Not everyone has a car to transport them from one place to another, which is why people have started relying on local shuttle services to get them to where they need to be.
From airport services and transfers from hotel to hotel, many local business are delving into transport, and making a huge profit to assist those who are in need.
A shuttle service is similar to a taxi, but with more services at a higher cost and to farther destinations.
One such service is Dial-a-Cab, a local transport business which was founded in 2011.
Specialising in private pick-up and drop-offs, this Windhoek-based business has already made a name for itself, scoring local corporates as customers.
Speaking on the high demand for transport services, owner Aaron
Kasera said “transport is needed in Namibia and it is still in high demand”.
The company prides itself on the fact that a majority of their customers are locals.
“It’s all about helping people around the country. Some towns don’t even have transport services, so we definitely have to take them.”
Services also include city tours, airport transfers, urban and rural transfers, chaffeurs to drive you for any occasion, all around the country.
Despite the common misconception, Dial-a-Cab does not only focus on Windhoek.
“We could pick up people from anywhere. Although the business is operated from Windhoek, we still do transfers in other towns.”
The prices may be high for some, but Dial-a-Cab believes that their VIP experience makes it different from others.
With its success over the years, the company is opening up a new office in John Meinert street in Windhoek, across from Puma Service Station. Currently operating in a residential area at 16 Hamman Street in Klein Windhoek, the new Dial-a-Cab office promises a fixed presence within the central business district.
“We’re a 24-hour service. When people are at a club and they need to be picked up, even if it’s 04h00 in the morning, they can call us and we’ll be there. We help people who don’t want to drink or drive. We help everyone,” Aaron said.
Always on call and open on Sundays too, the company has over 20 drivers who are ready and willing to transport their customers to wherever they want to go, stopping at their clients’ demand only. Almost family-like, Dial-a-Cab is all for the people.
Another shuttle service that is happy to cater to locals is Walvis Bay’s McClune’s Taxi Services.
“Our main focus is transport between Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund,” Christopher McClune, owner of the shuttle business, said.
“We have additional airport transfers to supplement the need for financial stability.”
Started in 2009, the prices have ranged from N$200 and increased a number of times by only N$10 at a time.
“We used to go door-to-door and through that, we were able to get clients. But we realised that there’s a lot of wear-and-tear,” Christopher said.
And that is the reason for the slight increase because maintenance can be quite pricey.
McClune’s Taxi Services’ clients are 95% local.
“There is a customer-based pride from Katutura to the Vineta vicinity. We realised there’s a need for transport there. The problem is that the current local customers are treated unfairly and disrespected.”
But a portion of their profit also comes from international clients.
“We also attracted foreign companies,” Christopher said, but they’d still be able to make a good earning if there aren’t any.
If you’re interested, clients must reserve their seats and make early bookings for administration purposes. The services they offer include airport shuttles, dial-a-taxi and even bus-with-a-driver charters.
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