Rixi rickshaw driver Saeed Akhtar sits in his rickshaw in Lahore, Pakistan May 19, 2016. (Sources: Reuters) As taxi hailing giant Uber enters Pakistan, a little-known local competitor is counting on a mix of new ideas and old technology to tap what could be a big chunk of the market: low-income residents who travel in rickshaws, not cabs. Known as Rixi, the Lahore-based service hails rickshaws instead of cars. Its platform is not smartphones, but older SMS phone messaging that allows nearby drivers to bid for any user’s business. Pakistan has more than 130 million cellphone subscriptions, but only 21 per cent subscribe to data packages, and, while the proportion is rising, there are...
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