Featuring a mix of electric six-seater, wheelchair-accessible, and hybrid vehicles, a fleet of around 200 premium taxis with a dedicated hailing app took to the streets Monday evening, although passengers need to pre-order an hour in advance during the trial period.
The app for the new premium taxi platform and fleet “JOIE” officially became available for download on various mobile app stores on Monday night, in Chinese, English, Arabic, and the “potential for more languages in the future”, a company spokesman said.
Users are able to book a car with at least one hour’s notice, and up to 24 hours in advance.
But Aaron Ng Hoi-shan, managing director at Tai Wo Management, which JOIE is a subsidiary of, explained that as the service was in its initial testing stage, the company aimed to provide a “controlled” taxi experience for passengers.
“We are trying to test the system and hope to test it in a controllable way, and the process of hiring drivers is still ongoing,” he said.
Despite the longer waiting period, he is confident it will not pose a significant problem with JOIE intending to cater to a specific demographic and certain travel needs.
