CabEasy.com allows taxi users to save money and protect the environment while meeting new people.
One of the business models that I am considering for CabEasy.com is going the freemium route. The service is and will remain free, but maybe limited in time? or limited in features? in database leverage? limited for the length of the trips (= amount you can save)? in number of uses per month?
Whatever the chosen option is, the question is about pricing a service
If I decide to have a premium version of CabEasy, the benefits of this version must legitimate its pricing. And whatever the added features are, the maximum benefit a user can gain of CabEasy is a low fare cab ride. Imagine if going to Charles De Gaulle, Kennedy or Heathrow airports could cost you 10 bucks?
Drop.io has free accounts, and then for a premium you get more space per drop and shorter urls. You can organize meetups as of $12 per month. Compete is free for the average Joe, but a pro account starts at $199 for more data and multiple reports. Check this Silicon Alley article for more.
So I am allowing people to save money, and I want it to be seamless for them. For a pro account, I could imagine a lot of other features: emails alerts when there is a match, SMS reminders, auto-booking in specific cities, unlimited use, ….
But at the end of the day, people save money. If you share a cab with someone to JFK, you save $30. If you share a cab to Charles De Gaulle, you save 30 euros. If you share a cab to Heathrow, you could save 40 pounds (80USD …!). If you do it 10 times a year, it means savings of 300 / 450 / 800 USD for JFK / CDG / LHR respectively…
How much is that saving worth? Where is the break point price and price structure? Of course I need people to use it and see how it works, get some stats on the service and a feel of the user feedback to put that question on the table. But it’s there, and I’m ready to think about it.
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