Dailymorocco Your door for the daily news of morocco
Related Articles
Launched last December in Marrakech and February 2019 in Casablanca, the new application dedicated only to small and large taxis already has more than 1,200 drivers in both cities and some 10,000 active customer accounts.
Roby’s model is simple and breaks with market practices: no commission on the races performed by the taxi driver, but a monthly fee of 490 dirhams for the use of the booking platform, the respect of strict requirements of health and safety. Another novelty: no second people taken on board during the trip and the price of the race displayed when the taxi is ordered.
The application prides itself on being the only one to work insistently to be in compliance with the law. “Roby is currently the only app that has been licensed to practice in Marrakech. In Casablanca, the authorization should fall soon. In addition, the company has obtained the approval of the CNDP on the protection of personal data, making it the only one on the market to have fulfilled this condition,” says Yann Blay, founder of Roby.
To succeed in hiring the maximum number of taxi drivers and upgrade their services, Roby has relied on local leaders whose role is crucial in its approach. “Our goal is to reach 150,000 taxi drivers out of the 240,000 assets in the Kingdom in the next 5 years. To do this, Roby relies on its partnership with these recognized leaders in each city. They co-opt their colleagues, validate their candidacy and guarantee their seriousness in the exercise of their profession,” explains Yann Blay.
The Moroccan start-up organizes for this purpose training sessions for taxi drivers to improve their service. “To date, we have held a dozen training sessions in Marrakech and Casablanca, which have brought together 50 to 100 people each time. These trainings are provided by Roby’s partners themselves and cover the use of the application as well as the behavioral aspect, the relationship with the customer, the reception, the hygiene of the vehicle … “, declares Yann Blay. He adds: “In addition, Roby has a strong social vocation in that he puts the taxi driver at the heart of his business and encourages him to raise the level of service to customers. We want to reconcile the Moroccan and the tourist with the taxi”. In the meantime, the Moroccan start-up wants to quickly reach a population of 20,000 taxi drivers to give them the necessary weight to negotiate a favorable health and accident cover as freelancers.
Following his schedule, Roby expects to deploy during this second quarter in the regions of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, in the region of Fez-Meknes during the third quarter, then Safi-Essaouira and Agadir during the 4th quarter.
