Optimizing taxi booking in Oslo Gardermoen airport
Oslo Gardermoen is Norway's primary international gateway. As a large hub, the airport faced significant challenges in managing taxi services effectively, impacting both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Partnering with OSL
In October 2021, Avinor issued a public tender seeking solutions to improve taxi operations at Oslo Gardermoen Airport. Avinor has chosen Rubynor, the founding company of Fast Travel, as a tender winner. With the innovative concept, changing from queue to marketplace, the cooperation has begun. From June 2023, the project formerly known as Flytaxien rebranded itself as Fast Travel and commenced operations as an independent company at the airport. Without Avinors visionary and bold choice of tender winner we would still not know how successful this new approach would be. Read on to learn about the challenges we solved at OSL and how we did it.
Transparent pricing
Goal
Ensure transparent pricing to prevent passengers from being overcharged.
Before
Passengers often faced unclear pricing and potential scams, leading to frequent complaints to the airport's support team.
After
Passengers are informed of their fare in advance, eliminating unexpected charges and ensuring clear, upfront pricing. The implementation of transparent pricing has resulted in an 80% reduction in customer complaints.
Analog vs. digital
Goal
Enhance the efficiency and customer experience.
Before
Staff at the BUA (Booking and Assistance) counter could only book one taxi at a time. This limitation caused long queues and increased waiting times for passengers, especially during peak travel hours.
After
The kiosks automated the booking process, allowing passengers to quickly select and book their taxis independently. Multiple kiosks are available, enabling several passengers to complete their bookings simultaneously.
Free choice marketplace
Goal
Allow travelers to pick their preferred taxi without third-party interference.
Before
Although passengers had the right to pick a taxi, most of them were not aware and were often pressured to take the first taxi in the queue.
After
The passengers can now pick a taxi from the entire queue, on an intuitive digital screen. No pressure of drivers calling out to the passengers.
Trip flexibility
Goal
Enable all types of taxi trips, including short rides.
Before
Passengers were often unable to book short trips due to drivers avoiding these requests, as they had to go back to the end of a line and wait for a long time after short rides. So, oftentimes, they preferred longer, more profitable fares.
After
The introduction of booking kiosks ensured passengers could book any trip type, including short rides. Thanks to our advanced queuing system, drivers no longer need to worry about accepting shorter trips, as the system fairly calculates their queue position after each ride.
Customer reviews
Goal
Improve customer satisfaction by addressing the key pain points in taxi booking process.
Before
Oslo Gardermoen Airport faced numerous customer complaints related to their taxi booking and transportation services.
After
The number of complaints has practically disappeared overnight as passengers now enjoy a seamless booking experience and transparent pricing.
Media coverage
Goal
Reduce negative media coverage.
Before
Frequent customer complaints about scams and poor service led to scandals and regular negative media coverage because of that.
After
Our structured approach provided clear operational guidelines for drivers, and significantly improved the overall service quality, eliminating newsmakers.
Environmental impact
Goal
Reduce CO2 emissions produced by taxis in the waiting lines.
Before
Crowded taxi waiting area where the drivers were moving up in the queue engines on, producing emissions, as they had to move spot by spot to get to the pole position.
After
Taxis now enter the area only when there are confirmed bookings. Now, the drivers do not need to secure their spot and stay in the line with engine on. This reduces idle time and minimizes CO2 emissions.
Ride confirmation
Goal
Eliminate conflicts between driver and passenger.
Before
In the traditional taxi queue, verbal agreements between passengers and drivers often lead to disputes. Without clear documentation, these situations frequently became a word-against-word conflicts, leaving the customer feeling cheated.
After
The kiosks have automated the booking process, ensuring that all taxis provide a digital confirmation of the order. This system includes comprehensive details such as the timing, vehicle information, destination, and fare, enhancing transparency and reliability for customers.
Mostly zero-emission fleet
Goal
Increase the percentage of zero-emission vehicles in the taxi fleet.
Before
When the cooperation with Oslo Airport started, the percentage of zero-emission taxis was less than 15%.
After
The number of zero-emission cars has tripled in the fleet. Moreover, implementing our system resulted in up to 75% of all taxi trips being serviced by zero-emission vehicles.
Wait times
Goal
Reduce the long wait times experienced by taxi drivers and passengers by implementing a smart queuing system.
Before
The drivers had to wait on average five hours to pick a passenger up. Their vehicle or fuel type did not matter—what mattered was if they were patient enough. This inefficiency not only impacted drivers' earnings but also contributed to congestion in the taxi area as vehicles waited in idle lines.
After
The shift from a queue-based system to a marketplace disrupted the old waiting-paradigm. The passengers now pick drivers on a digital booking screen, based on their traveling needs—whether they want a specific vehicle/fuel type, certain price, etc. Drivers can enter the area when they are needed, without prolonged waiting times.
Taxi market
Goal
Create a functional taxi market that aligns with demand and supply principles, allowing drivers to offer competitive services and prices.
Before
The taxi market at Oslo Airport was dysfunctional, failing to follow standard demand and supply mechanisms. Drivers often set prices based on arbitrary criteria rather than actual market demand, leading to inefficiencies and dissatisfaction among passengers.
After
Drivers can now adjust their offers based on real-time demand and supply dynamics due to our AI-powered Insights tool. This approach allows drivers to present their services, such as quality of car or competitive pricing, in response to customer demand.
Value for Oslo Airport Gardermoen
Increased customer satisfaction
Customer complaints have been virtually eliminated, except for rare instances of fraud or overcharging. In such cases, they are responded by decisive action and imposed sanctions on the offending company.
enhanced area management
Streamlined taxi management has minimized the need for additional security and administrative resources, enhancing overall efficiency. Avinor shows that they care about passenger safety.
Improved airport reputation
Enhanced service and efficient operations have bolstered the airport's reputation, leading to increased passenger satisfaction.
From start to destination: A safe and hassle-free taxi booking experience
Fast Travel has transformed the taxi service experience, addressing key pain points. Proof of concept is Oslo Airport, Norways largest airport and Avinors flagship of 25million passengers a year.
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