Editor's Note: Today's blog features Deepak U Subramaniam, Director at Red Taxi. Deepak shares how Red Taxi was able to improve pickup location accuracy, deliver better ETA reliability during peak hours, and routing that worked seamlessly across different vehicle types with Google Maps Platform.
Red Taxi has been around for 13 years in Tamil Nadu. We started with 30 cabs in Coimbatore and grew to 15,000 vehicles serving 50,000 rides a day across 17 cities. We're a regional player competing with national aggregators that have bigger budgets, but what sets us apart is our commitment to service quality. Here, the little details make a massive difference. Accurate ETAs are important because they build trust. We care about seamless pickup experiences because our customers deserve that reliability. How our drivers experience the app is important to us because they depend on it every day.
As we grew, we saw opportunities to enhance what we could offer. We wanted to improve pickup location accuracy. We wanted better ETA reliability during peak hours. We wanted routing that worked seamlessly across different vehicle types. To deliver on that vision, it was imperative to find the right technology partner.
Finding the right fit
We evaluated several options, and Google Maps Platform stood out. The accuracy of the mapping data was exceptional, and the live traffic handling aligned perfectly with what we needed. But what really sealed it for us was that our drivers and customers were already familiar with the Google Maps interface. There was no learning curve, no friction. We could implement and scale quickly without asking our team or our users to adapt to something new. As we planned to expand across new cities and vehicle types, that familiarity and flexibility gave us confidence that we could grow without hitting technical walls.
The migration itself happened in eight weeks with zero disruption to our operations. We transitioned from a collection of Google Maps Platform APIs to Google Maps Platform Mobility services. Our team planned the rollout strategically and we activated the new configuration one week before our billing cycle ended, which meant both old and new API keys remained active during the transition. This allowed us to migrate across all our platforms on the same day without any disruption of services.
The real game-changer was Navigation SDK. Previously, our drivers were redirected to the external Google Maps application for navigation, which meant they had to leave our driver app and sometimes resulted in route differences and fare variations. Now, drivers see the fare route calculated for their trip right in the app and they follow the exact route the fare was based on. No surprises, no discrepancies. The benefits extended to our riders as well. They had access to real-time trip route tracking and live ETA updates for the first time. Now they can see exactly where the driver is and when they'll arrive.
Our platform now leverages multiple Google Maps Platform products working together. We use the Routes API and Distance Matrix API for nearby cab discovery, fare estimation, booking flows, and ETA calculations.The Navigation SDK and Maps SDK power our driver navigation and trip visualization. Geocoding and Places APIs handle location search, favorite locations, and analytics. Driver locations update every 10 seconds through socket communication, with data maintained in Redis cache for real-time processing.
We've seen 34.4% trip volume growth, from 711,000 to 956,000 trips per month. Pickup-related operational issues dropped by 30-40%. Fare-related disputes decreased by 20-25%. Driver-customer coordination calls fell by 30%
Growth at scale
The impact has been better than we expected. We've seen 34.4% trip volume growth, from 711,000 to 956,000 trips per month. Pickup-related operational issues dropped by 30-40%. Fare-related disputes decreased by 20-25%. Driver-customer coordination calls fell by 30%. Our operations team can now monitor live cab movement, driver locations, ETA progress, and route adherence in real time, giving us unprecedented visibility into our fleet.
Lepton Software was our trusted guide and partner through this journey. They initiated the conversation about migrating to the mobility package, provided comprehensive documentation support, and worked closely with our technical team during setup. The collaboration with Google extended beyond mere technical implementation. Their team visited Coimbatore, observed actual trips, and identified specific challenges at prominent landmarks and pickup locations. This hyperlocal, hands-on approach helped us address issues we might have otherwise overlooked.
Six months ago, we launched our two-wheeler service, and just last month, we introduced three-wheelers. Google Maps Platform enables us to handle different routing requirements for each vehicle type, supporting our fleet diversification strategy. We're on track to reach 25 million committed riders by 2028, with expansion plans into Karnataka and Kerala already underway.
After 10 years working with Google Maps Platform, I can honestly say we cannot imagine our future without it. The platform has enabled us to scale without compromising on the service quality that defines Red Taxi. For regional players like us, having access to world-class mapping technology levels the playing field and allows us to focus on what we do best — providing reliable, high-quality rides to our customers across Tamil Nadu and beyond.
