Estonia, Technology, Tourism, Transport

Villig said that the field of transport is a good option for expansion for technology companies. "The situation in transport today is so weak that there are a lot of possibilities for improving it," Villig said at the Ariplaan 2019 (Busines Plan 2019) conference in Tallinn.

According to Villig, the only option for Taxify to be successful is to focus very narrowly on the transport of people in the next few years and not to expand to the transport of goods, for example. Taxify has so far brought together people and cars, but the company is now also testing motorbikes. "Today, we have launched this mainly in the African countries, but the potential for implementing this service is also big in Europe," he said.

"The second part that we are focusing on is vehicle rent. If you have a short trip to make within the city, a kilometer or two, it is convenient to get a scooter, electric bicycle or bicycle," Villig said. Taxify launched its e-scooter rent service Bolt in Paris in September. "People understand that they do not need a car for short trips," he said.

According to Villig, one large element why people do not want to abandon car ownership is when they need to travel long distances and this is why the company is also seeking partners with whom it can implement vehicle rental services. "Once we manage to fully develop this ecosystem, people will realize that they do not need a car," he said.

Villig said that Taxify also has the potential to enter the public transport market. "If we know where there are buses, scooters and where cars are moving, we can establish the kind of system where people insert their preferences and will be given the best way for planning their trip," he said. "

Today, public transport is a relatively slowly regulated sector. If we look at what information technology could do, we could change it daily," he said.

According to Villig, technology companies must take into consideration fast changes in order to be successful. "If you do not make those decisions and take those risks, then one day, this product will be successful and the situation will be the same it is in the taxi service at present," he said.