Recently launched transport technology firm and mobile ride-hailing app Taxify has confirmed their drivers are conducting twice the amount of weekly trips than their European counterparts, and represent strong competition to Uber in Africa.

According to App Annie, the Taxify app on iOS is ranking second only to Uber in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. On the Google Playstore, Taxify ranks second to Uber in Nigeria and South Africa and third in Nairobi after second placed Little Cabs

Taxify said that in terms of volume, South Africa was number one in Africa and when compared with Europe, African customers are mostly female.

Taxify started its operations in Nairobi in July last year and opted in over 400 drivers from the Kenya Taxi Cab Association following protests in the city against Uber.

It launched in Johannesburg in 2015 and later extended to Cape Town and in Lagos, Nigeria in late 2016.

In a statement from the company to ITWeb Africa, CEO and founder Markus Villig said their entry point to the countries in Africa was as a result of driver protests.

"People walking out on the streets to protest a company is a strong signal that a more ethical competitor will do well in the city," Villig said.

"We see that hailing apps help with a lot, especially quality control and dynamic prices. As long as hailing platforms have good conditions for drivers to offer good and affordable services for riders, the model is good," Villig narrated.

He added that, "We see that it doesn't matter if the car is a 'taxi' or an 'unlabelled private vehicle' as long as quality and price is acceptable for the client."

The company is promising to enter into more African cities this year and in March they will launch their services in Egypt.

Taxify says that it is taking in customer feedback on their service to customise the app for African users ahead of expansion.