The News category in the Press Section of the eCabs website

Here one can find informative and interesting articles which the tech mobility company publishes from time to time.

Please click on the photo above each item to access the original article.

eCabs Circle

eCabs Circle celebrates 70,000 members

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eCabs Circle, the unique, app-based reward programme, launched in late 2020 by Maltese ride-hailing platform eCabs, now has 70,000 members and is growing at an increasing rate. The programme, which is open to all eCabs customers, converts the amount spent on fares into points in ever-increasing amounts. They are then converted into free rides. Through eCabs Circle, customers are now enjoying over 1,000 free rides per week.

Describing the reasons behind the launch of eCabs Circle, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Simon Debono said, “In a commoditised and highly competitive global mobility market, we needed to increase brand stickiness.  So, we designed a system to enhance customer loyalty through a tiered system that promotes usage and rewards to our highest-value customers based on the quantity of rides and actual spend. Developing this programme is also an important learning curve for our international ambitions, to facilitate market penetration strategies.”

“While, so far, our most loyal eCabs Circle members have been able to enjoy up to one in every seven rides for free, the success of this project is encouraging us to further develop the product and deliver additional benefits. For example, points could be converted into value for other modes of transport. This would promote the concept of multimodality which is much needed in Malta and many other cities around the world,” continued Debono.

The eCabs Circle app

The eCabs Circle platform is accessible through the eCabs App, giving each user full view of their status in points and rides. eCabs created the platform, while Yegertek – a Dubai-based company specialising in customer engagement and loyalty tech solutions – developed it. Yegertek’s Engage365-A Microsoft CRM based loyalty solutions have empowered several customer-facing enterprises like eCabs to maximise the efficacy of their engagement strategies.

Sajid Azmi, Founder and CEO of Yegertek, said, “The pandemic certainly accelerated the digitisation of customer engagement and loyalty. Companies like eCabs who understood this and acted now have a definite competitive advantage. Success demands that your strategies are agile, efficient and, most importantly, people centric. These will remain our focus as we continue to support eCabs in growing their business internationally.”

Kerstin Rizzo, eCabs Chief Programmes Officer added, “Since eCabs already runs on Microsoft Dynamics 365, we approached several Microsoft partners who specialise in reward schemes. We ultimately selected Yegertek as they met our extensive requirements, integrated well with our technology team, and displayed the willingness to further develop the product based on our design.” 

In the press:

The Malta Independent | The Malta Business Weekly

Cuorium Technologies Matthew Bezzina

eCabs’ tech arm Cuorium Technologies eyes international expansion

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Former eCabs Chief Executive Officer Matthew Bezzina recently took over the leadership role at Cuorium Technologies.

Malta’s ride-hailing company eCabs has shown impressive growth lately and, propelled by this success, its founders are looking to expand into new international markets. Most still think of eCabs as a transportation operator but in reality, at its core, we discover that behind the popular brand we see daily on our streets there is a technology and innovation powerhouse called Cuorium Technologies.

This business is poised to take its products into the mainstream of one of the most competitive and fast-paced sectors in the world: mobility. To chart this path, the company recently announced that former eCabs Chief Executive Officer Matthew Bezzina has now taken the leadership role at Cuorium Technologies – with a very clear vision of where this will take their business and the Maltese tech scene.

The Malta Business Weekly sat down with Bezzina to talk about the growth potential of Cuorium Technologies, what the challenges and opportunities are, and how the future of mobility is shaping up.

How would you describe the eCabs journey so far?

When we started the business over a decade ago, at the centre of our most rudimentary thoughts was how we could harness the emerging technologies to overhaul an archaic sector which thrived on the typical closed-shop culture that stifles innovation, competition and improved service delivery. Many – up to this very day – think of us as a transportation company but in effect we are an innovation-driven business which was capable of adapting technology to bring about a transformation in the mobility sector in Malta.

This has been a fascinating journey for us, particularly when you consider the uphill struggle any tech start-up faces in this country and this is why I look back with a sense of satisfaction and pride witnessing the way the business has grown over the years despite many challenges.

The major game-changer in our trajectory came about when we took a very tough decision and opted to re-build all our technology assets internally in order for us to own the intellectual property of all our platform, which would enable us to leverage what we achieved in Malta and transpose it in other jurisdictions.

Cuorium Technologies

After a huge investment and many man years of effort by all our fantastic tech team at Cuorium, we are now thrilled to see Cuorium Technologies embark on this exciting, new journey as we head for the internationalisation of our e-hailing platform.

What awaits you in the global mobility markets?  

We have no delusions of grandeur. We are grounded in reality. And whilst being firm believers in our product we are cognisant of the daunting challenge ahead of us. Our market intel clearly points at at a rapidly evolving market in practically all the continents, with ever-changing mobility trends and needs dramatically changing the world over.

Whilst international market penetration is always a tough proposition for a Maltese company we are striving to differentiate ourselves by leveraging our own IP and provide an e-hailing platform that delivers convenience, trust, and speed to both the driver and the passenger at the most affordable rates internationally. Our success in Malta is a living testament that our platform not only works but can also compete on equal footing with the mobility tech giants, something that makes us extremely proud of what we achieved and the space we’re in at the moment.

What are your expectations of the global mobility market?

As mobility is evolving, people are increasingly more likely to abandon their cars for running short-distance, urban errands. In this context, we expect the demand for services such as our platform to increase significantly across all demographics.

Forecasts see the European ride-hailing market reaching a value of over €51 billion in 2025. More than 160 million European residents will have used ride-hailing mobile applications by then. According to a Deloitte study in 2020, customers increasingly favour ride-hailing apps over traditional taxi services. It is important to note, that while the figure of 160 million passengers may seem high, it is only 20% of the entire population of the European Union. So, yes there is definitely potential for further market growth and expansion.

Today a small number of giant operators with rigid and complex model have captured the global market. These models are not nimble and flexible enough to enable existing fleet operators to participate in the e-hailing market through a seamless transitionary process, without making any capital outlay. Our model is squarely based on achieving a strong dose of fairness for:

  • the passenger (offering convenience, exceptional functionality and highly affordable rides).
  • the operator (delivering a fair return for the local champion of the service).
  • and most importantly the driver (ensuring he/she gets the lion’s share of the revenue generated).

What is your take on the Maltese start-up scene?

As much as I would love to say that there is a start-up ecosystem, I have to be frank and say that it does not really exist. We learned this the hard way. Incentives are negligible and procedurally cumbersome. Funding at the beginning of the project was non-existent, and as young entrepreneurs we never really managed to break the glass ceiling of the ‘established business community’.

Having said that we have recently witnessed a sea-change in attitude with the advent of the Malta Development Bank which is moving in the right direction to support viable and bankable businesses with the potential and commitment to make their venture happen. Hopefully other institutions follow in their footsteps so that we gradually start to create the much needed start-up ecosystem in Malta.

What are your strategic plans for supporting your internationalisation?

We have massive developments in the pipeline, which in turn will create further demand for the growth of our in-house technology team. By the end of the year we estimate to be one of the largest software firms in Malta fully dedicated to the development of our mobility technology assets. We will be onboarding more talent on our team as we increase our expertise in areas such as (but not limited to) machine learning, data science, cloud-computing and cloud-based architecture, edge-environment management, IoT application integration and mapping services.

I am also a firm believer that the success of our company’s internationalisation lies in the dedication and strong sense of belonging of our multi-cultural team. Apart from being an exceptional experience for all of us, the multi-culturalism of our team will be also commercially essential as we venture into foreign markets of diverse cultures. Our team, our leaders, my fellow founders and I are now on the starting blocks of a global race to penetrate as much markets as possible through our scalable platform. As we embark on this journey, we remain committed to fly our technology and innovation flag as high as we can across all the cities we shall be penetrating. The real journey starts now.

In the press:

The Malta Business Weekly 

eCabs Chief Technology Officer Luca de Michele

eCabs appoint Chief Technology Officer

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Technology arm poised for steady growth with appointment of Luca Di Michele as Chief Technology Officer.

Luca Di Michele has taken over the stewardship of eCabs’ technology team as Chief Technology Officer. He will be leading a growing multi-cultural team of software engineers from 13 nationalities. The team is building and shaping eCabs’ mobility technology platforms together with a growing extended team composed of QA specialists, product specialists, business analysts, and data analysts.

This appointment follows the company’s recent announcement of its corporate restructuring exercise. This saw the appointment of Andrew Bezzina as the new CEO for eCabs’ local operations. Matthew Bezzina is now leader for global operations and CEO for Cuorium Technologies, eCabs’ Technology arm.

Luca Di Michele joined eCabs in June of 2018 as a Senior Developer, moving on to Head of Development in September of 2019. In this role, he headed the team of developers at the newly set up Cuorium Technologies.

“Exciting times ahead of us” – eCabs Chief Technology Officer

“The company has been going through interesting phases of renewal and transformation over the past few years. I feel privileged to have been an integral part in shaping this transformation. We have built an awesome team of professionals here whom I am proud to have as colleagues. They are all driven by the same passion to see their creations come to life. And being given the liberty to explore and lead new technologies . We have exciting times ahead of us,” says Luca Di Michele, eCabs Chief Technology Officer.

eCabs Chief Technology Officer

Matthew Bezzina laid praise to eCabs’ new Chief Technology Officer saying, “Luca fully deserves this position. He has been given the space to grow. He has shown incredible ownership and leadership in building the technology that drives our platform with his team. Luca shares the same love and passion towards the brand as we do, and today knows this business inside out. We are fully confident that together with his growing team, we will keep our technology on its steady path, making an international success of it in the exciting years that lay ahead of us”.

In the press:

Times of Malta | Business Today | Who’s Who

eCabs restructuring

eCabs announce restructuring & appointment of new CEO for Malta operation

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Matthew Bezzina to lead the internationalisation of the Company after restructuring.

Leading ride-hailing and technology company eCabs has appointed the leadership team that will be executing its growth programme both locally and internationally as the Company is preparing itself to establish operations in international markets in the next 12-24 months.

As CEO for Cuorium Technologies, eCabs Technology arm, and the leader for global operations, Matthew Bezzina will be spearheading the internationalisation efforts for eCabs technology platform. Co-founder Andrew Bezzina replaces him as CEO for the local ride-hailing operations, in a period that is registering record performance and an ever-growing team of partner drivers.

In his forecast for 2022 and beyond for the local brand, Andrew Bezzina explained how despite all the challenges, 2022 is seeing eCabs registering double-digit growth on its best performance, a clear result of the company’s investments across all its business units.

“Our technology platform is continuously growing and improving with over 1,400 partners driving on our platform locally, a number that has exponentially grown over the last 12 months and which keeps growing. Local triple-digit year-on-year growth remains an ambition we are relentlessly working towards in the forthcoming years,” he added.

Restructuring and investment in its tech platform

The last two years have also seen eCabs accelerating its investment in its technology platform, as it positions itself to launch its technology in the exciting and growing international ride-hailing industry. The pipeline of investors and potential partners in the company’s target territories for its first wave of global growth is extremely encouraging.

“Forecasts state that the European ride-hailing market is to enjoy an annual growth rate of 12.5 percent. This is worth an estimated €45 billion in 2022. By 2025, Europe forecasts a mobility market of 160 million people, which is just 20% of its total population and still predominantly using offline channels – figures that show a global industry that is still in its infancy, with substantial growth opportunities,” Matthew Bezzina said.

Whilst eCabs’ principal interest remains that of launching the brand in different territories, the company also offers white-labelled software solutions to brands in any territory. “The leadership team we have put in place is already reaping its benefits. We are better positioned to keep growing our business. Thereby making make a national success out of our home-grown efforts in the digital space” Matthew concluded.

In the press:
Malta Today | Times of Malta | Who’s Who

Over 1,000 drivers join eCabs’ Partner Driver Model

Over 1,000 drivers join eCabs’ Partner Driver Model

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Ride-hailing operator eCabs has registered record growth in the last quarter of 2021, pursuant to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. And since launching its Partner Driver Model in 2021, the platform hosts over 1,000 drivers and is growing at a steady pace.

“Interest in the eCabs Partner Model keeps growing and notwithstanding the current situation, we are still experiencing positive trends. This is pushing partner fleets and driver confidence for a healthy year ahead of us, as well as attracting new blood into the industry,” Marvin Cuschieri, chief people officer at eCabs, said.

Cuschieri outlined that with major international low-cost airlines having reported huge spikes in demand this January and also projecting a summer of pre-COVID volumes and beyond, eCabs will continue in 2022 where it left in 2021.

“Our projections for 2022 are very solid and buoyed by our performance, we are firmly confident to sustain the pace of growth. As summer approaches, the market will undoubtedly require more drivers than the currently available pool in our country to cater for the projected growth, both for tourism and local clients. We will keep investing heavily in the technology that drives our model to make the life of our partners easier and their work more profitable.”

Partner driver platform and support

While eCabs’ proprietary partner driver platform manages all rides and communication with partners, including operational intelligence, the eCabs partner driver support team operates 24/7, giving all partner drivers unparalleled assistance when they require it, coupled with very advantageous commissions.

“We coined the term ‘partner driver’ as it reflects the relationship we have with our drivers, whom we believe are an equally important stakeholder in our ecosystem. Partners operating on the eCabs platform benefit from open and consistent communication. This, we believe, will keep helping to build a sustainable industry into the future,” Cuschieri remarked.

Growth through technology

The last two years have seen eCabs accelerating its investment in its fully-owned platform, as the ride-hailing industry keeps growing and disrupting the transport sectors the world over.

With a team of over 50 in-house technologists, the core mission of eCabs remains that of growth through technology at the forefront, shaping a platform that places the partner drivers in control of their operation.

“We are now ready for the growth that our platform is about to experience over the next months. We are bolstered by the trust that the majority of partner drivers is putting in our platform – we shall reciprocate that with stronger investment in our technology and an increasingly fairer deal for their engagement with us,” Cuschieri concluded.

In the press:

Times of Malta | Oh My Malta

eCabs cab company of choice

eCabs is cab company of choice in Malta Today survey

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The St Julian’s-based company eCabs is the cab company of choice for commuters, followed by Bolt, a Polar survey on private taxis has found.

eCabs is the preferred choice of 50.8% of people and its popularity cuts across all age groups and all regions, while Bolt is the preferred choice of 22.4% of people, being more popular among the younger audiences. Cool, the ride sharing service, is the preferred choice of 2.6% of people, while 7% prefer other services and 16.3% provided no answer.

On a geographical basis, eCabs is strongest in the South-Eastern region with 59.7% of people indicating it as their taxi company of choice. Its lowest score is in Gozo with 37.3%. But Gozo is also the area with highest rate of non-answers and with the other services (12.4%) featuring strongly.

Bolt’s strongest preference is in the Northern Harbour region with 26%. Additionally, in Gozo, Bolt just edges out ‘other services’ with 12.5% indicating it as a their preferred taxi company.

eCabs is cab company of choice among those with post-secondary education

Bolt is most popular among the tertiary educated (35.3%). It is least popular among those with a primary education (8.1%). However, those with a primary education are also the most likely not to use taxi companies.

eCabs is most popular among those with a post-secondary education (58.2%). Conversely, it is least popular among those with a primary education (38.6%). Among the tertiary educated, eCabs scores 50%.

When asked how would they hail a taxi, a relative majority prefer doing so by telephone (48%), followed by online means (42%).

Online is preferred method of those aged between 16 and 35

Online is overwhelmingly the preferred method of those aged between 16 and 35 (70.8%) and those aged between 36 and 50 (56.7%).

The tide shifts to telephone among those aged 51 and over.

The survey was carried out between Monday 5 April 2021 and Friday 9 April 2021. 647 respondents opted to complete the survey. Stratified random sampling based on region, age and gender was used to replicate the Maltese demographic. The estimated margin of error is 4.9% for a confidence interval of 95% for the overall results. Demographic and sub-group breakdowns have significantly larger margins of error.

In the press:

Malta Today

eCabs safer

eCabs’ service becomes even safer, more personal

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eCabs has launched four new cab categories within its mobile App. This will help customers make better and easier choices and improve the user experience when booking their mobility requirements.

The four options are Eco, Pets, Booster Seat and Assist. The options will contribute to an even safer and more comfortable customer experience. This within a faster and simpler booking process through the App, or all other booking channels.

Additionally, in line with eCabs’ ambitious electric vehicles project, customers may now easily opt for a 100% electric or hybrid vehicle. Clients may do this through the Eco option within the App. Furthermore, people looking for a taxi service with care seat can also book a cab with a booster seat for their little travellers. They can also opt for eCabs Assist whenever they need a little extra help and special assistance from trained drivers. This is in line with eCabs’ Passenger Safety Charter standards.

Clients wishing to travel with their pets may also order a cab easily. While eCabs has been pet friendly for over five years, the in-app experience and booking flow has now been much improved.

A safer, more reliable and pleasant user experience

“These new categories aim at providing more personalisation that offers a safer, more reliable and pleasant user experience. Our design and development team is consistently hard at work to improve our product offering for a more intuitive and seamless user experience,” says Simon Debono, eCabs’ Chief Officer for Marketing and Business Development.

This move follows eCabs’ recently announced project that will see it run entirely on green vehicles by 2025. It also builds on its commitment to offer more choice with their growing number of partner drivers which can be booked through the eCabs Go category in-App. Partner drivers are also incentivised to go Green through more favourable terms.

“These four new categories define the eCabs brand as a more sustainable and all-inclusive one. One which seeks to constantly improve the customer experience. This is one of many more improvements that we will be seeing this year as we keep on consolidating our platform in preparation for our long-term ambitions,” concluded Simon Debono.

In the press:

Newsbook.com.mt

eCabs Green

eCabs to be 100% Green by 2025

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Mobility company eCabs is embarking on an ambitious project that will see it run entirely on green vehicles by 2025.

eCabs CEO Matthew Bezzina announced this initiative in the presence of Minister for Energy, Enterprise, and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli.

Minister Dalli welcomed this investment as a strong signal by the private sector that wants to be part of the Government’s vision to decarbonise the economy by 2050.

“The private sector will find the Government on its side in its transition towards a more sustainable economy. My Ministry, together with other government entities, is working hard on a holistic strategy that will help encourage the take up of zero and low-emission vehicles,” Dr Dalli said.

She explained that a further take up by the private sector will help Malta reach its targets. “We can only reach our national targets if everyone is onboard. The Government is doing its part to encourage and facilitate the use of methods that are less harmful towards the environment, both financially and logistically,” the Minister said.

On his part, Mr Bezzina welcomed the commitment from Government adding: “The project to electrify our whole fleet and install all the required infrastructure will mean a significant investment by eCabs, which does require equal commitment from Government to ensure that the infrastructure to support electric mobility be implemented. This support given to this vision is welcome and encouraging”.

eCabs’ ongoing vision towards becoming more green

The electrification process has started with the launch of a number of fully electric vehicles including models from KIA, Hyundai and Citroen that join the existing hybrid vehicles in the eCabs fleet.

Mr Bezzina continued that positives could be taken from the sacrifices all had to endure in 2020, “The restrictions during last year’s lockdown sent our industry into a spiral, but on a more positive note less traffic meant reduced air pollution and cleaner air for everyone. The country although eerily deserted, was more liveable than it was for ages. This strengthened our resolve to cement our ongoing vision towards becoming even more sustainable and inspired our eCabs Greener Future initiative,” stated Matthew Bezzina.

“We are seeking more sustainable and cleaner operations in everything we are doing, including the future development of our owned spaces as well as a sustainable framework which includes incentivising and supporting our partner drivers to follow in these footsteps,” added Mr. Bezzina.

Concurrently and in support to this commitment, eCabs will also be launching a scheme to incentivise its partner drivers to invest in EVs or Hybrids including an improved financial model and other frameworks.

eCabs officially launched its Partner Drivers initiative late last year following the Public Service Garage reform concluded and launched by Government. The initiative offers self-employed drivers the opportunity to work for Malta’s leading home-grown mobility provider non-exclusively, essentially allowing drivers to increase their revenue stream possibilities, much needed in these troubling times.

In the press:

The Times of Malta | Who’s Who | Lovin Malta | Gozo News | Gadgets

eCabs R&D Dr Bernard Grech

eCabs proof that R&D is way forward for country

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Malta should direct serious investment towards R&D, says Opposition Leader Dr Bernard Grech.

“Maltese culture is not inducive of risk. Few people are willing to take risks and this is why a company like eCabs who 10 years ago took a leap of faith and courage, needs to be a role model for tomorrow’s generations,” Opposition Leader Dr Bernard Grech said during a visit to eCabs’ Head Offices in St Julian’s.

“Malta should put R&D at the top of its priorities“

The Opposition Leader praised eCabs for its long-term vision that notwithstanding the challenges, persevered for 10 years with unwavering determination and courage, invested in innovation and technology and become a leader in mobility.

“Malta should put research and development at the top of its priorities and direct serious investment towards this sector because Malta holds a lot of potential and talent that needs to be tapped. Proof of this is the success story that is eCabs – a successful start-up that has grown into an enterprise and is now looking beyond our shores,” said Dr Grech.

“Believing in local talent should not merely stop at applauding start-ups but should translate into tangible actions most notably through the creation of an ecosystem that encourages the flow of venture capital and investment support to move innovative ideas from concept to market,” said eCabs CEO Matthew Bezzina.

Transforming passenger mobility through technology

Bezzina recalled how 10 years ago, eCabs embarked on a journey to radically transform passenger mobility through the application of technology.

“We started small but with big aspirations. We succeeded to make the leap from start-up to enterprise and now making our first steps to take our dream into international waters. The growth-path was far from plain-sailing, within a system that instead of nurturing growth, acted more as a barrier. If Malta wants to be the tech destination it aspires to be, we need to collectively act on empowering start-ups and tech ventures to grow and make the same leap we made,” added Mr Bezzina. 

In the press:

The Times of Malta | Malta Business Weekly

eCabs Passenger Safety Charter

eCabs implements pioneering Passenger Safety Charter

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eCabs is the first mobility service provider in Malta to ever implement and commit to a comprehensive Passenger Safety Charter. Through the Charter, it is voluntarily self-regulating its standards. This will ensure the highest level of passenger safety in the provision of its services.

The Charter is titled ‘eCabs and You’. It represents a commitment by the Company to consistently take proactive measures to ensure the safety of its passengers and drivers. It also creates and promotes a responsible environment for safer Maltese roads.

“From day one, our commitment has not only been that of bringing positive disruption and meaningful change in our sector but also to help raise the bar when it comes to standards across the board. Passenger and driver safety are at the inner core of our services. This is why we decided to go the extra mile and impose on ourselves standards which go beyond those stipulated by the law” says Matthew Bezzina, CEO of eCabs.

“It is within this spirit that we have been working on the Passenger Safety Charter for the past months. So today we are proud to have reached this very important milestone in our journey. We have researched and sought international best practice. We shaped a Charter which will set the gold-standard for mobility in Malta. The ‘eCabs & You’ Passenger Safety Charter is defined by our brand values, being in touch with what matters most to passengers, drivers and all those with whom we share the road. This includes pedestrians, cyclists and people in other vehicles,” added Matthew Bezzina.

A 24/7 controlled environment with a safety-first priority

The Charter is enabled by the fact that eCabs’ remains the only operator that boasts a 24/7 controlled environment with an over-riding safety-first priority. Whilst the entire operation is fully technology-driven, eCabs retains an element of manned and logistical control. Consequently, this ensures constant support for the hundreds of drivers. It also ensures full control over drivers’ trips, tracking of locations and system access control.

‘eCabs & You’ defines the rights and responsibilities of both the passengers and the drivers. It does this by clearly defining the parameters within which a journey is to take place. The Charter covers all key areas. These include customer care, health and safety, vehicle sanitisation, driver behaviour, passenger interaction, mutual respect and emergency protocols.

Passenger Safety Charter sets parameters for safe travel guidelines

Greta Borg Bezzina, Operations Director at eCabs, said “the Charter sets out the parameters for safe travel guidelines,. It also clearly sets out how complaints are handled, and promotes the ease of booking through the multichannel booking options. Additionally it states the Company’s ‘Lost & Found’ policy. Items found in cabs following a drop-off are returned to customers through eCabs’ 24/7 contact centre.

“eCabs is not only committed to take passenger and driver safety very seriously but to also drive positive action by everyone to take safety on the road seriously. Our Passenger Safety Charter is a mutually beneficial tool being enshrined in the fabric of the Company. Passengers will understand better their rights and responsibilities, as well as those of their driver. They will also benefit from the peace of mind knowing they are trusting a Company where their safety is not a mere hashtag, but a core value. We are committed to keep on leading the space of passenger safety. We trust that our Charter will inspire all stakeholders in the sector into nurturing a true commitment towards road safety.”

In the press:

The Malta Independent | Business Today