Interview Highlights from Vision Australia RadioIn this Interview Highlight, Peter Greco has an interesting chat with Olivia Barry, COO for A2B, parent company of 13CABS. New features in the 13CABS app allow users to change your profile and make it more friendly if using an assistance animal. Customer feedback is also welcome to help improve the service.
Well, it's always fabulous to bring you good news and good time of the year to bring you good news. If you're a person who uses the guide dog in particular, we've got some great news from one three cabs. In fact, we can welcome the Chief Operating Officer from HIV who own one three cabs, Olivia Barry. Olivia seasons greetings, lovely to meet you and thank you for your time.
Thank you for having me, Peter.
Now, this is very, very exciting. Tell us what you've done as far as your app goes.
Okay, so, Peter, we know there is an ongoing requirement to keep improving the way we look after passengers who are travelling with a guide dog or an assistance animal. And we have made it, you know, part of our mission to really continue to look at ways to improve that. And we have made some changes in our app that we think will provide a good step forward in the right direction with this. So passengers travelling with a guide dog or an assistance animal can nominate that they are doing so when they make a booking on our one three cabs app. And what that does is, um, a couple of things in the background. When that booking is sent out to our cars, the driver will not be able to see that the passenger has made that, uh, nomination, that they're travelling with the guide dog or an assistance dog. They'll just accept a job as it comes through. But once they accept the job, we will send a notification to the driver directly into their car to remind them of their obligations under the law when picking up passengers with guide dogs and assistance animals. And we'll also remind them to provide great service. And and we think by doing that and giving the driver that warning that we will facilitate more, uh, successful trips.
Okay. So I guess in a sense, it's kind of a prompt to say, you know, these are your responsibilities here it is in writing, as it were. Act appropriately. That's exactly.
Right. And the other thing it enables us to do is what the booking more closely. So we know that booking, um is sort of flagged in our system if you like. And we have four call centres across Australia, and we have supervisors who watch our particular jobs to make sure that they are picked up. And this will come through as one of those jobs that will sort of be treated with a little bit more special attention, and it gives us the opportunity to make sure the driver does the right thing or deal with that driver in real time.
Well, that's really, really important, isn't it? Because, yeah, I'm sure you've heard stories of people waiting for a cab. The cab turns up and then the driver says, no, no, I'm not taking you. And away they go. And of course, you know, hey, the passengers kind of lost or what do I do now and then in terms of some remedial action being taken, time can elapse.
That's exactly right. And we know that when we speak to drivers in real time about issues, we get much better results. Um, in terms of re-educating them or disciplining them if we need to. So we think that's a big positive to come out of this. And it means that the drivers know they're being watched a bit more closely too. Not a bad thing either.
No. Fair enough. Yeah. So this is for one three cabs and we're having a quick chat off air before coming to air. So you're right or this is kind of applicable right throughout Australia.
Right throughout Australia. So one three cabs app is available across Australia. And it could dispatch either 2 or 1 three cab or a silver service cab. Or in Perth we have Swan Taxis co-branded with one three cabs.
All right. Well that's very very good to hear. Can you give us a bit of an idea of how this has come about and why? I guess I can kind of guess, as I said, and it's not just one three cabs, but, you know, some of the rideshare people also get accused of not picking up people. I guess this is kind of trying to kind of be proactive and do something before it gets to that stage.
That's right. Peter, we, um, one three curves. And personally myself, we have been working in this space actively for a long time with Guide Dogs Australia and also with Assistance Animals Australia on educational videos and different methods we can use to communicate to drivers about this issue, and then other ways we can use our technology to keep improving the situation. And it's something that we come together as a team across our business, with our customer care team, our contact centre team to look after drivers and our tech team to continue to improve. And we have had some input across the last six months with some dedicated focus groups, which includes passengers who are travelling with guide dogs or assistance animals, or who are visually impaired, to give us that direct feedback about the experiences they've been having. Well, if.
I've got to say, as a person who is blind themselves and do catch cabs. I don't have a guide dog, but I do catch cabs, and I think it's great when you're consulting with the people that you're providing these services for, rather than someone sitting in an office saying, I think I know this is going to be a good idea, you actually going out there and seeking consultation, seeking feedback, which, you know, you're getting it right from the pardon the expression, but right from the horse's mouth.
No, that's right. And it is um, and has been such a humbling experience for us, the people involved and, you know, really spurred us on to find solutions that will work.
So you're talking about guide dogs, dog guides, whatever people like to call them, and indeed assistance dogs. So it's not just guide dogs.
That's right. Guide dogs and assistance animals.
Assistance animals. Yeah. Terrific. Now just to kind of clarify. So of course depending on what sort of device people have got, whether it's an iOS or Android that might matter in this instance.
No, no that won't matter. It's available on the app and you just nominate that you are traveling with a guide dog or an assistance animal, and we are able to disseminate some information to you, Peter, about how to actually do that and that you could possibly share that as well.
All right. Yeah, we've got that information we can put up with our show notes without wanting to turn this into a tutorial about the app. So just to clarify, people have got to kind of go into the app and change their, their preferences or their settings.
That's right, that's right. Okay. So yeah.
Yep. That's up to the individual to kind of go into the app and also then put the settings so that the people when they received the book and get get that information.
That's right. So in the top left hand corner when you open the app is a little hamburger menu. And you just tap that and then you tap profile, which will be your profile where you've loaded your own information. And in that screen it says travelling with an assistance animal. And you just click it and change the setting which is set to no. To. Yes.
Okay. Yeah. So you got it. You got to kind of catch that. Yeah. You got to kind of change it to say yes, you are travelling with an assistance animal and uh, and that's pretty much it and all about it.
That's it then. Yep. Then it'll stay there on your profile. And as you book taxis, that set of rules that happens in the background will just happen.
All right. And I think in your media release that you put out, you've actually said that if people do have a little bit of difficulty or if it's a little bit challenging to, uh, work with the app, you're more than happy for people to contact you and say, help, give me a hand.
Absolutely. So we have a customer care team, um, available to help. And also who like we really like to get people's feedback as that continues to help us, um, understand different situations. So we encourage people to please contact us and give us feedback as they're using this. And that would be great.
So in a sense, this is, um, an ongoing project. I mean, it's a fantastic initiative, but you're always leaving a bit of room for improvement or to make it better tomorrow than it is today.
100%, Peter. And we'll continue with our focus groups, because I'm sure there's more we can do in this space, not only with our own technology, but by speaking to regulators across the states as well, to help make sure drivers who do the wrong thing are dealt with appropriately.
I've got to say, Olivia, technology is a wonderful thing. I remember in the old days you'd drink for a cab and they wouldn't turn up, and then you'd ring them and say, I think it's on its way. Oh, yes. Not too far away. I mean, these days with the app, you can literally track the cab on your on your phone from when you book it till it gets to your front door.
That's right. Yeah. We've come a long way with booking. Booking channels, that's for sure. But in this.
Case, everyone's a bit more peace of mind as well, because you know that it's on the way. And and I've had situations where, you know, perhaps if they can't find me so easily, they've actually rung me and say, I'm here. Where are you? Give me some more instructions to actually find you. Which is a really cool thing, because particularly if you're out and about on your own or in a unusual situation or a unique situation. It can be a little bit daunting if you feel like you're being left high and dry.
So absolutely. Yeah, we have the Passenger Connect feature through the app, and that goes for the driver to be able to contact the passenger or the passenger to contact the driver and make sure that you can find each other very important.
We can all get very frustrated with technology. You've got to give it credit where credit is due. It can also be a bit of a plus. Now as this actually started now or yes.
Yes. Available now. Available now. Yep.
All right. Well, Olivia, thank you. And thank you for letting us know that that will give you contact details in a second. But obviously, coming into Christmas and the New Year period, I know cabbies are really, really, really, really busy. And I guess on behalf of all the good people in the world, I'd like to say, you know, be polite and be courteous to your key card or your rideshare driver. And we're out and about providing a service. So it's good if we can reciprocate with some cordiality. So. That's right. Just do the right thing. Yeah.
Be kind. I think it's the season to make sure we are under a lot of pressure.
Aren't they? Well, we should do it all year round, but particularly right now. So obviously 132227 is one three caps is phone number. If you got that email address handy there Olivia if you want to give feedback. Yeah.
Yes. Customer care at one three cabs. Com.au you can also go to our website and find your way through to the customer care feedback form there.
As I said, we'll put those all that information up with our show notes Olivia merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Congratulations. Merry Christmas. I hope that this is, well, the beginning and that it's successful. Yeah, I'm sure it will be. At least if people are aware then that's certainly have more than half the battle.
That's right. And thank you for for having me on and the opportunity to talk about it.
Olivia Berry. They're the chief operating officer for one three cabs. That app just launched. And if you have an assistance dog, go to the settings and change them. If you have any difficulties, give the office a call and they'll help you get the settings right.
