“There’s a challenge in getting a taxi when and where you need one and an issue of the quality of the ride you’re getting,” said the former corporate IT management worker.

A free mobile app, FastCab instantly connects a passenger to the nearest cab, wherever they are.

A two-way rating system allows both passengers and drivers alike to rate each other based on safety, theoretically enabling the highest rated customers to be rewarded by gaining a taxi the quickest. Meanwhile the highest rated drivers are rewarded with more business.

There is also the other side of their service addressing why there is not enough drivers when and where you need them. FastCab has increased safety for the drivers through customer accounts and the rating system, as well as the additional motivation of allowing customers to offer cash incentives for quicker pickup. Doepker sees it as a win - win combination for the driver and customer.

“It’s to address both concerns and to include some motivation for drivers as well as for the customers who are obviously the driving-force behind this service,” said Doepker.

Despite the fact that FastCab has had to grapple through a seemingly endless industry rulebook that differs by region (every municipality enforces it’s own delivery bylaws) Doepker emphasizes that the industry needs this.

“We’ve been received extremely well by consumers and passengers,” he said. “This is a service that people want- there’s no reason to not use the technology in our pockets and in our hands for improvement.”

Nevertheless, because they are a new technology in an industry that still relies on two-way radios in certain areas, they’ve encountered resistance.

“Overall the industry is in a very defensive stance because this is a very disruptive and industry-changing technology,” said Doepker. 

But even as change comes slow to this industry, drivers are beginning to warm up to the huge potential that FastCab’s service represents. It generates more fares and allows drivers and passengers to see who is waiting around the corner.

Along with three other co-founders Doepker has been working on the project for a year.

They also worked for five months before this, researching to create a monetized model that would not contravene the bylaws that exist in the cab industry. They work alongside existing infrastructure, gradually changing their scope while leveraging benefits to drivers and passengers.

In Calgary’s supportive and still-growing entrepreneurial community FastCab bootstrapped their entire first year, choosing to make friends first before going after funding.

“We’ve spent time really getting involved with the community,” said Doepker. “People are more willing to lend money to someone they know rather than someone they don’t know.”

It hasn’t been easy for the company though. Problems like US brain drain affect them just as much as anyone else when seeking out new team members. The mutually exclusive problem of fluctuating drivers and customers also hurts. With fewer customers comes less drivers, and vice-versa.

The immediate future looks positive though as they will be releasing their android app soon.

While they heard about the Fundica Startup Contest through a Startup Calgary tweet, they are very much in support of what Fundica offers SMEs.

“I think it’s a fantastic site; it’s a great opportunity for start ups to look at what funding options are available to them all in one site,” he said.