
Cab services in Europe, and specifically in Germany, have strict requirements for cars. You can easily recognize a cab car in Germany by the characteristic “checkers” on the roof and the obligatory beige color of the car. Indeed, what other color could conservative Germans choose, except elegant beige. Cab companies use logos, which, as a rule, are applied on the doors of cars. The logos use the traditional cab colors of yellow and black, and sometimes the colors of the flag are present.
Taxi Hamburg 6×6
The logo uses two national colors: black and yellow.
But, for example, in Berlin, official cab services do not use car branding. You will know that you are in front of a cab only by the characteristic beige color of the car (usually Mercedes brand) and a lighted sign on the roof. If it is not illuminated, it means that the car is “on order”.
All official cab services in Germany are connected to a mobile cab app. You can call a cab from your phone or tablet (Android and IOS) using the special free Taxi Deutschland APK program or by calling the single number: 22456.
Branding of cab services in Ukraine
There are dozens of cab services in every regional center of Ukraine. There is no single recognizable style, but some cab brands try to stand out by using it:
- a certain make and color of car;
- car branding;
- illuminated signage with brand distinctions.
An example is the EcoTaxi service in Kharkiv. The unique offer of this brand is electric cars and hybrids in the taxi fleet, which is reflected in the characteristic branded coloring.
The branding of Uber branded cars in Kiev uses classic colors for cabs: orange and black.
But most cab services in Kiev, Kharkov and other cities do not worry about corporate standards in the appearance of cars. The maximum that unites the cars of the service is corporate branding and connection to the program for cab service
If you decide to open a cab business
There are quite a few resources on the internet that offer tips on how to start a cab service, and you’ll need:
- automobiles;
- drivers;
- dispatch;
- a memorable phone number.
This is the advice given to those who want to start a business from scratch.
It is possible to go the other way. It is more profitable for budding entrepreneurs to work under a franchise offered by well-known cab brands. Cooperation with them allows you to save money on dispatch service and the development of a mobile application. Franchisors also provide their official partners with special prices for fuel, additional income for marketing cooperation and other pleasant bonuses. Realize such a cab business plan is much easier than acting independently. And the franchise will cost many times less.
You may also be interested in how to open your own service station
Taking advantage of the experience of European and Ukrainian brands, it is quite realistic to develop a conceptually new cab business idea. In any country in the world, cab work is impossible without a modern mobile application. If you create a mobile cab application, which will be a worthy competition to the popular services Uber and Uklon, you can open a cab service even without a minimum fleet. Of course, for this you will have to invest in the development and subsequent promotion of the program among cab drivers and passengers. But this approach is more modern and promising than the standard scheme: cars, drivers, dispatchers.
The cab mobile app works in two ways.
- Customers – can order online.
- Cab drivers – can track orders and take them.
Some of the features that are popular with users include:
- automatic location detection and the ability to select an address from the map;
- the ability to create a route and calculate the cost without the involvement of a dispatcher;
- availability of the function of saving favorite routes and the possibility to use them in the order;
- pre-booking a cab;
- vehicle and driver rating;
- the status of the desired vehicle (available-occupied);
- possibility to specify special wishes for the car (class, free trunk, child seat).
With proper advertising and information support, such a service will attract customers and passengers to your cab service. You can order a mobile application for business in KOLORO branding agency. You can entrust us with everything: from idea development to app creation, testing and launching it on the market.
What you need to open a cab in Ukraine: creating a new brand
Like any other business, cab cabs require a serious and measured approach. You will need:
- analyze the market for cab services in your region;
- brand development(UTP, naming);
- creation of a mobile application for cab(Android or IOS);
- development of corporate identity(logo, corporate colors);
- brand promotion strategy;
As you can see, it takes a lot of time and effort to bring your cab brand to the Ukrainian market. But you can entrust this task to KOLORO branding agency. We know how to create a unique cab brand that will become your successful business!
