HCM City cooperative business to launch GrabTaxi-like app

The Life app will allow passengers to hail a taxi within three steps on their smartphone, Duong Tien Thu, director of the 27-7 Taxi Cooperative, said on September 15.

The app is expected to be available for download on September 30, according to its website, lifetaxi.vn.

It appears to only work on Android devices, as there is no iOS icon in the introduction section.

Just as other ride-hailing apps, Life allows users to be fully informed of the fare and estimated time of arrival of their ride, and such information as the driver’s name and car.

The taxi-hailing app Life is seen on two smartphones in this photo provided by the 27-7 Taxi Cooperative.

“A driver will contact the passenger once a booking is confirmed via the app, and payment is made in cash after the ride,” Thu said.

The 27-7 Taxi Cooperative has worked on the Life app in a bid to cut taxi fares and prevent cabs from jostling for passengers, Thu said in a document submitted to the city’s administration and transportation department.

Passengers in Ho Chi Minh City currently have alternative choices for travel besides the traditional taxi.

They can either flag down a cab via GrabTaxi or request a ride using Uber.

Both introduced in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi last year, GrabTaxi and Uber were quickly embraced by Vietnamese passengers but they have upset local taxi companies and transportation firms.

The apps offer much cheaper rides to passengers, while sparing them the fear of falling victim to dishonest cabbies.

The 27-7 Taxi Cooperative does not say it wants to rival these foreign players with Life, only asserting that it seeks to “bring customers a trustworthy app to hail a ride easily and enjoy better fares.”