New ride service in Kennebecasis Valley uses smart technology

Two former taxi drivers, both with military backgrounds, have launched a new ride service in the Kennebecasis Valley and they say business is booming.

"Instead of fighting against Uber and protesting against Uber, the answer is to raise the bar of service," said David Gaudette, co-founder of MyRide. 

Gaudette, 54, and his business partner, 60-year-old Greg Fairbrother, say they've built their business on the latest technology, including software that allows customers to track the taxi on their smartphone, from the moment they call for a ride.

"MyRide came out of my frustration of what's wrong with the taxi industry," says Gaudette. 

"We decided instead of trying to rail against the storm, we could create our own little world and so my-ride.ca was born."

Customers can track their cabs on a digital map and there's no more risk of losing an ordered cab to someone else outside a restaurant or the airport.

Customers receive a picture of the taxi driver so they know who to look for. 

The driver has a digital record of the customer's name and cell phone number and Gaudette says there's even a way to pick each other out in a crowd.

"On the passenger side, they also have a button on their screen that they can tap and it will begin to flash," he says. 

"So they can hold that up above their head and we can pick them out of a crowd of 200, no problem."

Fairbrother says the company is on track to see its business double every month since they launched in early November. All advertising has been through social media and word of mouth.

Security is considered an important part of the business model and the software is designed to protect both the driver and his fare. 

Cameras on the dashboard capture what happens inside the vehicle and out front.

Gaudette and Fairbrother say they use the watch system to spell each other off around the clock and they've hired a third driver to keep up with demand.