Moving with the times, the Cork Taxi Co-op has always been an innovative organisation.
It was formed back in 1971, when the city’s taxi drivers saw the need to provide a radio-controlled taxi service.
Since these early days, technology has advanced in leaps and bounds. The Cork Taxi Co-op has always been ahead of the game, and today harnesses cutting-edge expertise to provide a super-efficient taxi service within a twenty-mile radius of the city centre.
Information without a hold up
Speed is of the essence for any taxi company. As well as transporting private passengers, the Cork Taxi Co-op provides taxi and courier services to over 800 local businesses, including most of the blue-chip companies operating in the city. These organisations frequently have to work to tight deadlines.
In early 2008, the Co-op, which has 90 shareholder/drivers and 10 employees, purchased the segment of GeoDirectory which covers Cork City and the surrounding area. The database, GeoAddress Locator, was then linked to Auriga's automated booking and automated dispatch system.
Your taxi's now on the road in 15 seconds
The new set-up allowed the Co-op to move to a much quicker pick-up time, which means that a taxi can now be assigned within 15 seconds of the call centre staff receiving the booking.
"Now, when someone phones up to book a taxi, our operators key in the pick-up address and the destination address. Even if the information is only partial, we can instantly pinpoint the exact location using the GeoDirectory pull-down options.
For example, someone might want a taxi to come to 50 Cromwell Street. By keying in the first few letters of the address provided, the operator can see the full range of options – 50 Cromwell Place, 50 Cromwell Drive, etc. – and select the exact location.
“That is then matched to the X,Y coordinates associated with the address on the GeoDirectory database, and the system can then connect instantly to the nearest available driver. (Clem Mahon, Cork Taxi Co-Op)