ePortGO Takes Fare Payment to Whole New Level with Integrated Credit/Debit Card Acceptance, Dispatch, Navigation and More.
USA Technologies, Inc., a leader of wireless, cashless payment and M2M telemetry solutions for small-ticket, self-serve retailing industries, today officially launched ePortGOTM an end-to-end cashless payment, dispatch and navigation solution designed to simplify and economize the daily processes of today’s taxi and for-hire vehicle businesses while accommodating the increasing demand for secure, in-vehicle credit/debit card acceptance.
ePortGO is an integrated system that enables credit/debit card fare payment, trip management, recordkeeping, vehicle dispatching, navigation, and other features all in one easy and cost-effective solution. ePortGO is also designed to be flexible; operators can start out with the standard service for metered or unmetered vehicles or opt for the Premium service that integrates dispatch, navigation and other features, such as a consumer mobile app displaying the operator’s personalized brand.
ePortGO is an extension of USAT’s ePort Mobile solution for secure credit/debit card mobile acceptance. ePortGO combines ePortMobile with software developed by eTaxi USA, LLC in addition to ePort Connect, USAT’s flagship cashless payment service that handles all aspects of credit/debit card acceptance—from merchant account setup to credit/debit card reconciliation and settlement to sales reporting and customer service.
USAT’s Cary M. Sagady, senior vice president of product management and network services, said:
“ePortGO provides the taxi and for-hire vehicle industry a terrific opportunity to strengthen many aspects of their business model by coupling the latest in smart phone technology with mobile payment trends.”
“ePortGO is designed to be much more than a payment device; it turns a smartphone into a dynamic business terminal, essentially eliminating the need for costly, multi-hardware investments, redundant processes and higher “card not present” processing rates. And, for those operators that already take credit/debit cards, we believe the integrated functionalities of ePortGO and USAT’s proven expertise in cashless payment services can take fare payment to a much greater level in the taxi and for-hire vehicle industry.”
IBISWorld estimates revenues in the taxi and for-hire vehicle industry at $11 billion in the U.S. According to the Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association, there are approximately 12,400 limousine companies operating 126,000 vehicles and approximately 6,300 companies operating 171,000 taxicabs throughout the United States. Municipalities such as New York City and Washington D.C. have recently been mandating the use of in-vehicle credit/debit card acceptance and navigation features in taxis.
ePortGO is available for one monthly fee per device for Android smartphones or tablets. Standard features of ePortGO include:
- Integrated recordkeeping
- Reconciliation
- Web-based reports
- Taximeter integration
- In-vehicle credit/debit card acceptance
- 24 x 7 customer service and support
Premium features include:
- ePortGO’s standard features, plus
- Cloud-based dispatch system
- Reservation capability
- Integrated GPS navigation and driver tracking
- Branded passenger mobile app
James Grosso, Jr., Operations Manager at Mid Island Car Service, in Staten Island, New York, is already an ePortGO customer.
“ePortGO addressed all of our business needs with one, easy to implement solution. Because ePortGO is integrated, it lessens the work drivers have to do in the car, from entering addresses multiple times, to gathering trip data or manual credit card slips. In addition, in-vehicle credit/debit card acceptance is more secure, less costly and USAT’s simple, blended rate structure and other cashless payment services take the complexities of credit/debit card acceptance off my hands. From new on-line reservation functionality to faster time response time, enhanced dispatcher controls and more business as a result of in vehicle credit/debit card acceptance, going with ePortGO is going to paramount to our business potential.”
“ePortGO demonstrates how we can extend USAT’s product development and comprehensive network services for cashless payment to flex an existing product like ePort Mobile to serve the specific needs of customers in the taxi and for-hire vehicle market,” said Sagady. “This is a turnkey solution that can fit any size taxi and for-hire vehicle operation.”
