The News category in the Press Section of the eCabs website

Here one can find informative and interesting articles which the tech mobility company publishes from time to time.

Please click on the photo above each item to access the original article.

No change without political consensus 2

“There is no change without political consensus” – eCabs Technologies CEO

/in /by

Speaking at a Times of Malta event titled ‘The Road to Reliable Public Transport’ held on Wednesday 22nd February 2023, eCabs Technologies CEO Matthew Bezzina said that the time has come for certain measures to discourage the ownership of private cars.

However, in order for these measures to be consistent, there needed to be political consensus between the government and other political parties to ensure longevity.

Mr Bezzina stressed that it is no use for one government to agree to implement certain measures only to see them ignored or buried by the subsequent government.

“If we’re going to introduce paid on-street parking, it cannot succeed if it clashes with the car-centric policy we’ve been implementing,” he stated.

Mr Bezzina compared the situation to separated parents who have custody of a child, saying that they both must agree on certain rules. “For instance, if they both say no to junk food, the child benefits overall. This is the kind of political consensus that we need.”

The real cost of ‘public real estate’

Mr Bezzina also highlighted that parked cars are taking up an overwhelming amount of public space. Here again, political consensus was needed to find a solution, he said. He noted that parking spaces take up two-thirds of Maltese roads. Moreover, 75 percent of parked cars are on public land.

“Those could be bus lanes, scooter lanes, wider pavements, or avenues of trees. We have to see the opportunity in these spaces and truly consider the cost of this public real estate. What can we do with all this space that cars are occupying without contributing anything?”

One solution could lie within the ride hailing industry, as part of a transport mix towards sustainable multimodality that can unclog the roads on the densest country in the EU.

No change without political consensus

Other speakers at the event included Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Dr Aaron Farrugia, economist Marie Briguglio, Malta Public Transport General Manager Konrad Pulé, and Head of Geography and Director of the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the University of Malta Professor Maria Attard.

You can read more and watch the full event here.

internationalisation

eCabs primed for internationalisation by June 2023

/in /by

eCabs, Malta’s very own and only flag bearing ride-hailing platform powered by its proprietary technology and innovation powerhouse Cuorium Technologies, expects to reach its first landmark milestone in its internationalisation efforts by June 2023.

With consistent investment in technology talent and an unwavering resolve to expand in major EU cities, eCabs is now yielding the goals that could elevate Malta’s corporate and technology credentials on an international scale.

Business Today sat down with Matthew Bezzina, Chief Executive Officer at Cuorium Technologies and Luca Di Michele, Chief Technology Officer to grasp an insight into one of the most exciting commercial ventures growing in Malta, charting the path for the eCabs flag to be sported in European cities.

Recently, eCabs has undergone a significant restructuring of its operations. Luca was promoted to Chief Technology Officer at eCabs. Matthew moved on to become the CEO of Cuorium Technologies while Andrew Bezzina was named the CEO of eCabs.

How did this major transformation come about?

Luca Di Michele: In 2019 I spearheaded the establishment of our proprietary ride hailing technology. Three years have flown by like a flash. It is extremely satisfying to look back and see how much ground we have covered and the growth we have achieved, moving us far ahead enough to make this quantum leap into the international market. During this period, we have gone through exciting phases of renewal and transformation, building a highly competent, enthusiastic team of dedicated professionals who are driven by an incredible passion and the ambition for creating ahead-of-the-curve mobility technologies and solutions.

Matthew Bezzina: Our joint efforts have resulted into impressive growth, despite the international economic climate and the upheaval caused by the pandemic. Faced with these challenges we had some fundamental choices to make. We could have either retrenched and focused on keeping on winning the local market battles or aspire to become an international brand in mobility technology and provision of ride-hailing services. We could have decided to do like many others and just invest in property or take the plunge and the risk that comes with a significant shareholder investment of €7 million. Today, we are reaping the first dividends of these decisions, wherein despite all the headwind we faced we now have a platform created in Malta that is ready to go beyond our borders and proudly fly our national flag in this growing tech driven industry.

How does this restructuring effort feature in the growth path of the Company and its platform?

MB: Our organisation’s transformation journey started kicked off in 2017 and has been through multiple iterations. However it was towards the end of 2019 that we really changed gears and growth accelerated in a flywheel effect as soon as the pandemic hit the globe. The pandemic had the effect of a giant pause button on the industry which gave us the space to shape our platform, build a multicultural team, spin-off a technology company with one of the largest cadre of developers on the island and start charting the path towards our international aspirations. The bottom line was that of thinking out of the box, keep eyes on the ball and act with agility.

LDM: My development team has grown from an in-house cosy group of four people to a more than 50-strong talented team serving as the foundation, engine and R&D for our own technology platform. What each one of us at eCabs Technologies learns is that working here brings a massive advantage for technologists to test their skills against the world’s best, whilst learning, developing themselves, and growing into leadership positions as the company matures.

“A huge competitive advantage”

MB: An essential part of this success has also been the huge competitive advantage of having everything we need from an operational perspective within a 100-meter radius. Our headquarters practically resemble a giant laboratory with the ability to have on-field testing and instant feedback of results. We have also been blessed with the immeasurable benefit of direction from over a decade of operational knowledge and experience which facilitates development and improvements at speed, whilst competing with the world’s largest and most-funded players. Competing with the ilk of Bolt and now Uber has been a blessing with both companies backed by billions of Euros in funding, respectively. We’re playing in the champions’ league, which forces us to be the absolute best we can be and always aspire to be better and measure up against these technology giants.

What are the tangible results of your organisation’s development approach?

LDM: Our investments in Cuorium Technologies and eCabs have made us a considerable technology and software development business dedicated to mobility. We can stand out in the local market based on such a solid foundation.

MB: For the last two years we have been very busy reinventing our platform with our own IP and closing the gaps we needed to realise our ultimate vision. We brought the pre-pandemic consumer app experience up to the highest degree with multiple improvements in terms of usability, automation, system robustness and features, enabling our platform to be more competitive.

LDM: We also built the entire partner driver model from scratch and the extensive technology that is behind it. All these technologies are in a constant state of evolution and improvement. In this respect we have started our journey to take our technology to its next evolutionary chapter in machine learning, a project that allows our teams to leverage a multitude of our data points in the Google Cloud Learning Platform. This evolution gives us real-time, machine-enabled analysis and actions to scale quickly through big data driven decisions, as we integrate our proprietary technology with Google’s platform. The technology is in a constant state of evolution which will keep maturing and requiring best of breed talent who are eager to challenge themselves.

What are the challenges that you expect to face in the international markets?

MB: We are in a quickly evolving market of fierce competition fuelled by an ever-increasing demand for various mobility solutions as city-dwellers are more likely to leave their own cars behind, seeking alternatives to public transport for shorter and faster urban journeys.

LDM: When we made a tough decision to rebuild all our technology assets to establish our own intellectual property platform, we managed to create proprietary technology, supporting our great achievements in Malta as a unique multi-booking platform. Whilst the app market is set to grow from a current 40% to 46% by 2025 in the EU, the market is still dominated by traditional ride hailing booking means, and our platform uniquely offers the best of both worlds. We expect to leverage the capabilities and power of our one-of-a-kind platform and transpose it in other jurisdictions.

MB: We are also cognizant of the challenge that international markets hold for us, despite being firm believers in our platform, technology, and people. Global market penetration is always difficult for Maltese companies as our local market is small and isolated. Yet, we see our success in the local market, which is saturated by mobility solutions from international tech giants, as a testament to our international competitiveness on equal footing. We know that our IP is driving us to differentiate ourselves in international markets with positive feedback from foreign investors, whose due diligence has identified the eCabs platform as unique and at par with the best-in-class.

What can support you in being successful internationally?

LDM: As we are growing into one of the largest software firms in Malta exclusively dedicated to the development of our mobility innovations and technology solutions, we also keep onboarding further highly skilled professional talent to support the expansion of our expertise in, but not limited to, machine learning, data science, cloud-computing, cloud-based architecture, edge-environment management, internet of things application integration and mapping services.

MB: Our ambitious journey off the shores of Malta will be supported by our dedicated multicultural teams. They are committed to developing flagship technology and innovative solutions, making it available across cities globally as we expand. Of course, the perennial challenge to raise finance for technology products remains an uphill struggle which however we are confident will be overcome with the priceless support of the financing institutions. 2023 will make the start of this new chapter a reality for the Company, our employees and our country.

In the press:

Business Today

Roberta Metsola European Parliament eCabs Matthew Bezzina

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola visits eCabs offices

/in /by

On Monday 29th August, eCabs welcomed the European Parliament President Robert Metsola. During her stay, the President went around the offices to meet members of staff, with a particular focus on technology, and discussed the future of the mobility industry in the EU with the organisation’s heads.

“It was a pleasure to share our ambitious vision and our internationalisation programme which is set to start in 2023 with President Metsola. We held meaningful discussions on our ESG agenda, the opportunities and the goals of our company, as well as technology and the future of the mobility industry within the European Union. It was also lovely to see how warmly our team greeted her and how well she interacted with them”, said Matthew Bezzina, eCabs CEO.

Roberta Metsola European Parliament eCabs Matthew Bezzina
Roberta Metsola European Parliament eCabs Matthew Bezzina

On her part, the European Parliament President wished eCabs success and further emphasised the importance of solid values in today’s business strategy, “Sustainability, innovation, green. Three characteristics which, in today’s world, should be the basis of any policy or project enacted by both public and private enterprises. Qualities that the Maltese company eCabs has embraced over the past years. This morning we spoke with team members at eCabs about how the European Union can do more for businesses, enterprises, and companies in Malta and across Europe”.

As Malta’s largest ride-hailing firm, eCabs remains committed to leading the industry with innovative technology solutions guided by ESG principles. Key actions include drastically reducing the business’s carbon footprint whilst cultivating a multicultural team of technologists to fuel growth on an international scale.

In the press:

Malta CEOs

eCabs Circle

eCabs Circle celebrates 70,000 members

/in /by

eCabs Circle, the unique, app-based reward programme, launched in late 2020 by Maltese ride-hailing platform eCabs, now has 70,000 members and is growing at an increasing rate. The programme, which is open to all eCabs customers, converts the amount spent on fares into points in ever-increasing amounts. They are then converted into free rides. Through eCabs Circle, customers are now enjoying over 1,000 free rides per week.

Describing the reasons behind the launch of eCabs Circle, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Simon Debono said, “In a commoditised and highly competitive global mobility market, we needed to increase brand stickiness.  So, we designed a system to enhance customer loyalty through a tiered system that promotes usage and rewards to our highest-value customers based on the quantity of rides and actual spend. Developing this programme is also an important learning curve for our international ambitions, to facilitate market penetration strategies.”

“While, so far, our most loyal eCabs Circle members have been able to enjoy up to one in every seven rides for free, the success of this project is encouraging us to further develop the product and deliver additional benefits. For example, points could be converted into value for other modes of transport. This would promote the concept of multimodality which is much needed in Malta and many other cities around the world,” continued Debono.

The eCabs Circle app

The eCabs Circle platform is accessible through the eCabs App, giving each user full view of their status in points and rides. eCabs created the platform, while Yegertek – a Dubai-based company specialising in customer engagement and loyalty tech solutions – developed it. Yegertek’s Engage365-A Microsoft CRM based loyalty solutions have empowered several customer-facing enterprises like eCabs to maximise the efficacy of their engagement strategies.

Sajid Azmi, Founder and CEO of Yegertek, said, “The pandemic certainly accelerated the digitisation of customer engagement and loyalty. Companies like eCabs who understood this and acted now have a definite competitive advantage. Success demands that your strategies are agile, efficient and, most importantly, people centric. These will remain our focus as we continue to support eCabs in growing their business internationally.”

Kerstin Rizzo, eCabs Chief Programmes Officer added, “Since eCabs already runs on Microsoft Dynamics 365, we approached several Microsoft partners who specialise in reward schemes. We ultimately selected Yegertek as they met our extensive requirements, integrated well with our technology team, and displayed the willingness to further develop the product based on our design.” 

In the press:

The Malta Independent | The Malta Business Weekly

restructuring

eCabs announce restructuring & appointment of new CEO for Malta operation

/in /by

Matthew Bezzina to lead the internationalisation of the Company after restructuring.

Leading ride-hailing and technology company eCabs has appointed the leadership team that will be executing its growth programme both locally and internationally as the Company is preparing itself to establish operations in international markets in the next 12-24 months.

As CEO for Cuorium Technologies, eCabs Technology arm, and the leader for global operations, Matthew Bezzina will be spearheading the internationalisation efforts for eCabs technology platform. Co-founder Andrew Bezzina replaces him as CEO for the local ride-hailing operations, in a period that is registering record performance and an ever-growing team of partner drivers.

In his forecast for 2022 and beyond for the local brand, Andrew Bezzina explained how despite all the challenges, 2022 is seeing eCabs registering double-digit growth on its best performance, a clear result of the company’s investments across all its business units.

“Our technology platform is continuously growing and improving with over 1,400 partners driving on our platform locally, a number that has exponentially grown over the last 12 months and which keeps growing. Local triple-digit year-on-year growth remains an ambition we are relentlessly working towards in the forthcoming years,” he added.

Restructuring and investment in its tech platform

The last two years have also seen eCabs accelerating its investment in its technology platform, as it positions itself to launch its technology in the exciting and growing international ride-hailing industry. The pipeline of investors and potential partners in the company’s target territories for its first wave of global growth is extremely encouraging.

“Forecasts state that the European ride-hailing market is to enjoy an annual growth rate of 12.5 percent. This is worth an estimated €45 billion in 2022. By 2025, Europe forecasts a mobility market of 160 million people, which is just 20% of its total population and still predominantly using offline channels – figures that show a global industry that is still in its infancy, with substantial growth opportunities,” Matthew Bezzina said.

Whilst eCabs’ principal interest remains that of launching the brand in different territories, the company also offers white-labelled software solutions to brands in any territory. “The leadership team we have put in place is already reaping its benefits. We are better positioned to keep growing our business. Thereby making make a national success out of our home-grown efforts in the digital space” Matthew concluded.

In the press:
Malta Today | Times of Malta | Who’s Who

Over 1,000 drivers join eCabs’ Partner Driver Model

Over 1,000 drivers join eCabs’ Partner Driver Model

/in /by

Ride-hailing operator eCabs has registered record growth in the last quarter of 2021, pursuant to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. And since launching its Partner Driver Model in 2021, the platform hosts over 1,000 drivers and is growing at a steady pace.

“Interest in the eCabs Partner Model keeps growing and notwithstanding the current situation, we are still experiencing positive trends. This is pushing partner fleets and driver confidence for a healthy year ahead of us, as well as attracting new blood into the industry,” Marvin Cuschieri, chief people officer at eCabs, said.

Cuschieri outlined that with major international low-cost airlines having reported huge spikes in demand this January and also projecting a summer of pre-COVID volumes and beyond, eCabs will continue in 2022 where it left in 2021.

“Our projections for 2022 are very solid and buoyed by our performance, we are firmly confident to sustain the pace of growth. As summer approaches, the market will undoubtedly require more drivers than the currently available pool in our country to cater for the projected growth, both for tourism and local clients. We will keep investing heavily in the technology that drives our model to make the life of our partners easier and their work more profitable.”

Partner driver platform and support

While eCabs’ proprietary partner driver platform manages all rides and communication with partners, including operational intelligence, the eCabs partner driver support team operates 24/7, giving all partner drivers unparalleled assistance when they require it, coupled with very advantageous commissions.

“We coined the term ‘partner driver’ as it reflects the relationship we have with our drivers, whom we believe are an equally important stakeholder in our ecosystem. Partners operating on the eCabs platform benefit from open and consistent communication. This, we believe, will keep helping to build a sustainable industry into the future,” Cuschieri remarked.

Growth through technology

The last two years have seen eCabs accelerating its investment in its fully-owned platform, as the ride-hailing industry keeps growing and disrupting the transport sectors the world over.

With a team of over 50 in-house technologists, the core mission of eCabs remains that of growth through technology at the forefront, shaping a platform that places the partner drivers in control of their operation.

“We are now ready for the growth that our platform is about to experience over the next months. We are bolstered by the trust that the majority of partner drivers is putting in our platform – we shall reciprocate that with stronger investment in our technology and an increasingly fairer deal for their engagement with us,” Cuschieri concluded.

In the press:

Times of Malta | Oh My Malta

cab company of choice

eCabs is cab company of choice in Malta Today survey

/in /by

The St Julian’s-based company eCabs is the cab company of choice for commuters, followed by Bolt, a Polar survey on private taxis has found.

eCabs is the preferred choice of 50.8% of people and its popularity cuts across all age groups and all regions, while Bolt is the preferred choice of 22.4% of people, being more popular among the younger audiences. Cool, the ride sharing service, is the preferred choice of 2.6% of people, while 7% prefer other services and 16.3% provided no answer.

On a geographical basis, eCabs is strongest in the South-Eastern region with 59.7% of people indicating it as their taxi company of choice. Its lowest score is in Gozo with 37.3%. But Gozo is also the area with highest rate of non-answers and with the other services (12.4%) featuring strongly.

Bolt’s strongest preference is in the Northern Harbour region with 26%. Additionally, in Gozo, Bolt just edges out ‘other services’ with 12.5% indicating it as a their preferred taxi company.

eCabs is cab company of choice among those with post-secondary education

Bolt is most popular among the tertiary educated (35.3%). It is least popular among those with a primary education (8.1%). However, those with a primary education are also the most likely not to use taxi companies.

eCabs is most popular among those with a post-secondary education (58.2%). Conversely, it is least popular among those with a primary education (38.6%). Among the tertiary educated, eCabs scores 50%.

When asked how would they hail a taxi, a relative majority prefer doing so by telephone (48%), followed by online means (42%).

Online is preferred method of those aged between 16 and 35

Online is overwhelmingly the preferred method of those aged between 16 and 35 (70.8%) and those aged between 36 and 50 (56.7%).

The tide shifts to telephone among those aged 51 and over.

The survey was carried out between Monday 5 April 2021 and Friday 9 April 2021. 647 respondents opted to complete the survey. Stratified random sampling based on region, age and gender was used to replicate the Maltese demographic. The estimated margin of error is 4.9% for a confidence interval of 95% for the overall results. Demographic and sub-group breakdowns have significantly larger margins of error.

In the press:

Malta Today

safer

eCabs’ service becomes even safer, more personal

/in /by

eCabs has launched four new cab categories within its mobile App. This will help customers make better and easier choices and improve the user experience when booking their mobility requirements.

The four options are Eco, Pets, Booster Seat and Assist. The options will contribute to an even safer and more comfortable customer experience. This within a faster and simpler booking process through the App, or all other booking channels.

Additionally, in line with eCabs’ ambitious electric vehicles project, customers may now easily opt for a 100% electric or hybrid vehicle. Clients may do this through the Eco option within the App. Furthermore, they can also book a cab with a booster seat for their little travellers. They can also opt for eCabs Assist whenever they need a little extra help and special assistance from trained drivers. This is in line with eCabs’ Passenger Safety Charter standards.

Clients wishing to travel with their pets may also order a cab easily. While eCabs has been pet friendly for over five years, the in-app experience and booking flow has now been much improved.

A safer, more reliable and pleasant user experience

“These new categories aim at providing more personalisation that offers a safer, more reliable and pleasant user experience. Our design and development team is consistently hard at work to improve our product offering for a more intuitive and seamless user experience,” says Simon Debono, eCabs’ Chief Officer for Marketing and Business Development.

This move follows eCabs’ recently announced project that will see it run entirely on green vehicles by 2025. It also builds on its commitment to offer more choice with their growing number of partner drivers which can be booked through the eCabs Go category in-App. Partner drivers are also incentivised to go Green through more favourable terms.

“These four new categories define the eCabs brand as a more sustainable and all-inclusive one. One which seeks to constantly improve the customer experience. This is one of many more improvements that we will be seeing this year as we keep on consolidating our platform in preparation for our long-term ambitions,” concluded Simon Debono.

In the press:

Newsbook.com.mt

Green

eCabs to be 100% Green by 2025

/in /by

Mobility company eCabs is embarking on an ambitious project that will see it run entirely on green vehicles by 2025.

eCabs CEO Matthew Bezzina announced this initiative in the presence of Minister for Energy, Enterprise, and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli.

Minister Dalli welcomed this investment as a strong signal by the private sector that wants to be part of the Government’s vision to decarbonise the economy by 2050.

“The private sector will find the Government on its side in its transition towards a more sustainable economy. My Ministry, together with other government entities, is working hard on a holistic strategy that will help encourage the take up of zero and low-emission vehicles,” Dr Dalli said.

She explained that a further take up by the private sector will help Malta reach its targets. “We can only reach our national targets if everyone is onboard. The Government is doing its part to encourage and facilitate the use of methods that are less harmful towards the environment, both financially and logistically,” the Minister said.

On his part, Mr Bezzina welcomed the commitment from Government adding: “The project to electrify our whole fleet and install all the required infrastructure will mean a significant investment by eCabs, which does require equal commitment from Government to ensure that the infrastructure to support electric mobility be implemented. This support given to this vision is welcome and encouraging”.

eCabs’ ongoing vision towards becoming more green

The electrification process has started with the launch of a number of fully electric vehicles including models from KIA, Hyundai and Citroen that join the existing hybrid vehicles in the eCabs fleet.

Mr Bezzina continued that positives could be taken from the sacrifices all had to endure in 2020, “The restrictions during last year’s lockdown sent our industry into a spiral, but on a more positive note less traffic meant reduced air pollution and cleaner air for everyone. The country although eerily deserted, was more liveable than it was for ages. This strengthened our resolve to cement our ongoing vision towards becoming even more sustainable and inspired our eCabs Greener Future initiative,” stated Matthew Bezzina.

“We are seeking more sustainable and cleaner operations in everything we are doing, including the future development of our owned spaces as well as a sustainable framework which includes incentivising and supporting our partner drivers to follow in these footsteps,” added Mr. Bezzina.

Concurrently and in support to this commitment, eCabs will also be launching a scheme to incentivise its partner drivers to invest in EVs or Hybrids including an improved financial model and other frameworks.

eCabs officially launched its Partner Drivers initiative late last year following the Public Service Garage reform concluded and launched by Government. The initiative offers self-employed drivers the opportunity to work for Malta’s leading home-grown mobility provider non-exclusively, essentially allowing drivers to increase their revenue stream possibilities, much needed in these troubling times.

In the press:

The Times of Malta | Who’s Who | Lovin Malta | Bay.com.mt | Gozo News | Gadgets

inclusive

eCabs awarded as most inclusive company

/in /by

eCabs has just been awarded the ‘Premju Soċjetà Ġusta’ as the workplace that offers the most inclusive environment.

Earlier this year, eCabs expanded its fleet to include a fully equipped van with a motorised lift. The lift can to serve both wheelchair users and other passengers accompanying them. To date, 1500 persons have used this service which eCabs has been offering free of charge. Launched last April, the service is being offered to all persons certified by the CRPD as requiring accessible transport, who would need to visit a hospital or a clinic, be they public or private.

In addition, a training programme was launched together with Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD). The programme will train staff members how to ensure the right service level is offered to people with disabilities.

eCabs offering the most inclusive environment

At eCabs, inclusivity is not only limited to its employees. It is also reflected through services it offers, in line with its strategic commitment to offer affordable mobility to everyone.

eCabs was shortlisted together with another 16 companies. These include Lombard Bank, GO, Mizzi Organisation, G4S, General Soft Drinks, JF Group, Camilleri Holdings and Maypole, amongst others.

Receiving the award, eCabs’ Chief Officer for Human Capital and Corporate Services Marvin Cuschieri said, “This award comes as an honour to our company and is testament to the consistent and committed work we undertake to make eCabs a model employer that is looking into the future with resolve towards its ambitious objectives. This year has dealt us quite a surprise and we’ve had to adapt across the board very quickly to be able to support our people and their diverse needs.”

“But this year also taught us a lot. Especially that no matter what the circumstances are, we need to keep supporting our people as best we can. The company in fact, offers flexible work arrangements with its staff, learning and development opportunities and promotes an equal and inclusive environment,” added Mr Cuschieri.

In the press:

Newsbook.com.mt | DOI