Easy Taxi

Easy Taxi was a mobile taxi-hailing brand founded in Brazil in 2011 by Tallis Gomes and Daniel Cohen. It emerged from a practical urban-transport problem: difficulty finding a taxi in Rio de Janeiro, particularly during bad weather and periods of high demand. The concept was developed during Startup Weekend Rio, where it won the competition, and was subsequently recognized in other Brazilian startup contests. A beta application was introduced in August 2011, with Rio de Janeiro used as the initial test market. The service officially launched there in April 2012. The platform connected passengers with participating taxi drivers through smartphone applications. Users could request a taxi, receive information about the assigned vehicle, and follow the vehicle's location in real time. A common application was used across markets and supported iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. This cross-market model allowed the company to expand beyond Brazil while maintaining a recognizable consumer interface. The original revenue model charged drivers a fee for each completed ride. Easy Taxi's early growth was supported by a combination of entrepreneurial funding and institutional investment. After expanding into São Paulo, the company received support from Alex Tabor, an angel investor associated with Peixe Urbano. Rocket Internet became its principal financial backer, investing in the company as it moved from a Brazilian startup toward an international platform. Subsequent financing involved Latin America Internet Holding, a Rocket Internet and Millicom joint venture, as well as Africa Internet Group and iMENA Holding. The reported investment total exceeded $77 million across four later financing rounds, although the available reference does not provide a complete financing table or an independently verified valuation. The first major international expansion followed Rocket Internet's October 2012 investment, with Mexico identified as the first overseas market. During 2013, Easy Taxi moved into additional markets in Asia, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Hong Kong, while also pursuing expansion in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa. Its international strategy focused on emerging markets in which taxi services were widespread but often fragmented, difficult to hail, or lacking consistent dispatch and tracking tools. By December 2014, the company reported 17 million users and more than 400,000 affiliated taxi drivers. It described its network as spanning 30 countries and more than 420 cities. The brand also pursued measures intended to improve the public image of the taxi industry and associate app-based taxi use with safety and social usefulness. In Brazil, the Bibliotaxis initiative placed books in participating taxis for passengers to borrow and return. In Latin America, Easy Taxi supported campaigns encouraging customers not to drink and drive, often in cooperation with bars and restaurants. In the Philippines, it supported driver education and physical-training activities designed to promote a safer and more professional image of taxi transportation. Easy Taxi was eventually acquired by Cabify in 2017. The Easy Taxi application was incorporated into Cabify in 2019, after which the standalone Easy Taxi service was discontinued. It is therefore a defunct consumer technology brand whose principal historical significance lies in helping popularize app-based taxi booking across emerging markets before consolidation among larger mobility platforms.

Easy Taxi originated in Brazil in 2011 after Tallis Gomes experienced the difficulty of finding a taxi in Rio de Janeiro on a rainy evening. Gomes and Daniel Cohen developed the idea as a smartphone-based alternative to street hailing and traditional telephone dispatch. The concept was presented at Startup Weekend Rio, where it won the competition. The founders and early team later participated in Startup Farm Rio and became finalists in IBM-backed SmartCamp activities, giving the young company early visibility among technology and urban-mobility initiatives. A beta version of the application launched in August 2011, and Rio de Janeiro became the initial operating laboratory. The formal local launch followed in April 2012. Easy Taxi's original service connected passengers with affiliated taxi drivers and charged drivers a fee for each completed ride. During its first year, the company reported more than 5,000 drivers and 200,000 users. Expansion into São Paulo followed, with early funding support from Alex Tabor, an angel investor associated with Peixe Urbano. The company's international phase began after Rocket Internet invested in October 2012. Mexico became its first international market. In June 2013, Easy Taxi received further financing from Latin America Internet Holding, a joint venture associated with Rocket Internet and Millicom. The company used the capital to expand its international network, improve customer support, and develop additional application features. It subsequently entered Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Hong Kong during 2013. Other financing connected with Africa Internet Group supported the company's push into Africa, while an investment involving Rocket Internet and iMENA Holding supported expansion in the Middle East and North Africa, beginning with Saudi Arabia. Easy Taxi's international operating model relied on a common mobile application deployed in markets where partner taxi networks were available. The application supported iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, and offered taxi requests together with real-time tracking. This approach was designed for cities where taxis were common but dispatch systems were fragmented or unreliable. By December 2014, Easy Taxi reported 17 million users and more than 400,000 affiliated drivers. It also described its coverage as 30 countries and over 420 cities. The available reference reports more than $77 million in backing across four later investment rounds; the precise dates and composition of all rounds are not fully specified in the source material. Alongside its commercial service, Easy Taxi promoted social-responsibility programs connected with taxi use. In Brazil, its Bibliotaxis program placed books in taxis for passengers to borrow and return. In several Latin American markets, the company worked with bars and restaurants on campaigns discouraging drinking and driving. In the Philippines, it supported driver education and physical training intended to improve professional standards and public perceptions of taxi transportation. Easy Taxi operated in a competitive field that included other taxi-booking platforms and ride-hailing services such as UnTaxi, Nekso, Auto Amigo, and Uber. The sector increasingly consolidated around larger mobility companies. Cabify acquired Easy Taxi in 2017, and the application was subsequently incorporated into Cabify in 2019. The standalone Easy Taxi product was then discontinued, ending the brand's independent operation.

• 2019

  Standalone service discontinued

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  The Easy Taxi application was incorporated into Cabify and the independent Easy Taxi service ended.

• 2017

  Acquisition by Cabify

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  Cabify acquired Easy Taxi, placing the brand within the mobility portfolio associated with Maxi Mobility.

• 2014

  Reported international scale

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  Easy Taxi reported 17 million users, over 400,000 affiliated drivers, and coverage in 30 countries and more than 420 cities.

• 2013

  Expansion into Asia

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  The company entered Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Hong Kong as part of its wider emerging-market rollout.

• 2013

  Expansion into Africa and the Middle East

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  Additional investment supported the launch of operations in African and Middle Eastern markets, including Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.

• 2012

  Official Rio de Janeiro launch

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  Easy Taxi formally launched in Rio de Janeiro and began building a local driver and passenger network.

• 2012

  First major Rocket Internet investment

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  Rocket Internet investment supported Easy Taxi's transition from a Brazilian service to an international expansion vehicle, beginning with Mexico.

• 2011

  Founding and early competitions

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  Tallis Gomes and Daniel Cohen developed Easy Taxi in Brazil. The concept won Startup Weekend Rio and later received recognition through Startup Farm Rio and IBM SmartCamp-related activities.

• 2011

  Beta application introduced

  [1]Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org

  The first beta version was launched in August, with Rio de Janeiro serving as the initial test market.

A mobile-first taxi-booking service positioned as a convenient, trackable, and safer alternative to street hailing or telephone dispatch, with particular emphasis on emerging urban markets.

• Mobile transportation application · 2011

  Easy Taxi mobile application

  The core Easy Taxi product was a smartphone application that allowed users to request taxis from participating driver networks. It was deployed across markets through versions for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. The application was designed to make taxi ordering more convenient than street hailing or telephone dispatch and provided information about the assigned vehicle and driver.

• Taxi dispatch and tracking

  Easy Taxi real-time tracking

  Real-time tracking was a central functional feature of the Easy Taxi service. After a booking, passengers could follow the approaching taxi through the application. The feature supported the brand's positioning around visibility, convenience, and greater confidence when using affiliated taxis.

• Taxi-network service · 2012

  Easy Taxi driver network

  Easy Taxi operated a network model in which independent or partner taxi drivers received passenger requests through the platform. The company reported more than 400,000 affiliated drivers by December 2014. Drivers were charged a fee for completed rides under the early business model.

• Bibliotaxis

  Brazil

  Easy Taxi placed books inside participating taxis so passengers could borrow them during rides and return them on a later trip. The program connected the taxi experience with reading and public access to books.

  Outcome. The reference identifies the program as a social-responsibility initiative but does not provide quantified results.

  Source
• Don't drink and drive campaign

  Latin America

  Easy Taxi partnered with local bars and restaurants to encourage customers to use taxis rather than drive after drinking.

  Outcome. The reference describes the campaign's purpose but does not provide measured outcomes.

  Source
• Driver education and physical-training programs

  Philippines

  The company supported education and physical-training activities for taxi drivers in the Philippines, seeking to promote a safer, more professional image for Manila's taxi industry.

  Outcome. No quantified campaign outcome is stated in the reference material.

  Source

• 2019

  Integration into CabifyGeneration change

  Background

  After the Cabify acquisition, maintaining separate consumer applications became unnecessary within the combined mobility portfolio.

  Action taken

  The Easy Taxi application was incorporated into Cabify and the standalone product was discontinued.

  Aftermath

  The Easy Taxi brand ended as an independent operating service.

  Source

• 2017

  Sale to CabifyM&A

  Background

  The app-based mobility sector was consolidating, and Easy Taxi had developed a large but geographically dispersed taxi-booking network.

  Action taken

  Cabify acquired Easy Taxi.

  Aftermath

  Easy Taxi later became part of Cabify and ceased operating as an independent application in 2019.

  Source

• 2013

  Expansion across Asia, Africa, and the Middle EastStrategy

  Background

  New financing from investor groups associated with Rocket Internet, Millicom, and iMENA created the capacity for wider geographic expansion.

  Action taken

  Easy Taxi launched or prepared operations in markets including Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.

  Aftermath

  The brand developed a broad international footprint and became one of the more widely distributed app-based taxi services in emerging markets.

  Source

• 2012

  International expansion after Rocket Internet financingStrategy

  Background

  Easy Taxi had established an initial presence in Brazil and sought to scale the taxi-booking model into other emerging markets.

  Action taken

  Following Rocket Internet's first major investment, the company expanded into Mexico and adopted a broader international growth strategy.

  Aftermath

  The move began a rapid rollout across Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

  Source

1. 1Easy Taxien.wikipedia.org