Taxi drivers are the best sensors to capture a city’s spirit as they seem to condense the changes in the social dynamics of citizens. Taxi drivers in Bogota have been heroes and villains, but their bad reputation prevails as they are associated with aggressive driving habits, thefts and tricks. Some are using mobile technology and the massive adoption of Twitter in order to improve their image and change the rules of a business driven by more than 50,000 taxis.
Who is @Hugoleonrojito?
In March 2011 taxi driver Hugo Valenzuela (a.k.a. @hugoleonrojito), motivated by the mentions about Twitter in the radio shows he listens to during his workday, started to offer his service to his Twitter followers who could book a ride through a mention or hashtag. By word of mouth, his idea started to gather more followers and six months later, the story was published by the national newspaper El Espectador, amplified in the radio by La W and broadcasted on TV by local channel City TV.
His fame and followers went through the roof, inspiring other taxi drivers to adopt the same mechanism and, almost by accident, ended up creating an alternative transportation system for a specific and influential niche group in Bogota: “Twitteros” – hardcore Twitter users. @Hugoleonrojito decided to bet on the quality of the service and his role as a model driver, using Twitter to break the barrier between taxi drivers and citizens.
Technology, accompanied by good customer service, is the future. – @hugoleonrojito
The technology of the taxi drivers
The massive adoption of smartphones, sparked in Colombia by Blackberry and mobile operator Tigo in 2011 with a reduction in rates and prepaid packs offers, facilitated access to users in lower segments of the population, like @Hugoleonrojito, who have a strong and natural curiosity for technology. Today, companies such as Brazilian startup Easy Taxi have started to worry traditional taxi operators, most of which are still working exclusively with radiotelephones.
Insights: Twitter taxi drivers
- Use the technology as a differential element focused on the improvement of customer service, not only as a novelty.
- Find disruptive and alternative uses for social media or online tools, solving complex topics such as insecurity or distrust towards an area of the population.
- Design services for niche groups connected by the same technology in order to go beyond the traditional demographic segmentation.
Insights: People
- Internet access in Colombia has increased from 36% (2006) to 64% (2012) amongst the urban and adult population. Nonetheless, there are still big differences between social classes. Access in the higher social class is 89%, whereas in the lower class it is only 35%.
- Mistrust is a critical topic amongst the people of Bogota, a problem nourished by the insecurity and corruption, topics associated to the deep complexity and cultural fragmentation in big Latin-American cities.
- Radio stations, predominant in public buses, taxis and particular vehicles, have broadened their audience using Twitter and other digital channels, extending their influence.
Future
It is the access to a certain technology and not only its existence which determines its impact. Factors such as price and usability are key in the Colombian market.
This article is part of the iF BOGOTA Trend Report, a unique project from trend research company wabi-sabi lab about the imperfect future of Bogotá, featuring 50+ stories, interviews and cultural insights from this inspiring city which may become the next capital of Latin America.
Photos: Marcel Capato for iF / imperfect FUTURE /.
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