It all started so beautifully. 2020, a new decade, with an economy running at top speed. But it took just one cabinet press conference to shut everything down. Whether that is also bad for innovation in the sector, however, remains to be seen. The corona crisis has accelerated some processes and where 'smart' companies such as Pitane BV found it difficult to put innovation into a conservative taxi market, we have now learned that technology is helping us further.

“In the past few months, we have been able to help a great many companies within the taxi sector survive as part of a solution to their financial problems. Delaying payment, thinking along or looking for solutions to help them through the crisis were and are still daily activities. We are not there yet and repayment may take a year without new setbacks. ”

Nevertheless, we have all learned that we can do business more socially and that we must help each other to provide a good service. Pitane Mobility wants to challenge entrepreneurs in the coming months. Many technological innovations in the taxi sector were already on the shelf, waiting for organizational innovations. They can be entered just now.

ride along on existing platforms

In recent years, the platform economy has been on the rise. The business model for building services on other people's resources is now known. The Eindhoven software house Pitane BV offers all services that are settled via a subscription model. No more investments for the development of your own app or software, but still innovate and enjoy 'cycling' on existing platforms while retaining their own identity and caring for their own customers.

Covid-19 or corona has changed many habits that we took for granted. In this bizarre time, the consumer takes action with creative solutions and fantastic innovations. There is more time and more sense of togetherness. And we should not let go of the latter. Because of all these elements, we are now able to devise new things with a dose of energy and positivity to deal with this crisis in the sector.

'never waste a good crisis'

A statement that many know. But what do you do with that, as an entrepreneur sitting at home and thinking about how to deal with this acute crisis? How do you keep your employees working, how do you maintain the cash flow?

And yet Pitane Mobility challenges entrepreneurs to embrace innovations and to properly 'reset' their company. Sit with us at an appropriate distance and let us restart your business together. In recent months we have achieved good results together with a number of companies and we have been able to continue to innovate. We are, of course, realistic enough to realize that unfortunately many more bankruptcies will follow in the bus and taxi sector in the coming months. 

The Eindhoven-based company wants to forge new alliances in society in all sorts of areas and use its own technology to accelerate the restart of companies without pressure from investments or setting up expensive workplaces. When working from home was the new standard in recent months, we discovered that everything remained available from the cloud on a completely new platform. We don't have to work in expensive office buildings if necessary. Good communication, innovation and reliable systems do half the work and are much cheaper.

New financing constructions were already hanging above the market, but are now certainly becoming more important. Crowdfunding, social enterprises, so-called 'blended' finance constructions, they probably turn out to be more resistant to a (temporary) crisis than companies that were financed with risk capital in the short term.

critical weaknesses in the model

One of the big gains of the past few months is that it is a nice dress rehearsal for a new and even more dangerous virus that will probably emerge somewhere in the future. We now know better what to expect and how to anticipate it. We now also know where our weaknesses lie.

“The future will show whether we are doing the right thing in this crisis, but for now we can rely on it. This is possible because we kept a cool head and continued to work in the new normal. The sector is ready for the reset! ”

Also read: Taxi market Flanders embraces Arrive booking platform