Three enterprising Queenstown residents, who have all been taxi drivers, have formed a technology company called Tapp and launched their first product.
They have developed a phone app to make hailing a taxi easier for both passenger and driver.
The company, which was established in November last year by Simon Haslett, Andres Bedoya and Laura Harris, aimed to make whatever industry they became involved with more efficient.
Their mission was all about connecting people and using technology to break down the barriers, making it easier for people to do business with each other.
Taxis were the starting point but there was potential in other industries and they had lots of ideas, Mr Haslett said.
The traditional taxi service could be ''awkward'' and as the trio had all been taxi drivers, they had experienced frustrations first-hand. Customers could be ''easily happier'' and Tapp aimed to better their experience, he said.
Anyone with a smartphone could download the free app, book a taxi, track it in real time on the screen and then pay the driver and save the details for next time. It also allowed the driver to see the passenger's exact location.
Mr Haslett, who admitted having always been ''a bit of a geek'' when it came to technology, was also passionate about customer service.
His role in the business was on the financial side and, when it came to specifics of the apps, it was all around customer service.
Mr Bedoya's role was more on the technical side, while Ms Harris' strengths were in sales and relationships. The trio were all based in Queenstown, where they were ''living the dream'', Mr Haslett said.
Mr Bedoya was originally from Colombia and Tapp planned to launch its taxi app in the South American country in February. Colombians were ''way advanced'' when it came to using such a product, Mr Haslett said.
He believed the potential for the business was ''pretty big''.
''We've got good intentions, good values and, hopefully if we do the right product for the right market, it'll be huge,'' he said.
Phones were probably people's ''most valuable piece of kit'' and people loved using apps, he said.
