Taxi Apps

Of all the things on a smartphone most find the GPS the most amazing. You can access the internet on your phone, you can make phone calls hooking up with the local broadcast tower, you can even take photos and record films but with the GPS you are communicating with satellites beyond our atmosphere. And what better way to use a system once designed for navigating the oceans and skies than to hail a taxi and get around the city with ease.

Hailo
Hailo is the Daddy of taxi apps. Its success is undisputed with a huge proportion of taxis signed up to it in every city it’s based in. It has been in Dublin for a while now, has just been rolled out to Cork and is now starting in Galway. The app is quite simple to use, hooking up with the driver’s GPS enabled phone. The drivers give a constant signal to a central computer and when you put your position into your own phone the central computer lets you know where the nearby taxis are.

To hail one all you have need is a few swipes of the screen of your smartphone. What is most surprising about Hailo is its location setting. It’s possible to be pinpoint accurate with where you want to get picked up. Along with its pay by card options Hailo is tough to beat.

Cabapp
Cabapp is only available in Dublin at the moment, however it is a nice alternative to Hailo. Capabb was designed by a taxi driver and is designed with the driver in mind. Users can enter their starting point and destination and book a cab in advance. The big advantage of Cabapp is that it gives every taxi driver the ability to accept credit and debit cards through the Cabapp service. With secure industry standard encryption and transfers over the internet Cabapp can be a lifesaver when you don’t have cash on you.

Corporate Options
The corporate world is the lifeblood of many taxi driver’s business. Smartphone and integrated desktop software solutions are on the way for those within big (and small) business who need to arrange travel plans. When you need to book a long journey in advance to ferry visiting dignitaries to and fro a certain standard of quality is expected. There are a number of apps currently being trialled across the EU and they will soon be on their way to Ireland. These apps, tied to desktop software, internet browser systems and smartphone apps allow for easy handling of long distance and scheduled journeys for the business traveller. The good news for businesses in belt-tightening times is these apps are promising lower negotiated prices for their customers.