Darra is the worst of a number of suburbs in the south west of Brisbane; others include Redbank Plains and Inala, with Rocklea taking second place. The list of worst suburbs is made up of the places where taxi bookings were cancelled by passengers because no cabs were available to pick them up.
The app, called goCatch, employs a GPS system which allows passengers and drivers to get in touch with one another. Potential travellers can see where the nearest cab is in their suburb and drivers can see at a glance how many fares are available nearby, and exactly where they are.
One of the minds behind the app, Andrew Campbell, explained that taxi drivers had a tendency to stay near the CBD because of the larger numbers of travellers. He said the app will help drivers who have taken customers into the suburbs find fares who will give them a return journey into the city. Campbell went on to say:
"Then they know there is more likelihood they will pick up a fare from the outlying suburbs to bring back in,"
Flyer printing is one publicity option open to the developers of the app. If cab drivers accept the usefulness of the app, they can tell their passengers about it, and hand them a leaflet.