Overview

With Whim you can book and pay for GO taxi rides with just a few clicks in the Tokyo area (23 wards, Musashino-shi and Mitaka-shi). In this article, you will learn about:

• How to Book a Taxi Using Whim
• Pick-up fee and app dispatching fee for GO taxi
• Fees displayed on Whim
• During the Taxi Ride
• Question and Answers
  • How can I cancel my taxi booking with Whim?
  • Can I book or pay for the taxi directly from the taxi rank using Whim?
  • How do I know the details of the taxi picking me up?
  • What do I need to do when the taxi arrives to pick me up?
  • How is the final taxi price calculated when you reach the final destination?
  • Do Whim prices include midnight fare?
  • Can I book airport rides via Whim?
  • Can I book a taxi for a friend using Whim?
  • Can I bring my pet onboard the taxi?
  • Is it possible to make an advance booking through Whim?
  • If the GPS location detected by the Whim App is wrong, how do I amend the address?

How to Book a Taxi Using Whim

1. Choose Taxis from the Home View (Fig. 1). Enter your destination address in the text fields provided (Fig.2). After entering your destination, you can also edit the pick-up address or choose your exact location from the map.

Fig. 1. Taxis in Home View

Fig. 2. Set drop off location

2. Whim shows you the estimated meter price of the ride (meter estimate includes the pickup fee and GO's app dispatching fee but doesn't include late-night fare bump) (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Request Taxi

3. When you are ready to order a taxi, select “Request Taxi” (Fig. 3). You are then directed to the payment confirmation view (Fig. 4). Please read GO taxi’s Terms & Conditions. By confirming your order, you accept GO taxi’s Terms & Conditions.

We will make a cover reservation on your payment card which is 20% higher than the estimated price. Final charges will be calculated at the end of the trip based on the actual fare.

Fig. 4. Payment Confirmation

4. Whim finds you an available taxi from one of GO taxi’s taxi operators (Fig. 5). 

Fig. 5. Searching for taxi

5. After a taxi has been found for you, Whim will show you the taxi details, such as the waiting number (i.e. order ID), license plate number or taxi number (depending on the taxi operator), company logo, the pick-up, and drop-off address as well as the estimated time of arrival of the pick-up address.

6. You can see the car approaching on the map and you can also see the phone number of the dispatch center and contact them if needed. 

You can access your taxi booking under the Active Tickets section in the Home View (Fig. 6). Simply tap the booking to open up a detailed view of your ride.

• In the app, you can see when the taxi has arrived at the pick-up location.
• Show the ride ticket to your driver before hopping into the taxi. This way they can make sure that you are the person who ordered the taxi. 

Fig. 6. Active Taxi Ride in Home View

Pick-up fee and app dispatching fee for GO taxi

Go taxi charges you the pick-up fee and the app dispatching fee from November 14, 2022.

Please refer to the GO website (Japanese only) for more information on the fees.

Fees displayed on Whim

Whim shows you the estimated meter price of the ride (meter estimate includes the pickup fee and GO's app dispatching fee but doesn't include late-night fare bump).

Whim will make a cover reservation on your payment card which is 20% higher than the estimated price. Final charges will be calculated at the end of the trip based on the actual fare.

During the Taxi Ride

• Have a relaxing ride! Please keep in mind that you, unfortunately, cannot yet follow the taxi on the map on its way to your drop-off location. We are working hard on making this feature available to you as soon as possible. 

• All charges will be charged to the payment card that you have added to your Whim profile. Please keep in mind it may take up to 4 business days to settle the final charge.
• You will receive a receipt of your taxi ride automatically via email, which includes the final fare. In some cases, this may take up to 4 business days.

Question and Answers

• Can I book or pay for the taxi directly from the taxi rank using Whim?
• How do I know the details of the taxi picking me up?
• What do I need to do when the taxi arrives to pick me up?
• How is the final taxi price calculated when you reach the final destination?
• Do Whim prices include midnight fare?
• Can I book airport rides via Whim?
• Can I book a taxi for a friend using Whim?
• Can I bring my pet onboard the taxi?
• Is it possible to make an advance booking through Whim?
• If the GPS location detected by the Whim App is wrong, how do I amend the address?

Can I book or pay for the taxi directly from the taxi rank using Whim?

Unfortunately, this is not possible just yet. You can, however, easily order a taxi to the address of your choosing.

How do I know the details of the taxi picking me up?

You can find the information about the booked taxi through the App, by tapping on the taxi ticket, from the “Tickets” view while waiting for the taxi to arrive as well as during the ride.

Doing this will direct you to the map view where you see all details of your ride, i.e. the license plate number or taxi number (depending on the company), company logo, waiting number (order ID), the estimated time of arrival, as well as the pickup and drop-off address.

What do I need to do when the taxi arrives to pick me up?

When you get into a taxi, you will need to show the ride ticket (access via tickets view) to the driver. This way he/she can make sure that you are the person who ordered the taxi. 

How is the final taxi price calculated when you reach the final destination?

If you book a GO taxi, the final price shown in the taxi meter will be charged to your payment card. Please keep in mind it may take up to 4 business days to settle the final charge. The charge is settled with the pre-authorized amount. If the final fare is higher than the pre-authorized amount, the difference will be added to the final charge, and if the final fare is lower, the final fare is charged and the rest of the pre-authorized amount is released back to your payment card balance. Depending on the bank, this might not happen immediately.

Do Whim prices include midnight fare?

There is a midnight fare, which is +20% of the meter price that is applied from 10 PM till 5 AM. Kindly note that the midnight fare is applied depending on when the trip ends. For example, the midnight fare applies even when the ride starts at 9:30 pm but ends at 10:01 pm. This means that if you book a taxi that ends during the time period when the midnight fare applies, you will pay the meter fare plus +20% midnight fare at the end of the trip.

The midnight fare in the payment confirmation view will only show up shortly before 10 pm and only when you order a taxi during this time when the midnight fee applies will it show in the payment confirmation view.

Can I book airport rides via Whim?

Unfortunately, you cannot book the airport taxis via Whim at the moment. We are working towards bringing this feature to the App as soon as we can.

Can I book a taxi for a friend using Whim?

Yes, you are allowed to order a ride for a friend. When getting into the taxi, the driver will ask your friend for the name under which the order was made, i.e. your name. Please notify your friend about this in advance.

Can I bring my pet onboard the taxi?

Yes, you may bring your pet onboard for free.

Is it possible to make an advance booking through Whim?

No, it is not yet possible to pre-book a taxi via Whim. The taxi booked via Whim is only available for current booking jobs.

If the GPS location detected by the Whim App is wrong, how do I amend the address?

If the GPS location detected is wrong, you can tap to change the pick-up location, then manually type in the address in the "Choose starting point" field to correct it.