Dulles, NoVa and Beyond: Taxi Magic Expands in Virginia

Posted on by

You probably already know that Taxi Magic has some awesome fleet partners in Arlington and Alexandria, VA, but did you know that we have expanded even farther across Northern Virginia?

That’s right, VA riders. Taxi Magic can take you all across Prince William and Loudon Counties, including to and from Dulles International Airport.

We’re happy to announce our recent partnerships with Manassas Cab Company, serving Prince William County, and Dulles Taxi, serving Loudon County.

Manassas Cab has been driving residents of Northern VA since 1995 and they currently have 75 cars in their fleet. Dulles Taxi was established in 1988 and currently has 50 cars, including both taxis and sedans. They are the largest fleet in Loudon County.

So next time you need to hitch a ride from Potomac Mills to the Leesburg Outlets or from the Udvar-Hazy Center to Fireman’s Field, use the Magic touch and book with us.

Ride on, NoVa.

Pro Tip: When booking a taxi from Dulles Airport, just type in “IAD” as your location and plan to meet your taxi at the United Airlines arrival gate – it is the last gate along the upper level of the airport.

Bringing the Magic to Taxis in Charlotte, NC

Posted on by

Spotted! Team Taxi Magic in Charlotte, NC!

At the end of April, Team Taxi Magic took Charlotte by storm to visit our fleet partner,Yellow Cab of Charlotte, spread the word about Taxi Magic to students at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, and show some love to our top riders in the area.

Yellow Cab of Charlotte

TM chalk art at UNC – Charlotte

The team met plenty of new riders at the Taxi Magic sponsored trivia night at Wild Wing Cafe and they showed our appreciation for drivers at a Yellow Cab pit stop.

Check out some of the pics from our Charlotte visit:

Showing off TM sunglasses at Wild Wings

Trivia Night at Wild Wing

Meeting riders at UNC-Charlotte

Charlotte Top Rider Happy Hour

Sending a big “Thank You” to Yellow Cab of Charlotte for being such great hosts (not to mention an awesome fleet) and a shout out to all the Charlotte top riders who came out to the Taxi Magic happy hour! Next time you’re in the Queen City, let us make the Magic happen! Ride on, Charlotte!

Follow us on Twitter (@taximagic) and bookmark our blog to find out when Team Taxi Magic will be in your neighborhood!

Have You Met Our Team Yet?

Posted on by

The time has come for our final installment of “Meet Our Team,” but this is certainly not the last you’ll be hearing from our Community Managers! Follow our team on Twitter at @taximagic_DC, @taximagic_NYC, @taximagic_DFW, @taximagic_SF, @taximagic_CHI, and @taximagic_LA.

And with that, meet our Community Managers in Chicago and LA!

@taximagic_CHI – Nicole

Nicole is Taxi Magic’s Chicago Community Manager.

Nicole’s background is in journalism and social media. She spent the last two years curating local deals for Travelzoo. Prior to that, she wrote and blogged for the Orlando Sentinel in her Florida hometown.

Nicole calls Logan Square home, with Wicker Park and Bucktown serving as her back yard. She loves strolling the Logan Square farmer’s market, biking along the boulevards, drinking cocktails at the Whistler, and doing yoga.

When she isn’t planning events and designing new swag for Taxi Magic, Nicole maintains her blog Next Date Chicago, and serves on her alma mater’s alumni board for the University of Central Florida. She considers herself a budding foodie, rushing to try each of Chicago’s new restaurants. Her favorites include Maude’s Liquor Bar, Au Cheval and Publican. And Lou Malnati’s deep dish, of course.

Nicole’s perfect Chicago staycation: Nicole’s Chicago staycation starts with brunch. Birchwood Kitchen is no longer Wicker Park’s best-kept secret, but their sunny back patio is worth the wait. Afterward, she would go for a shopping stroll along Milwaukee Avenue and Division, then she and her boyfriend might hit up a museum for the afternoon — the Art Institute is her favorite. That night, they would make their way back to Logan Square for tacos at L’Patron, followed by some craft beers at Revolution Brewing.

 

@taximagic_LA – Avery

Avery is the LA Community Manager at Taxi Magic.

Avery was born and raised in New York City, but has called Los Angeles home for the past 5 years—she is currently enjoying the sun and graffiti in glorious Venice Beach. She has a background in eCommerce and online marketing for fashion and beauty companies and is looking forward to riding around her new city in style!

When Avery isn’t touting the benefits of the # 1 taxi app, she can be found anywhere and everywhere, from catching a show in Echo Park to taking a stroll along the Venice canals, to eating Korean BBQ (with a side of karaoke) in Koreatown. With the City of Angels at her disposal, Avery refuses to be bound to one side of town.

 Avery’s perfect LA staycation: Avery’s ultimate LA staycation would begin with huevos rancheros from 3 Square Café on Abbott Kinney, followed by shopping for knickknacks at Firefly just a few doors down. Then, she’s off for a hike in Runyon Canyon before gorging on some deep-dish pizza at Masa in Echo Park. She completes the night with a show at The Echo and cabs it home (with Taxi Magic, of course)!

Extra Stop: Raleigh Launches with Taxi Taxi

Posted on by

We’re putting down roots in the City of Oaks! Thanks to an exclusive partnership with Taxi Taxi, we are now providing riders in Raleigh, NC the magic touch when it comes to booking cabs across the capital.

Taxi, Taxi, Taxi MAGIC!

We are always thrilled to help fleets nationwide improve their businesses, but today we’re even more excited to be helping launch a new business. Taxi Taxi is the new high-tech, “green” taxi fleet in Raleigh. All vehicles in the fleet are brand new 2013 Toyota Prius and Toyota Sienna models. Taxis get an average of 12 to 51 MPG and account for an 80 percent reduction in emissions. The vehicles are also equipped with GPS, computer dispatch, and Google Nexus 7 tablets that carry trip information, bill processing, and driver communication tools.

And, of course, all vehicles are connected to Taxi Magic. Raleigh riders can book a Taxi Taxi ride with the app and pay on their smartphones or with the credit card machines in the back of the vehicles.

Meet the Fleet

Download Taxi Magic today and get out there to support your newest local business in Raleigh. Follow @TaxiTaxiRaleigh for more info about the fleet.

You can also follow us at @taximagic to find out the latest in product updates, city launches and travel.

Our users make our system better, so if you have feedback on our Raleigh service, please share it with us at community@taximagic.com.

Ride on, Raleigh.

Meet More of Our Team

Posted on by

We’re continuing to profile the Community Managers behind our new family of Taxi Magic Twitter handles.

Meet @taximagic_DFW and @taximagic_SF!

@taximagic_DFW – Ponce

Ponce is the Taxi Magic Community Manager for Texas (including Dallas, Houston and Austin) and the Southwest.

Ponce grew up traveling the southwest, living in California, Arizona and Texas. He graduated from Baylor University with a double major in Political Science and History.  Before joining Taxi Magic, he was an aide to Congressman Pete Sessions for two years. Ponce is in his 2nd term as President for the Dallas Junior Chamber of Commerce and is also the Vice Chairman for the Dallas Police Awards Committee (DCPAC). He enjoys college and NBA basketball, staying fit, traveling, and being engaged in the Dallas community 

Ponce’s perfect Dallas staycation: His favorite staycation in Dallas is spending the day hanging out at the beautiful Arts District and taking in all the music and museums.

 

@taximagic_SF – Cat

Cat (short for Catherine) is the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest Community Manager at Taxi Magic.

Cat is a native San Franciscan, and grew up in the Richmond District. She attended Seattle University where she earned a double-BA in International Relations and French. Parlez-vous français?

In her free time, you can find Cat exploring San Francisco with her husband Patrick and their bratty chiweenie, Tony.

Cat’s perfect SF staycation: Cat would start her day at Java Beach Cafe for breakfast with her husband and then a walk with her puppy along Ocean Beach.

From the beach she would head to the California Academy of Sciences to hang out in the rainforest dome and catch a planetarium show. Then, she would head down to the Embarcadero for a Red’s Java House burger and a Giants game, followed by late night dinner at Nopa.

Taxi Magic and Concur: A Match Made in Business Travel Heaven

Posted on by

We’re always trying to get the word out about how Taxi Magic can make life easier for all of our riders, especially business travelers. By downloading Taxi Magic, a few clicks on your smartphone are all it takes to book a cab, track its location and pay with your credit card. Lucky for us, our friends at Concur have offered to help spread the word by featuring Taxi Magic in their brand new Concur App Center.

Starting today, Concur customers and their employees have access to an ecosystem of innovative products and services that are seamlessly integrated via Concur’s open platform. This means that Concur customers who use Taxi Magic through the App Center will be able to integrate all receipts into their Concur expense reports with zero additional effort. Not to mention that Taxi Magic helps you book a ride fast and keeps you informed about where it is and when it will get to you. It’s pretty great.

The Taxi Magic partnership with the App Center is a great way to help business travelers discover the value of Taxi Magic in ensuring their Perfect Trip.

Taxi Magic on Twitter: Meet Our Team

Posted on by

In case you haven’t heard, we recently took the Twitterverse by storm with the launch of our regional Taxi Magic handles. We are giving our Taxi Magic towns a voice and giving our riders a more personalized experience. What better way to learn how to avoid the crowds during DC’s tourist season than from our on-the-ground Community Manager in the District? Who can understand what it takes to get a cab in NYC better than a fellow New Yorker?

We want to take a moment to introduce you to our intrepid team of Taxi Magic Community Managers behind these new Twitter handles, starting with @taximagic_DC and @taximagic_NYC!

@taximagic_DC – Elizabeth

Elizabeth is the Lead Community Manager for the DC metro area.

On any given day, you can find Elizabeth marketing Taxi Magic in the greater DC region and the across southeast coast. She enjoys talking about all things travel, transportation and tech.

Elizabeth graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BA in experimental psychology. She is a proud Gamecock to this day (except for basketball season – gotta go with the Blue Devils being born and raised in Durham) and may have actually majored in tailgating. She studied abroad in Italy and loves to travel to other Taxi Magic communities and beyond!

Elizabeth currently lives in Washington, DC and, in between taxi rides, can be found riding her bike, brunching with friends and documenting life through her Canon Rebel XS.  

Elizabeth’s perfect DC staycation: On a sunny DC spring day, Elizabeth would ride her bike from the National Mall along the Rock Creek Parkway to the Potomac River. After that, she would grab a frozen chaipuccino at Tryst and finish the day with sunset drinks and tapas on the Masa 14 rooftop!

 

@taximagic_NYC – Mai

Mai is the Lead Community Manager for New York City.

Mai has a background in journalism and has owned her own business, so she understands the importance of true customer service. She spent a year organizing art exhibits in Rome and has been living in Manhattan for 2 years. You can often find her hanging out at local coffee shops on the Lower East Side or attending a Meetup.

Mai’s passion is photography and travel. She spends a lot of time on the streets of New York promoting Taxi Magic, which has helped her learn both the quickest city routes and history of the city.

Mai was born in Israel and learned English at the age of 13, but this never stopped her from chatting away with anyone she met. Her favorite thing about being a Community Manager is interacting with members of her community at events, on the street, or on Twitter.

Mai loves New York and everything the city has to offer, especially events and new restaurants!

Mai’s perfect NYC staycation: The day would start with some chocolate chip pancakes at the Clinton Street Bakery, followed by a walk to the Williamsburg Bridge to check out the Brooklyn Flea Market and spend the day vintage shopping. Since no day is complete without some ice cream, she would head to Victory Garden in the West Village for some goat cheese fro-yo and the day would end with a walk to the Angelika Film Center in SOHO to watch a French film… Ahhhh C’est La Vie!

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

Posted on by

It’s no secret that we’re all about getting you a safe ride home. But, this month we really want to drive that message (pun intended!).

Alcohol Awareness Month is in its 27th year and is designed to draw attention to the impact that alcohol-related issues have on young people, families, and communities. Overconsumption and drunk driving, both issues that fall under the awareness umbrella, are things that we seek to prevent in all of our outreach and through our partnership with Heineken.

Heineken partners with Taxi Magic because it provides its consumers of age a quick and easy way to find a taxi anywhere in the USA. Taxi Magic is not only a service of convenience, but it is your safe ride where and when you need it. Going out for a night on the town? Book your cab in advance so that you have a ride home from the last bar. Have a friend who needs to turn in their keys? Download Taxi Magic on their phone and get them home safely.

So this April, take a moment to spread the word about safe rides with Taxi Magic and tweet us with the hashtag #saferides to tell us how our app is helping you make good decisions. Also, check out these tips from Heineken on how to drink responsibly and stay tuned for information about some of their Alcohol Awareness Month programs.

Drink responsibly and ride on.

Taxi Magic En Español

Posted on by

A core value here at Taxi Magic is convenience. Getting a ride should be simple and stress-free for everyone. With that in mind, we’re psyched to announce that Taxi Magic is now available in Spanish for iPhone users. An Android update will follow in the next few months.

Riders can access the Spanish-language version by changing the Language option in their iPhone settings to Español. Simply Tap Settings > General > International > Language and select ‘Español’.

We’re spreading the word to all of our riders with the help of our awesome partners over at Tecate, the cerveza con carácter. Not only are they sharing the news during a press conference before the Rios vs. Alvarado fight at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this weekend, but they also helped us develop a sweet Tecate app skin for riders using the Spanish version of Taxi Magic. Users with the Spanish version of Taxi Magic enabled can turn on the Tecate skin in the user profile on the Taxi Magic menu bar.

Just another way we’re giving you the Magic touch when it comes to booking your ride.

Su viaje es nuestra prioridad.

A ‘Green Light’ for Passenger Safety

Posted on by

Today, the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA) released a report detailing various transportation apps and how they rank for public safety. As the oldest and largest transportation trade group in North America, the TLPA knows about consumer protection and what’s required by transportation providers under local regulations.

Access the full report here.

Taxi Magic is proud to receive a “Green Light” for operating within public safety and consumer protection standards. Public safety is core value of our company. We develop Taxi Magic technology to adhere to local regulations that serve to protect consumers. This ensures passengers are covered in case of an accident. And we work with local organizations and brand partners like Heineken to promote Taxi Magic as a safe & convenient riding option if you’ve been drinking. So when you take a Taxi Magic, you get the following protections:

  • An electronic record of the driver who picked you up and the movement of the vehicle during your ride (as well as timestamps).
  • An approved taximeter adhering to local fare standards.
  • A fully-licensed taxi driver in good standing with the local regulatory authority. In the large majority of regions, all taxi drivers must undergo thorough background checks.
  • An inspected and insured vehicle, providing a path to recoup personal injury.
  • The backing of a regulated, authorized local fleet with passenger insurance.
  • Real-time support from fleet dispatch, available to call quickly from the app. Our Rider Magicians & Community managers are also here to help you out, but our fleet partners have dispatch staff available to service you 24/7.
  • No passenger rating systems that would inhibit you from getting a ride. We do reserve the right to suspend users for abusing our system, but under consumer discrimination laws we can’t allow ride providers to rate passengers.

How important is safety to you? And how can we make Taxi Magic safer? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page or tweet us @taximagic with the hashtag #safetaxi.