TECHNOLOGY NEWS YOU CAN USE
Minicabit hails the trade to forge taxi partnerships
Lee Hayhurst
lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk
Taxi booking mobile app and comparison site Minicabit is looking to forge trade partnerships having built a national network of 700 cab operators.
The firm has hired experienced
travel executive Carl Cromie, who previously worked for Columbus Travel Media and Hostelbookers. com, as head of partnerships. Minicabit already provides
white-label versions of its technology to London City and Heathrow airports, and Expedia, fulfilling inbound transfers at Manchester and Birmingham. Founder and chief executive
Amer Hasan, who once pitched the company on BBC2’s Dragons’ Den, said: “Uber is doing partnerships, but is very much the on-demand city centre-type model. There are not many companies that can offer the scale we do.” Unlike Uber, Minicabit targets
TripEdge to provide content for start-ups and independents
Robert Wheeler has turned TripEdge into a content supplier, having failed to attract much interest in his lead-generation company for agencies. Wheeler, formerly web designer
at Flightline Essex, is now offering travel guides to 27 of the most-popular destinations for UK holidaymakers. The re-emergence of TripEdge comes three years after the
MINICABIT: Amer Hasan (centre) with investors Dominic Perks (left) and Rupert Hambro
“There are not many companies that can offer the scale we do”
the pre-planned cab market, with bookings available from 30 minutes’ lead-in time to 12 months. The firm is looking to integrate
its booking service into travel partners’ products to give clients a domestic transfer service between
home and ports of departure. Due to Minicabit’s coverage of
providers it can compare the prices of cab firms based at the point of departure and destination. As well as prices, the firm also
compares attributes such as availability of Wi-Fi, whether they take pets and carbon emissions. Last autumn, Minicabit raised
£1.4 million investment funding as well as private backing from two
leading investors.
minicabit.com
“With travel in the UK being
such a crowded marketplace, high- quality travel content can make the difference between being at the top of Google’s result pages or at the bottom and that can directly relate to a travel agency’s profits. “We will have to wait and see
CAPE VERDE: One of 27 travel guides available from TripEdge
original concept was shelved. Wheeler said: “The original
idea of TripEdge is still to help independent UK travel agencies and travel start-ups.
32
travelweekly.co.uk 28 January 2016
if this business model works for TripEdge, five years after the website first launched.” Wheeler has worked in travel
for 16 years and has written for 100 websites. That knowledge is now available to agents. All 27 guides cost £250 and no
attribution or links are requested.
tripedge.co.uk
in association with NEWS IN BRIEF
ATC Shopper allows OTAs’ customers to make changes
Amadeus has introduced online ticket-changing technology to save its online travel agents time. Amadeus Ticket Changer (ATC) Shopper enables OTAs’ customers to make changes and rebook flights at any time. Amadeus expects ATC Shopper to prompt an increase in the number of flight changes and, as a result, improve earnings for OTAs offering this option.
amadeus.com
Three more travel groups sign up to reviews site Feefo
Specialist Holidays Group, Celebrity Cruises and travel agency Travel Bureau have signed up to reviews platform Feefo, allowing them to collect and respond to reviews from genuine customers.
feefo.com
Iata Argus to help agents and airlines cut payment fraud
Iata has launched a fraud prevention management tool to help agents and the aviation industry crack down on fraud. Payment fraud costs the
travel industry an estimated $858 million a year, with $639 million borne by airlines and the remainder by other participants in the travel chain, including travel agents. Iata Argus Fraud Manager
– offered in conjunction with IT and payment solutions provider
Ypsilon.Net – offers a fully integrated and automated payment fraud detection and management solution. It can notify the agent or airline
of a suspicious booking, and automatically void, suspend or
cancel a ticket.
iata.org
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