‘Tis certainly the season to be merry, but also the season to be weary. As we head into the festive season, a time of year that is characterised by long days on the beach and late nights at the bar, it is also the season of road blocks and traffic fines galore.

Fortunately for those residing in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the free smartphone cab hailing app Taxify, has, in but a few months, established itself as one of the top transport apps in the country. Taxify is solidifying its place in the industry through partnering with reputable events, organisations and companies as their preferred mode of transport, most recently providing rides to the attendees of the MTV MAMA Awards 2016, hosted in Johannesburg in October, at discounted promo rates.

Taxify is expanding its driver partner base at a phenomenal rate to keep up with its growing clientele. Since its South African relaunch in April this year, Taxify has managed to double the number of cab drivers aligned with it on a month-to-month basis.

The general feeling among drivers is that the earning potential with Taxify exceeds those with other cab hailing apps. One such driver, who has been driving independently for the past 8 years, admits that, “at the moment I am not active on any other apps other than Taxify, I still have the other profile but I am not using it. The thing is, we are driving to earn a living and with [another app] they are taking too much. With Taxify we earn more.”

According to Taxify, its drivers earn an average 10 percent more than those of their competitors. “We want to support local entrepreneurs to make money by taking less commission and in turn they earn more per trip while being one of the cheapest rides for customers.”

Drivers also concede that there is a greater level of support from the Taxify head office when issues and concerns arise. They are able to discuss these on either an open WhatsApp forum which includes all drivers or to contact Taxify representatives privately depending on the nature of the issue at hand.

With a stringent driver vetting process in place Taxify ensures that Taxify customers or to use the insider industry term, Riders safety is assured. All drivers are required to have a Professional Drivers Permit (PDP) allowing them to transport passengers which is subject to annual renewal and is issued undergo roadworthy and safety checks.

Taxify has set it as its mission to provide South Africans with a safe, convenient and efficient medium through which riders are paired only with legitimate and registered drivers. This should offer many a festive season reveller some peace of mind as we head to the party season. One needs to assess as to whether it's worth the risk driving under the influence when faced with the possibility of hefty fines, incarceration or over and above that the possibility of being the cause of a potentially fatal accident?

During the month of December 2015, motorist accrued fines to the staggering total of R11 million in the Western Cape alone. This is a testament to increased presence of traffic law enforcement on the roads during this highly vulnerable period. The number of fatalities due to road accidents during this same period increased by 14 percent in a single year, from 1 535 in 2014 to 1 755 in 2015, according to a statement issued by Transport Minister Dipuo Peters.

* The Taxify Rider App is available for download on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.

* For marketing and partnership opportunities contact: National Marketing Manager, Clint Sheraton: clint@taxify.eu

This content is paid for by the organisation named in the advertorial.