Patoko: One App, Unlimited Benefits!

Patoko, initially launched as a simple taxi ordering app, has now transformed into a super-app that promises to change how we move, work, and live in urban environments. Starting from the daily needs of citizens for easier and more accessible transportation, Patoko has evolved to meet these demands with a range of services that embrace every aspect of urban life. This is the story of a bold journey from a local app to a global platform aiming to do more than just function as a taxi service—it aims to build more connected and sustainable communities. Let’s explore together in an interview with Arbër Kadia, CEO, of how Patoko is changing the landscape of urban transport, offering fast, safe, and sustainable solutions that directly respond to people’s needs.

1. What are the new innovations that Patoko has embraced?
   At Patoko, we are proud to have been able to innovate quickly and provide a comprehensive urban mobility platform that makes city movement easier, faster, and more reliable for our citizens. Besides our initial taxi ride service through the app, we have now significantly expanded our range of services to include real-time information on bus routes, making our services adaptable to local demands. Alongside traditional mobility in the digital space, we have added Loyalty Deals, which are a new democratization of smart marketing for small and medium-sized businesses that cannot invest in advanced technology like ours. This reinvention of our app and its rapid transformation into a “super-app” enables Patoko to be a true partner in mobility and urban development for our communities and their needs.
2. Why was there a need for these innovations?
   At Patoko, we have been committed from the beginning to better understanding the real challenges our citizens and visitors face when moving from point A to point B. Our goal is to facilitate every journey our users undertake. Our team is constantly searching for innovative solutions that address all mobility problems. By closely listening to our users’ voices, we have realized that public transport, real-time information, and services adapted to local needs have become essential to ease people’s lives in today’s urban environments. This has pushed us to make aggressive investments and research in innovation and to transform Patoko into an all-encompassing platform that can help build friendly, interconnected, and sustainable cities for the future.

1. How were they received by the audience?
   This reinvention of Patoko into a “super-app” that offers a wide range of mobility services has been met with great enthusiasm by our audience. We have seen an extraordinary increase in the use of our bus information service, with over 150,000 views since launch and 500 active users per day, showing that citizens are joyfully embracing the new opportunities we have offered them. This reassures us that we are on the right path to building a sustainable urban mobility ecosystem that serves the real needs of our citizens. Regarding taxi services, we have seen a continuous increase even during historically slow market periods, such as post-summer and the early months of 2024. Since January 2023, Patoko has grown by 1000% in completed routes, making a difference even on rainy days, when even large taxi companies cannot meet their customers’ needs.
2. What are the main challenges you have encountered in developing these innovations, and how have you overcome them?
   In terms of technology, I must say that we have not encountered difficulties since our development team is highly innovative and knowledgeable. The challenges we have faced relate to market players who still need to understand the advantages of the market. One of the main challenges was introducing card payments directly from the app. We overcame this challenge by developing suitable proprietary modules that will allow us to launch them in the market soon, seeing that demand from users is very high. Regarding the service of bus location information, we have encountered some difficulties in understanding from some line operators. However, thanks to the proper advocacy of the local power in Tirana, we have managed to make significant steps. Besides these problems, the biggest challenge we have successfully overcome is educating the market, including training taxi drivers and sometimes users, who still do not understand the advantage of technology for their respective benefits. In conclusion, I would say that the ability to adapt to market demands with hybrid formats has brought success in a space where no enterprise before us has seen the success we are witnessing.
3. How do you think these innovations will change the landscape of taxi/transport services in your market?
   By offering a wide range of integrated services, from taxi transportation, real-time public transport information, to new tourism services, we aim to make Patoko a reference point and preferred choice for every aspect of mobility and travel for our citizens. This will allow us to build a much stronger base of user loyalty, convincing them to turn to Patoko for an integrated and perfected experience. Through interaction with all aspects of the app, we hope to create a sustainable ecosystem where users will be motivated to keep Patoko as their preferred platform for all their needs. This will directly impact our market domination, allowing us to be a powerful actor that sets standards and expectations for transport services in our cities. We are confident that this comprehensive urban mobility strategy will allow us to positively influence the transport landscape, making it more efficient, sustainable, and oriented towards the real needs of our citizens. As a “super-app” that makes life easier, Patoko will play a key role in transforming how people face mobility challenges in our cities.

1. What are your future plans for Patoko, and how will you continue to innovate?
   Building on our current success, we are committed to continuing our unparalleled innovation journey. Following our transformation into a comprehensive urban mobility “super-app,” our next plan is to further expand our range of services. We are excited to enter the tourism field, offering services such as hotel bookings and car rentals. This will allow us to provide an integrated platform that will make traveling and moving easy for our citizens and visitors. But that’s not all. To make this process as easy and personalized as possible, we are developing our version of smart AI that will enable us to always be up to date and offer the same user experience everywhere. Inspired by trailblazers like Careem, we aim to create an integrated urban mobility ecosystem that meets all our citizens’ needs—from direct transport, real-time information, to other complementary services. This is just the beginning of our endless journey of innovation.

With our unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life in our urban communities, we are determined to make Patoko a comprehensive platform for mobility and urban development—an inspiring example of what can be achieved with unlimited imagination and a desire to respond to people’s real needs.