Rating: Ideal for ladies returning late at night in UK capital
As part of a MWC 2012 prequel, GoMo News attended an event sponsored by the UK’s Department of Trade & Industry (DTI). This year it has run what it calls the Smart UK Project which is intended to highlight those UK firms showing the most innovation in the mobile sector. One of the finalists is Hailo. GoMo News was particularly impressed by this company’s offering because it has looked at the world of mobile apps from both angles. Not only does this app build on the advantages derived from location aware handsets in the handset of consumers, it only does the same thing for handsets on the dashboards of professionals, too. In case you haven’t already guessed, Hailocab is an app that puts ordinary travellers in contact with London’s famous Black Cab taxi service.
What GoMo News particularly liked about this offering is that the whole software suite has been designed by Black Cab drivers whilst obviously having been coded by software professionals.
Should you want to try it out, you can download the Android version from the Android Market here or from the iTunes app store here.
What the app basically does is figure out where the traveller is located and then alert those Black Cab drivers that have signed up to the scheme and who are in the area that there is a possible fare.
The beauty of this is that Hailo has put plenty of checks in place to ensure that only bona fide Black Cab drivers can sign up to the scheme and collect passengers.
This will be particularly appealing to females wishing to avoid public transport but travel late at night. The other really attractive feature is that travellers can pay by credit card. [Not always possible with London cabs.]
What is impressive about the driver’s version of this app is that it shows in real time where there is a demand for cabs, so that drivers can move to those locations.
Hailo assured GoMo News that the driver’s app will shortly go all ‘social networking’ and enable drivers to chat with each other.
They will also be able to post vital traffic information – such as when a particular road has been re-opened after a recent accident.
Reading between the lines, Hailo has also secured private funding which will enable it to attack the New York Yellow Cab sector as well as other cities in the UK.
