Tafara Makaza, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur who is based in Massachusetts in the United States of America, has launched a ZimTaxi application in an effort to solve the southern African nation’s “disorganized” public transport sector.
In an interview with Studio7, Makaza described ZimTaxi as a carpooling mobile application, which allows people to summon taxi drivers at a more affordable and reliable rate.
Makaza said the ZimTaxi App, just like Uber or Lyft, allows consumers to confirm a fixed price for a ride with the company and driver.
ZimTaxi monitors drivers using a rating system provided on the platform.
When describing the difference between ZimTaxi and other carpooling mobile applications that are known worldwide, such as Uber & Lyft, Makaza said, “ZimTaxi is a more primitive version of Uber, but with a Zimbabwean twist to it. There are other car-sharing mobile applications in Zimbabwe. However due to the way that ZimTaxi was designed, the mobile application utilizes less data in comparison to other car-sharing applications.”
Unlike other car sharing mobile applications, which primarily need cellular data to function, Makaza’s ZimTaxi App offers an alternative means of summoning drivers. According to Makaza, as an alternative, people can utilize the “call customer support” option which will allow employees of ZimTaxi to summon a driver for a customer.
He said he would fully utilize his Physics and Computer Science skills to benefit his nation.
Makaza added that his ZimTaxi App is another way of enticing international business firms to invest in Zimbabwe.
“If we start launching startups in Zimbabwe, maybe that will motivate some investors to say they are actually people who are motivated in Zimbabwe and they can invest in the startups that are happening right now.”
Makaza further urged the international community to look into investing into Zimbabwe.
For those who wish to utilize ZimTaxi, try downloading it on Google Play on this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fixazw.android.zimtaxi or follow their Twitter page (@zimtaxi) for more information.