Haxi

Haxi
Founded 2014
Founder Aleksander Soender
Joonas Kirsebom
Robert Daniel Nagy
Headquarters London, United Kingdom, Great Britain
Website www.haxi.me
Haxi App
Original author(s) Joonas Kirsebom, Simon Lund
Initial release 16 February 2014 [1]
Written in Objective-C, Java
Operating system Android, iOS
Available in 5 languages
Type App, real-time ridesharing, transportation

Haxi is an on-demand ridesharing network that enables users to share transport. The name is a portmanteau of "hack" and "taxi". Registered users can either be drivers, passengers, or both. Unregistered users cannot get contact details on other users. The company's mobile applications and website facilitates peer-to-peer ridesharing by enabling passengers who need a ride to request one from available "community drivers".

Haxi was created by Aleksander Soender, Joonas Kirsebom and Robert Daniel Nagy in October 2013 and by December 2013 the site was launched in Stavanger, Norway. Haxi released applications for iPhone and Android in March 2014. The service is available in English, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish. The company was registered in April 2014 as Haxi Ltd in London, Great Britain. Angel investor funding for Haxi was secured in June 2014.[2][3]

Since December 2013,[4] Haxi has grown to the biggest ridesharing network in Norway in 6 months: In June 2014, it was estimated that 11,000 Norwegians were using Haxi.[5] By August 2014 that number has risen to 31,000 users with over 2,000 registered drivers in Norway alone.[6]

In September 2014, Haxi passed the 3,000 registered driver mark and has 42,000 users, with 72% using the app more than once. At this growing rate Haxi is expected to become bigger than the entire Norwegian taxi force combined by December 2014.[7][8] Haxi is mentioned as one of the most interesting companies in the ridesharing market Worldwide.[9][10] In June 2014, the CEO of the Norwegian Taxi Association, Lars Hjelmeng estimated that ridesharing via Haxi and social media is generating up to one billion NOK (Norwegian Krone) annually.[11]

Accusations of illegal taxicab operations

Norway

Since Haxi officially launched in December 2013, there has been a lot of media attention on the subject of illegal taxicab operation in the Norwegian press.[4][12][13][14][15]

On March 9, 2014, local taxi drivers drove two students from Stavanger to Copenhagen for free as a protest against Haxi.[16]

On August 28, 2014 the Norwegian Taxi Association and taxi operator I-taxi notified the police about a Haxi user for unlicensed taxi operation [17]

On October 7, 2014 the Norwegian Transport Worker Association notified the police in Oslo about Haxi for operating an unlicensed taxi operation [18][19] A week later, on October 13, 2014, the police in Oslo informed the Norwegian Transport Worker Association that the case against Haxi was dropped [20]

From September to November, 2014 undercover agents from Stavanger Police have booked several rides from Haxi drivers. In December, 2014 investigators started to interview drivers and fined them with 8.000 NOK and three months confiscation of the car for breaking the Yrketransportlov. [21] On December 17, 2014 Stavanger Police published a press release saying 3 out of 8 Haxi users were official taxi drivers using the service for spontaneous ridesharing [22]

Denmark

In June 2014, Haxi drivers started appearing in Denmark.[23] On the July 10, 2014, the Danish Transport Authority notified the police about Haxi for operating an unlicensed taxi service.[24][25]

On the July 29, 2014 Haxi requested the Danish Transport Authority to revoke the note to the police [26]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.appannie.com/apps/ios/app/721790330/
  2. ↑ Oftebro, Ida (June 16, 2014). "11.000 nordmænd bruker allerede pirattaxi app". mobilen.no.
  3. ↑ Lemarchand, Rafael (August 18, 2014). "Controversial App Haxi lingers in the grey zone of Taxipiratism". ArcticStartup.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Grimen, Bjørn (December 19, 2013). "Dette er uten tvil ulovlig virksomhet". NRK.NO.
  5. ↑ Oftebro, Ida (June 16, 2014). "11 000 nordmenn bruker allerede pirattaxi-app". Mobilen.no.
  6. ↑ Aldridge, Øystein (August 17, 2014). "Mens vi venter på fremtiden". Aftenposten.
  7. ↑ Oftebro, Ida (September 4, 2014). "Tror denne appen vil bli større enn alle Norges taxier i år". Mobilen.no.
  8. ↑ http://www.transportloyve.no/STATIST.ASP
  9. ↑ Krom, Derrick (September 23, 2014). "Five Companies that are Trying to Compete with Uber". Worthly.com.
  10. ↑ Freedman, Donna (November 12, 2014). "Can Ride Sharing Provide An Uber-Lyft To Your Income". Money Talks News.
  11. ↑ http://www.taxiforbundet.no/sfiles/45/13/2/file/taxi_4-2014-web.pdf
  12. ↑ Sjøberg, Jeanette (June 18, 2014). "Norsk taxinæring raser over "kompiskjøring"". Aftenposten.no.
  13. ↑ Kydland, Andreas (February 6, 2014). "Haxi bryter ikke norsk lov". Sandnesposten.
  14. ↑ Kydland, Andreas (February 6, 2014). "Taxinæringen føler seg snytt av kompiskjøring". Sandnesposten.
  15. ↑ Kydland, Andreas (February 6, 2014). "Politiet advarer pirattaxisjåfører". Sandnesposten.
  16. ↑ Berntsen Jåsund, Cecilie (March 3, 2014). "40 mil lang taxidugnad mot piratkjøring". NRK.
  17. ↑ http://www.taxiforbundet.no/sfiles/21/23/2/file/20140825-piratanmeldelse.pdf
  18. ↑ http://www.transportarbeider.no/kunder/ntf/cms.nsf/pages/anmelder-haxi-for-piratvirksomhet
  19. ↑ Eriksen, Nina (October 7, 2014). "Haxi politianmeldes for piratvirksomhet". NRK.
  20. ↑ Solstad, Roy Ervin (November 12, 2014). "Anker Haxi-henleggelse". Fri Fagbevegelse.
  21. ↑ Rolfsnes, May-Helen (December 10, 2014). "Flere Haxi-sjåfører anmeldt i Stavanger". Aftenbladet.
  22. ↑ Mathisen, Svein Jacob (December 17, 2014). "Taxisjåførar køyrer piratdrosje". NRK.
  23. ↑ Stig Nielsen, Nicolas (June 29, 2014). "Taxibranchen: Ny samkørselstjeneste skaber pirattaxier". MX.dk.
  24. ↑ Faurfelt, Rikke (June 10, 2014). "Trafikstyrelsen politianmelder omstridt samkørselstjeneste". DR Nyhederne.
  25. ↑ http://www.trafikstyrelsen.dk/DA/Presse/Nyhedsarkiv/Erhvervstransport/2014/07/Trafikstyrelsen-politianmelder-Haxi.aspx
  26. ↑ http://www.transportnyhederne.dk/?Id=53494

External links