How a local taxi business boosted passenger hires with Pomelo Pay

Taking payments on the go has always been a bit of a hassle. Should you use cash? A mobile card reader? Send an invoice later on? It’s a question that is especially predominant in the taxi industry, where not offering a specific payment method can often result in lost business.

That’s why Amran, owner and manager of Sky Taxis, was very happy when he discovered a new way of taking card payments with Pomelo Pay.

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How Pomelo Pay boosted Sky Taxi’s customer numbers

Sky Taxis used to only accept one payment method: cash. This meant his drivers would miss between 2-4 hires every shift. If a potential customer came up to the taxi and asked if they accepted card payments, the driver would have to say no and miss out on business.

This all changed when Amran started using Pomelo Pay. With QR codes, Amran’s taxi drivers can turn their smartphones into card machines and take card payments. Everyone has a smartphone nowadays, which means customers just need to scan the driver’s QR code with their phone and complete their payment with Apple or Google Pay (and they will always have the option to pay with cash as well).

Pomelo Pay’s user management system also saves Amran both money and time: he no longer has to buy an individual card reader for each taxi, and he doesn’t have to spend hours gathering accounts and financials from his drivers like he used to.

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How Sky Taxis uses Pomelo Pay to manage his drivers

With a Pomelo Pay account, Amran can add multiple users to his account. This was a deciding factor for him because it meant he no longer had to chase his drivers and gather their income earned at the end of the week. Instead, all customer payments go directly into his account.

He says so himself:

“It’s all in one hub rather than everyone having their individual card readers and it being all over the place. If I had 7 drivers using card readers, then I would have had to manage their account. With Pomelo Pay, it’s more streamlined. And then at the end of the month you get your statements and it is easier for your paperwork.”

This feature is useful for any business in any industry: whether you’re in construction, the food and beverage sector, managing property or pretty much any industry that requires managing several accounts, adding users to one account makes financial and staff management a lot easier.

And like Amran did, the feature is easy to trial. Before implementing it into Sky Taxis, Amran trialled Pomelo Pay using Test Mode. This meant he could test and try it out QR code payments before risking any money or committing to it fully.

To add users to your Pomelo Pay account, simply head to “manage users” and then “invite new user”, and you’ll be able to add new user information, their email address, and decide the level of permission:

How Sky Taxis use QR codes

Amran tells us that card payments caused issues for Sky Taxis:

“Even before the pandemic, and a bit now, a lot of business people were travelling and because they’ve got cards, that's all they wanted to pay with because they can claim it through the business  - they don’t want to pay cash.”

As a taxi business, the only payment method accepted was cash. But with Pomelo Pay’s QR codes, drivers can now take card payments at Sky Taxis. This is how it works:

1. Each of his drivers has the Pomelo Pay app with their sub account.
2. When a customer hires a taxi, the driver simply inputs the total price on the app which then turns into a QR code.
3. The customer just needs to scan the QR code with their phone, input their card details or use Apple/Google Pay and complete payment.
   
4. Both the driver and Amran get an instant notification that the payment has been made.
5. The total payment amount hits Amran’s account the next working day.

By turning a smartphone into a payment method, Amran doesn’t need to buy individual card readers for each driver. And without card readers, there’s no risk of them getting lost!

Amran can also use Pomelo Pay to take pre booking requests: he sends customers a secure payment link and they complete the payment before their scheduled ride. He can seamlessly integrate this into his website by using Pomelo Pay’s free online shop. Sky Taxis will soon be launching an app, and Pomelo Pay’s QR codes and payment links can easily be integrated within the app.  

With Pomelo Pay’s new Tap to Pay feature, drivers will even be able to accept contactless payments with their smartphones. As he says himself:

“I can integrate the Shop to my website, add multiple staff to my account, take contactless payments and now that Tap to Pay is going to launch, it will give me all the requirements for my business.”

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A bit about Sky Taxis

Sky Taxis is a small to medium business that offers private taxis to people who need to travel for business or for private reasons. They are based in Stirling, and do everything from long distance runs, airport transfers, hen parties and contract work. They focus on offering a high quality service since 2008 and consider themselves very knowledgeable about the area.

Thanks to tools like Pomelo Pay, Amran can offer modern services that increase his revenue while remaining cost-effective.

The Pomelo Pay app offers payment solutions for businesses in a wide range of industries. Thanks to QR codes and payment links, cash-heavy businesses can now accept card payments without spending hundreds on card machines or payment software. Wonder if it would work for your business? Get in touch with our Sales Team and trial it in Test mode!

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