Jumping in to the messy business of transportation in Colombia, a team of five — 2 designers, 2 business people, and an engineer — observed urban mobility behaviors of the real people that traveled through the city each day. They surfaced complex market insights and identified areas for opportunity within public and private transit. From smart bus stops to personal security networks, the team iterated and tested their ideas in the field until one concept, a safer taxi, began to take real traction.
From conversations to ideas to MVP
To begin, the team met with and interviewed many middle- to low-income Colombians to understand their everyday experiences with public and private transportation. They learned about the uncertainties, the long travel times, and even the dangers involved in transit, and the misaligned incentives and informality of the market.
During concepting the team came together around an idea for a safer taxi ride through a membership security system. They tested their concept through staged rides with users in taxis equipped with mock technology components. They created a radio ad to gauge interest and got dozens of calls — demand was high, but how to capitalize was unclear.
After several rounds of prototyping and iteration, the transportation team found a true opportunity to organize a fragmented taxi industry. The end goal was the same: make taxis safer. But the strategy was completely unique. The venture, launched as Táximo, is based around a simple, yet often ignored, truth: “Safe taxis begin with professional taxi management.”
Táximo is a taxi management company, that frees owners from the hassle of managing a taxi by covering the back-end of operations and helping them with everything from purchasing a taxi and hiring drivers, to tracking vehicles, performing maintenance, and obtaining insurance. This way owners have a safe investment, and users have a great experience.
