Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and many of Turkey's other cities attract thousands of tourists on a daily basis. For tourists, navigating around these cities is no easy task, especially when the residents of Istanbul themselves don't know all the roads of the massive city. Rather than dealing with the crowded and often confusing aspects of public transportation, many tourists often opt to stick to fulfilling their commuting needs by taxis.
However, whether the city is New York, London or Istanbul, cab drivers have earned a bad reputation for their treatment of tourists. Hailing a cab in a foreign country always runs the risk of tourist being swindled and overcharged, as some cab drivers look to prey on tourists who don't know any better.
In Istanbul, BiTaksi has made hailing a cab and navigating the city a matter of ease for both tourists and residents alike. With BiTaksi you can simply use your smartphone to take care of all your taxi-related needs. The app uses the GPS in your device and those on the smartphones of the cab drivers in your vicinity to connect you with your cab.
The in-app resources allow you to calculate your fare and set your road map, this way you know exactly what you are paying. BiTaksi also removes the irritating aspect of hailing a cab on the street and being rejected by the driver due to the location of your destination. The cab driver knows exactly where you wish to go, and you know how much the trip will cost. You can also see the reviews received by local drivers and choose the one that you believe would be most comfortable for you.
BiTaksi also gives you the advantage of credit card payment in an industry that used to function on a strictly cash only basis. The app also enables you to have security if you happen to forget your belongings in the taxi. Since all transactions are recorded and monitored, if you happen to leave your belongings inside the taxi, all you need to do is contact the service, and they will try to arrange for their return. Perhaps the greatest advantage of this application is that it lifts the language barrier between tourists and their cab drivers. As many Turkish people do not know English and fewer tourists know Turkish, the app's English language option and easily navigable interface makes the whole ordeal a simple matter of calling a cab, learning the amount and knowing you are not on the losing end of a swindle.
BiTaksi has the potential to revolutionize taxi usage and transportation for both native Turks and tourists alike. For the time being, the app is limited to Istanbul; however, plans are underway to enable its usage all across the country. One simple app not only provides ease, assurance and security, but also manages to lift the cultural barrier of language in order to remove any and all unnecessary confusion resulting from misunderstandings.
