Apia, SAMOA — An all new innovative online taxi stand offering safe, professional services to and from anywhere in the country, has opened in Samoa.

The Soga'i Online Taxi Stand based in Alafua has been in operation for exactly one month, owners Dr. Kapuana Ainuu and his wife Malulani Ainuu told Newsline Samoa.

"The idea came because I was thinking about easy access to a taxi cab online," said Dr. Ainuu, a medical doctor who works at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital in Motootua.

"I manage the stand and the way it works is if you want to drive for me, you can still stand at your own taxi stand but you can join Soga'i Online Taxi Stand part-time or on-call."

Dr. Ainuu said he is a member of the Stake High Council for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What he does in his new business venture is register interested drivers and publicize their services on the Soga'i Facebook page. He currently has five drivers.

"I take a photo, I create a profile and make sure I have their phone number, their license plate number, village and other details and I post them up so that you know who is driving you," said Dr. Ainuu.

"Once a person clicks on the 'book now' button, then you will see a page for taxi services or transport. I basically offer the taxi service. It shows the time and date so you can schedule your taxi. When you confirm, it pops up on my messages and then I feed that message to the drivers then we see who is available."

The service provides an advantage to commuters by way of advanced scheduling of taxi services.

Read more at Newsline Samoa