The owner of an Inverness taxi firm is launching a new app which aims to improve safety.
Gavin Johnston, of Inverness Taxis, is behind the idea for the new SafeKab product.
It aims to prevent trouble for taxi drivers as well as passengers with several security features, including one-time codes for each journey.
Mr Johnston said it was the first app of its kind and he hopes to offer it to other firms across the country in the future.
It’s all about a safe journey with SafeKab, says taxi firm owner
Mr Johnston said he wants as much transparency as possible to make sure everyone involved in a taxi journey feels at ease.
He hopes the new app will also make becoming a taxi driver more attractive.
“Our first priority with anything we do is safety,” he said, adding: “That’s our number one goal.
“The idea of the app came from exactly that. We wanted to make sure everyone felt the journey was safe to make.
“Over the years you see things you don’t want to – we hope to eradicate that as much as we can.
“We don’t have a lot of trouble but there’s a minority (of passengers) who we need to protect ourselves against.
“We need to make sure drivers want to come into the industry and to do that we need them to feel safe.”
Earlier this month a woman was charged after allegedly racially abusing a driver in an Inverness taxi.
Mr Johnston said not enough had been done in the past to reassure passengers,
He added: “I’ve been in this business for 30 years. If I had a pound for everyone who said to me ‘can you make sure my wife/daughter is okay on their journey’, I’d be a rich man.
“It’s a real concern, and that’s why we’re addressing these issues and, hopefully, giving people confidence in their journey.”
How does the app work?
Customers put their route into the app and drivers in the area are alerted.
Five options appear, with details of who the driver is, the car and each price on offer.
Drivers and customers can view ratings before they accept a journey.
Users of the app are given unique three-digit codes before each journey to share with their driver.
Tracking can then be sent to a family member or friend.
Drivers and clients also have SOS buttons which they can use if they feel they are in immediate danger.
Inverness Taxis also created SafeWalk during the Covid pandemic to help those walking home feel safer.
Conversation