We are extremely excited to announce that our hailing app ARRO is officially live in London!
As of today, ARRO is fully operational and available for passengers to download and use. Whether you have a CMT Tablet or a CMT Fixed Screen in your Taxi, you will be able to receive e-Hails and process ARRO Pay transactions.
Both of these features are explained below, with links provided to our training guides.
The software required for ARRO to run in your Taxi has already been sent to your CMT payment system over the air, and in the vast majority of cases will have already been downloaded. For those Tablet Solution drivers who haven't yet received their download prompt, don't worry it will be with you very shortly.
First things first, what is the cost to you for using ARRO?
As is the case with your CMT FREEdom Solution there is a simple transaction fee with no minimum usage fee, data charges, or hidden costs.
OK, so what are the fees?
The fee for an ARRO e-Hail is 8%. This compares very favourably with the competition, especially when you consider there are no data charges and ARRO uses the CMT payment equipment already installed in your Taxi.
The fee for ARRO Pay is exactly the same as for normal card transactions, namely 3.75% plus 20p.
ARRO Pay is explained in more detail below, but essentially it's a payment facility which allows passengers to confirm payment for their journey while the meter is running ... once you stop your meter the fare & tip will automatically be paid and a receipt will print for your reference.
As with your card transactions, look for the AUTH CODE. The passenger will receive an emailed receipt, so the single merchant receipt that's printed is yours.
When will my ARRO work clear into my bank account?
Your ARRO work will follow exactly the same cashiering schedule as your card work. Whether you're on our Once Weekly, Twice Weekly or Daily Pay schedules your ARRO work will show on your regular cashiering emails and clear into your account along with your card work.
How do ARRO e-Hails work in my Taxi?
We have created guides for both the Fixed Screen system and the Removable Tablet system as, although both work in the same fundamental way, they do look different.
Fixed Screen Guide: https://is.gd/5ecX7Q
Tablet Guide: https://is.gd/EzwzlF
It is entirely your choice whether to make yourself available for e-Hails or not.
The blue 'A' ARRO logo indicates you're available, while a maroon 'A' ARRO logo indicates you're not. Because your CMT payment system is linked to your meter, you will only be offered an ARRO e-Hail if you're in a For Hire state. For the same reason, all ARRO e-Hails will be metered.
No fixed price fares.
If you're "For Hire" and available, a sound and on-screen message will alert you to an offer, with the ETA from your current location and street name of the pickup point.
You have 15 seconds to accept the offer. The job will be awarded to the most appropriate Taxi if multiple drivers accept.
Once you've arrived at the pickup point you press Arrived.
The passenger then has 3 minutes to get to you. Both you and the passenger can message each other through the App, or initiate a phone call (numbers masked).
If after 3 minutes the passenger doesn't show you have the option to select 'No Show'. If you do so, after having waited for 3 minutes, they'll be charged £5, £4.60 of which will go to you.
The 3 minute rule applies to cancelled e-Hails too. If the passenger cancels within 3 minutes of e-Hailing they're not charged. If they cancel after 3 minutes, they will be charged £5 and you are paid £4.60, as above.
When the passenger is onboard you start your meter.
The system will check the passenger's stored card to ensure it's valid.
Once you stop your meter the payment for the fare & tip will go through automatically, with a receipt printed for your records.
It's a quick and simple process that we are confident even those of you new to hailing apps will find easy and intuitive.
What is ARRO Pay?
ARRO Pay is a payment facility that's built into ARRO. Every trip creates a unique code which the passenger enters into their app ... these are passengers who have street hailed you or got into your Taxi from a Rank.
Once the ride is completed ARRO Pay will automatically charge the passenger the metered fare, plus tip, as soon as you stop your meter ... so passengers can settle payment for their journey before it's finished!
This is possible because ARRO runs through the CMT payment system in you Taxi, which is linked to your meter.
Who can use ARRO Pay?
Any passenger who gets into your Taxi who hasn't e-Hailed you. All they need is the ARRO app with a stored payment card in their profile.
We think ARRO Pay will prove extremely popular with commuters and business professionals who are in a perpetual rush, as there's almost no processing delay once the journey is finished.
Your regular customers and business accounts will love ARRO Pay too as it's quick, easy and they get receipts emailed to them for every fare.
There's no cost to the passenger and there's no increase in cost over a normal in Taxi card transaction to you. We think ARRO Pay will prove to be a big hit.
We will soon begin promoting ARRO via Supersides, Decals, Tip Seats and so on.
If you're an Owner Driver who's interested in carrying Decals or Tip Seat advertising for ARRO please email uksupport@cmtgroup.com.
We have also produced Branded Receipt Rolls and will be making these available shortly. Boxes will be sent to Fleets and Owner Drivers can receive theirs from us at our Kendal Avenue facility.
We'll also be making visits to various Ranks and handing them out there too.
There are further training resources for you at www.cmt.london with FAQs, training guides and more.
We genuinely believe ARRO is a good product that's priced competitively and will prove to be a success.
Things will be slow at the beginning, as with all new apps, but with your support and the coming advertising, ARRO will soon become a fixture of your day practice.