Four years ago, you would have been forgiven for thinking that there was something suspicious about the man lurking in the centre of Paceville in the wee morning hours with a pen and notebook.

Matthew Bezzina spent almost a year watching and learning, getting as real a picture as he could about the taxi industry. When he was ready, almost four year ago, he already had a very clear idea of what he wanted to do.

But this intense period of research was not the only reason for eCabs phenomenal success. The entrepreneurial spirit is all about overcoming obstacles and Mr Bezzina is not the sort of person to let something as banal as a closed door stop him. When his fledgling taxi company needed to grow and the banks baulked at loaning him money for a third cab, he simply took out a personal loan and bought it as his own vehicle.

Of course, the new cabs and the IT systems are fundamental

“Entrepreneurs’ ideas tend to get shot down by a conservative society – and I was a nobody,” he shrugged.

“I did not fit the industry stereotype. Most people in business come from a few dozen families. People ridiculed my idea. And yet eCabs has developed exactly as I forecast in my business plan.”

It is this defiant spirit which has made eCabs into the standard-bearer for the industry, with 40 cabs and over 100 drivers within just four years. And with economies of scale now easing pressure on the bottom line, his rivals – those of them still trying to compete – must be groaning.

This would already be impressive enough but Mr Bezzina is just 29 years old now, with the enthusiasm and commitment that his relative youth brings with it.

He started off working on transport and logistics for EC Language School, and with an MBA under his belt, had both the experience and expertise to see the opportunity.

“The feedback on the level of service being provided by taxis did not reflect what Malta should be offering. The industry was not attracting the right employees. There was a stigma... and no one wanted to work weekends and nights,” he said.

“Now 90 per cent of our drivers had never done this work before. And 25 of them are women...”

With the help of his brother and sister, the dream became a reality. But the move to new premises (which have a car-lift for four storeys of underground parking), is not the end of the company’s innovative streak.

“eCabs is all about what the customer wants, and making it easier and easier for them to call a cab,” he said.

At the new head office on the outskirts of Paceville, his staff take phone calls via a programme which recognises the caller’s number and brings up their previous bookings – which means they don’t have to repeat details like home address etc. One entire wall – clearly visible from the road – is taken up by a map of the islands, showing the real time location of each cab and whether they are on a call or idle, making it easier for the dispatcher to optimise response times.

“The computer database is gradually building up more and more information to make our prediction algorithm more accurate, as it starts to take into account the driver, the client, the cab, the traffic flows and so on... The less time it takes for us to process a call, the better for the customer and the more efficient for us,” he said.

The customer-focus does not end with the booking. An SMS is sent to the client when the cab is a short distance away from the pick-up point, giving details like the registration number and mobile number of the driver.

Of course, the new cabs and the IT systems are fundamental – but so are the drivers, and one floor of the new office building is to host a training centre, which will offer courses on customer care, route optimisation, dealing with difficult clients etc.

His main competitors, ­ White Taxis Amalgamated, have stands in prime locations, so if he wants clients to opt for his service, every minute of response time counts. This is why he has just launched a new free phone app, developed by iMovo, which will make his service even more user-friendly. Clients will be able to book off their own phone, which will store things like the home address and favourite routes. The app is also offered in different languages for the benefit of tourists and English-language students.

Success does not come cheap. Mr Bezzina still drives a cab whenever needed and frowned when asked how many hours he works.

“I have no social life at all, at an age when most of my friends are having fun and in relationships. That is the price to pay... but I am re-investing every cent I make. The only way to become sustainable is to grow even more.”