Tencent’s IM service WeChat recently announced a partnership with taxi-hailing app Easy Taxi, allowing users to book taxis rides directly via the popular messaging app. The two company will first launch a pilot program in Singapore and gradually expand it to other markets where both WeChat and Easy Taxi are available.

WeChat users in Singapore only have follow Easy Taxi’s official WeChat account (EasyTaxiSGP) to use the taxi booking function. Like the promotion on taxi fares in China, passengers who booking rides on Easy Taxi through Wechat can save 5 Singapore dollars (US$4), while taxi drivers will get an additional 1 Singapore Dollar (US$0.8) by the end of this month.

Easy Taxi will integrate cashless payment feature on the WeChat platform in the coming weeks, said Li Jianggan, co-founder and Managing Director of Easy Taxi Singapore.

Launched by Rocket Internet in 2011, Easy Taxi started its business from Latin America and expanded to Asian markets in 2013. According to the company, Singapore is now its biggest market in Asia.

Although WeChat did not disclose detailed user metrics by countries, its users in Singapore surged by 503% YOY in the first quarter of this year.

Originally from: cn.technode.com