We Love DC did a Twitter Interview with Mariana Gerzanych of EnviroRide.net on Tuesday and Wednesday, talking about the EnviroRide and the rise of the hybrid cab in DC. We figured in homage to her new effort to dispatch cabs via Twitter, instead of just via phone or web, we’d do the whole interview in 140 character bytes.
welovedc: Where did the idea for @taxinow come from?
taxinow: It came from a need to simplify things. I’m in transportation & i think about it all the time. To be different i need to provide value.
welovedc: Have you had any takers on a taxi arranged via Twitter?
taxinow: Corbett3000 just tried it.
corbett3000: I tweeted @taxinow they @’d back “EnviroRide Camry Hybrid #5, Driver # 240-938-XXXX” called me an picked up 10mins later.
welovedc: Sounds pretty awesome, actually. Good experience, would do again?
corbett3000:Yeah it was pretty slick :P I mean…clearly i could hail a cab at DCA but tweeting it was great!
welovedc: not to mention the ability to tweet at them from, say, the tarmac and give an ETA to the curb.
corbett3000: yes exactly that’s what i did :)
welovedc: The concept of EnviroRide is unique focusing on hybrid cabs. Compared to the Crown Vics, how are you guys doing on fleet mileage?
taxinow: Camrys get 35mph. EnviroRide is in business for a year, but the general public doesn’t care about green that much yet. Efficiency–yes
welovedc: What’s it like to start a brand new cab company in the midst of a gas crisis? That’s got to be a real challenge.
taxinow: Gas crisis actually plays favorably to a green Co. Regular taxis become less competitive. Hope it propels them to switch to hybrids sooner
welovedc: How many cabs are you running in DC as it stands now?
taxinow: EnviroRide has 25 and i have partnerships with other taxi Companies
welovedc: Currently, it looks like @taxinow is powered by just you, are you thinking of automating it as time goes by or as demand picks up?
taxinow: i’ll automate to some extent (confirmations,greetings) but Twitter is about human interaction. My cost will be dispatchers–it’s worth it
welovedc: Thanks a lot Mariana!
[Update: Sorry for the photo phu screwup, I’ve replaced the photo at the top.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
Are EnviroCab and EnviroRide the same thing? I clicked the web site and they seemed to be different?
Yeah they’re different. Tom you could use the following pic i took as i picked up the car at DCA:
britekite’d it: http://brightkite.com/objects/eb15d3f2dc1311dd9973003048c10834
direct link here:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/bk_store/images/photo_object/photos/2/1/2130600/photo.jpg
We are different Companies but i will give them my overflow traffic. I’d rather give it to them then anybody else. The problem is that they can’t pick up in DC or MD. Here’s the picture of EnviroRide car: http://twitpic.com/117i5
After learning about them from Peter on Facebook and then from Twitter, I decided to make a reservation with them for my ride home on Inauguration night.
While setting up an advance reservation for that night was not quite as easy as an @message, it was still just a quick web form asking when and where I wanted to go.
The rate was marginally higher than other sedan companies ($55/hr for a hybrid Toyota vs. $40ish/hr elsewhere) but I would so much rather be in a green car and work with a company that made it so easy to reserve online.
Really looking forward to seeing if they manage to pull through on the big night!
And Brittany has our last car for inauguration. Sorry guys, all the cars are booked and dispatching any taxi will be useless. I honestly suggest taking the metro, if you want to join the chaos
Sorry for the photo disaster everyone, that was totally my fault!
@Mariana: How exciting for me! Thank you very much!