Features
30 Oct 18

Uber v.s. Taxi co-ops in Brazil

Taxi drivers and Uber drivers are not the best of friends in Brazil, owing to the latter taking over a large part of the market in recent years.

Although they are very similar, there are a few differences between taxi co-ops and ride hailing app-based services, according to Ryan Marques who is the founder of Brazilian startup In Taxi Media.

“While ride hail services are grouped by way of app users in a particular database, taxi co-ops are grouped by obliging drivers to put a sticker on their car and using a particular type of clothing. Basically, the latter has stricter standards and are more professional,” says Marques.

For example, considering the Use Taxi co-op, the cars are usually no more than three years old, drivers all wear a tie, and they have safety and cleanliness standards to follow. Sometimes, even the type of car is stipulated.


In Taxi entertainment screen (Source: In Taxi)
 

Total shared fleet

Meanwhile, Marques stated that Brazil’s total shared fleet is closing in on half a million.

“There are roughly 150,000 cabs in the country and at least 200,000 ride-hail drivers such as Uber. “I’d say that the total shared transportation fleet in the country is probably between 300,000 and 500,000 cars,” Marques told Global Fleet just ahead of his talk at the Welcome Tomorrow 2018 mobility conference (WTM18).

In terms of taxis, nearly 50% are in the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, being around 38,000 in São Paulo and 33,000 in Rio de Janeiro. Approximately 87% of all taxis are owned by the driver and the rest are part of a fleet.

Based in São Paulo, In Taxi Media installs interactive video screens in Brazilian cabs for passenger entertainment.

For more on the trends of Latam fleet and mobility, attend the Fleet Latam expert meeting in São Paulo being held on October 30 during the Welcome Tomorrow 2018 mobility conference from 2-6pm. The meeting features speakers from vehicle leasing and fleet management companies, automakers, and more.


GolSat Executive Director and Founder of PARAR Institute Ricardo Imperatriz kicks off Welcome Tomorrow 2018 (Source: Global Fleet)

Authored by: Daniel Bland