Transportation from Prague airport will be provided by Uber. Every tenth ride will be an electric car
“In the concession procedure, we emphasized the requirements of passengers, who primarily want to know the price in advance. The new taxi operator will provide its services under the constant control of the airport. All journeys, even those outside of Prague, must comply with the regulation on maximum prices,” says Jakub Puchalský, a member of the Prague Airport board.
The contract with the current operators ends in January 2023. Taxi services at the airport are currently operated by Taxi Praha and Fix. According to Prague Airport data, more than a fifth of passengers use a taxi service. The operator will have the obligation to determine the final price, which is calculated by his software, before each trip. the resulting price of the fare must not exceed the agreed price, even when changing the route or waiting in a queue.
Order even without an application
Passengers will be able to order a taxi ride using their phone without downloading the app, via the web interface and at the kiosks in the arrival halls at both terminals. Based on the contractual conditions, the operator will cooperate with drivers who will ensure the quality of services and the safety of traffic. The operator will also ensure that the drivers must have all permits, speak Czech and have at least a basic knowledge of the English language, which will enable basic communication with the customer. Drivers must wear appropriate, representative clothing. The customer will always have the option to pay cashless.
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“We know how essential the quality of transport from the airport is not only for the capital, but also for the entire Czech Republic. In this way, we can influence foreign visitors to our country already at the first contact, which entails a great commitment. We are ready to undertake it with maximum responsibility and care,” Štěpán Šindelář, Uber’s operations manager for the Czech Republic. The fee per passenger should have had the greatest weight in the concession procedure. Prague Airport has not yet published the details of the concession procedure.
Every tenth ride by electric car
After confirming the order, each customer immediately receives information about the license plate number, model and color of the car that will take them from the airport. The passenger will see this data directly in the application, or obtain it in the form of an SMS, if you order the appointment only at the kiosk. It will also be possible to pair a ride with a specific car through a PIN, which will give the passenger a code and then be able to choose any car standing in front of the terminal. They use this technology at airports, where other waiting times have been reduced by an average of 50 percent.
There will also be an intelligent destination uploader with the option of entering multiple stopovers. The app itself supports more than 100 languages. The language of the application depends on the language settings in the device system, the application automatically translates between driver and passenger, breaking down language barriers.
According to the current demand, the taxi operator must adjust the number of available cars at the airport to ensure traffic service and passengers to use the service without long waits. At the customer’s request, the taxi dispatcher will supply a car seat for families with children. The conditions of cooperation also include the obligation of transportation for persons with reduced mobility and orientation.
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When preparing the award of the concession, the airport also took into account a gentle approach to the environment. The new operator has committed itself to an increasing share of electric cars in the airport fleet, in the last year of the contract at least one in ten orders will be handled using an electric car. Passengers will also have the opportunity to rate the service and the driver retrospectively, an insufficient rating may then prevent the driver from further providing services at the airport.
The airport was looking for a taxi operator for the second attempt, the first competition was canceled after a number of comments from applicants and the Ministry of Transport.