Ethiopian Taxi-hailing and booking service RIDE, provided by the technology company Hybrid Designs PLC, on Friday said it will re-launch a premium internet based taxi hailing service in Addis Ababa the coming year, revamping its platform from its previous SMS centered infrastructure.

Hybrid Designs’ mission is making travelling in Addis safe and hustle free using latest and proprietary technologies directly tailored to the African market. Passengers can use RIDE phone app or a web portal in order to connect with partner drivers hanging nearby free of charge.

The application and web based service was necessary after RIDE encountered a major hurdle on poor technological infrastructures and a thorough assessment of consistently growing wireless phone users in the Capital. Following an exclusive deal signed between Hybrid Designs and Ze-Lucy Meter Taxi recently, the company has paved the way to deploy transportation technologies tailored to both local and foreign travelers.

Parliament earlier this year announced a plan to replace old blue/white city cabs to new and technologically advanced ones, opening the opportunity to over a thousand taxi owners to form a share company and import the vehicles.

Ze-Lucy Meter Taxi S.C. is expected to glow the city with their unique green and yellow color in partnership with RIDE, giving Addis Ababa a much deserved high quality transportation system. The association heads have shown a great deal of perseverance to import more than 800 cars in collaboration with other similar share companies that imported a few hundred vehicles, promising to extend the service and add more fleet of cars in the coming years.

Duty free taxi importation was allowed to a union of taxi PLCs by the government, including those working at the airport serving tourists and hotels. The new premium service in Addis Ababa will only involve commercially licensed drivers who pass an extensive background check and complete customer handling seminars.

Source: A Press Release by Hybrid Designs PLC

Note: The pictures inside the article are taken by the photographers of Hybrid Designs PLCand they have full right to use them in anyway.