How to Create a Bulk Campaign for a Taxi Service

A taxi service is a profitable business, even despite the challenges of our time. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people across Ukraine use the services of many companies and private carriers, making the competition in this niche significant. However, for your brand to achieve not just situational but sustainable profit, trust is necessary.

Trust is primarily earned through work — adequate pricing policy and quality service. Timely informing customers plays a crucial role, both regarding service issues and notifying them about interesting offers. The ideal SMS campaign for a taxi service and everything you need to consider is detailed below.

Service SMS

People run late. For state exams, board meetings, or weddings. They try to get home quickly during air raid alerts or to work during charity runs. They attempt to reach the emergency room with a swollen leg and to transport their aunt’s parrot safely.

No matter the dramatic or joyful events leading up to a taxi call, every customer needs to be confident: the car will be there. It will arrive at the agreed time and be in good condition. Such details must be considered in every service message from the taxi service. Whether the client is occasional or regular, this information is primarily about convenience. It’s also about respect for the customer’s time and nerves.

Below are five points that ensure such confidence:

1. Estimated or Exact Arrival Time:
   “The car will arrive at 13:33” or “The car will be there in 7 minutes”.
   By the way, if the car is delayed for any reason, it’s also worth informing the customer — why make them nervous?
   
2. Car Description: Everything that helps the driver and passenger find each other is crucial in busy places. This includes the registration number, car make, and color — not everyone knows how to distinguish a Chevrolet from a Toyota:
   “Red Mercedes, number ХХ1234ХХ”.
   
3. Notification of Taxi Arrival: This is especially relevant in winter or during bad weather.
   “The car is at the address” or “The car is waiting for you”.
4. Direct Communication: Allow drivers and customers to communicate directly. No one is immune to mistakes, and even the most modern GPS navigators can malfunction. To avoid unwanted complications, simply provide the driver’s phone number in the SMS. Including their name would be beneficial too, if technically possible in your company.
   “Driver’s phone: 12345678” or “Driver Volodymyr is on the way, call 123455678”.
   
5. Payment Amount:
   “Your fare is $10”.
   

Thus, the template for an ideal service message looks like this:

“At 15:22, black Skoda ХХ1111ХХ, fare $8, Serhiy, 12345678, no need to call”.

Tip:

At the end of the trip, it is advisable to invite the customer to engage in dialogue. This shows that you care about their opinion and can help you gather information about organizational shortcomings.

A standard message could be:

“How satisfied are you with the trip? 12 being the highest score”.

If the trip’s rating is lower than expected, it’s worth calling the person to find out what happened. You might need to apologize or take disciplinary action against the driver. This is easier than dealing with negative feedback and defending against hate on social media.

Promotional SMS

The next group of messages is of a marketing nature. We offer SMS advertising ideas for taxis that will help draw attention to your company.
There are three types of texts you can use:

• Universal
• Situational
• Segmented

Universal Messages

Many people compare prices among different carriers before calling a taxi. You can position yourself as the “cheapest taxi in town”. Alternatively, you can choose a strategy of “pleasant surprises”. These allow you to remind customers of your services regularly. Reasons for these messages include loyalty programs, holiday discounts, special offers, promotional giveaways, and more.

“Every tenth ride is a gift. Only three rides left to your gift”.

“Hot offer: we treat every customer to a cola”.

“Refer a friend and get a 50% discount”.

“First order — $7 off the fare”.

Situational Messages

In every city, there are peak periods for taxi drivers. During these “harvest” hours, as some drivers call them, demand exceeds supply and prices rise. Until 2022, this was a more predictable scenario because many mass events lasted until late at night.

Currently, there are fewer events to consider in a marketing campaign, but they still exist, and SMS campaigns for taxis are appropriate in such cases. For example, if a book festival is planned in the city, you could offer passengers traveling to or from the festival a chance to win a gift voucher for book purchases. 

“Call a car to address X and get a chance to win $25 for new books. Draw on May 32, details here”.

Similarly, you can give away prizes to those who recite a poem by Lesya Ukrainka from memory on her birthday, answer 10 questions about the biography of Kuzma Skryabin without mistakes, or donate to the current fundraiser for our soldiers.

Unfortunately, the reasons why taxi fares now jump 2-3 times are often sad. No one suggests that prices should be kept low — this is unrealistic. However, such stressful hours should be approached with care. For example, consider offering a personal discount to your most loyal customers, especially if a regular customer refuses to travel or you can’t find a car for them on time. An SMS campaign might look like this:

“Having trouble ordering a taxi? We won’t let you down. Send the number ‘3’ to 12345678 to receive your exclusive discount. Offer valid until January 1”.

Tip:

Weather conditions can also be a reason for information.

Segmented Messages

Almost every taxi company positions itself as a “universal service that always takes everyone everywhere”. However, the backbone is formed by regular customers.

Therefore, the first step is a tedious and meticulous analysis of who most often uses your services. Men, women, elderly people, on what day, at what time, on which routes?

It’s also important to know what people want. For example, to travel in silence or to be able to charge their mobile phone in the car. There might even

be preferences regarding language — yes, this is a sensitive topic, but it is currently significant in society.
Such analysis will clearly highlight several passenger groups. The most typical:

• Mothers with children
• Students
• People over 60 years old
• People aged 30-50 who regularly travel to the hospital (theater, factory, ministry) and back
• People with pets
• People who travel from the left bank to the right bank — this is relevant if your city is divided by a river.

Future campaigns will then be targeted at these specific customer segments. Such campaigns are easy to set up through an SMS service.

For example, remind mothers with young children that all your cars have child seats. Inform passengers with pets that your service welcomes both dogs and cats.

For students or young people, you can focus on pleasant emotions or romantic meetings — every city has well-known dating spots and scenic views for photo sessions, from which it’s easier to take a taxi than public transport.

For people who often travel to medical facilities, you can extend the free waiting time: it’s truly difficult for people with a cane to reach the car on time.

Conclusion:

Statistics show that over 90% of SMS recipients read them within 3 minutes of receipt. Today, this method of communication with customers is the most reliable and widespread: it doesn’t require an app or a specific messenger.

The capabilities of companies that provide SMS services allow you to manage contacts as needed — by name, number, group, registration source, and more.

SMS is also useful not only as a message from a taxi service but also for quick communication with drivers.