The leading taxi operator in San Diego launches a concierge service with Bttn to provide a better way of calling cabs than ride-sharing apps. San Diego Yellow, the leading taxi company in San Diego with over 300 vehicles, launches its new Concierge service with Bttn, the internet-connected push button.

Restaurants, hotels and boutiques frequented by large numbers of customers are repeatedly calling taxi companies to place ride orders. Deploying San Diego Yellow branded bttns to these locations, SDY offers a totally new level of service. Dubbed as SDY Concierge, a simple push of a button sends a taxi order to that address, and then displays confirmation light on the bttn.

Taxi operators have for some years been challenged by internet-connected ride-sharing services. Some of the traditional operators have also developed their own app-based services but studies have shown personal apps do not reach all customers and they’re not the most convenient way for concierge-served customers. Using a bttn to place taxi orders is both faster and more convenient than app-based hailing.

“With SDY Concierge, we can gain more visibility at the point of sale, improve our customer satisfaction, and strengthen customer lock-in. I see the super-easy bttn as one of the ways for the traditional taxi industry to go on- demand and keep our share of the pie”, says Anthony Palmeri, President of SDY.

Harri Rautio, CEO of Bttn is delighted. “The bttn streamlines taxi ordering, saves time and money in the concierge locations, and offers our customers new revenue streams. We’re thrilled to work with a market leader like SDY, as well as our local partner ButtonizeIT, who has been instrumental in working with SDY, configuring the solution and providing local support.”

With Taxi Butler, which does not operate in the US market, Bttn already has a European equivalent and competitor. Taxi Butler, which is linked to various dispatching systems, claims its system offers more functionality – both for the customers and for the taxi companies.

• Bttn launches a taxi with a hit of the button.