Image courtesy of Hailo

Hailo announced the launch of its taxicab service and accompanying app in Toronto, today. According to the company, the service and app will provide several benefits for its both riders and drivers. 

On the rider side, the app tracks the real-time location of the cabs it dispatches, so customers can see exactly how soon their driver will be there to pick them up. Moreover, once they summon a cab, customers are provided with a photo and rating of the driver that’s coming to pick them up, and after they’re dropped off, customers can add to that rating. Ideally, this feature should ensure that only the safest and most considerate drivers continue to work for the company.

On the driver side, Hailo promises that its app will allow drivers to earn more money. By replacing a traditional taxi-brokerage with a sophisticated algorithm, Hailo hopes to reduce the amount of time drivers spend waiting and looking for fares. Hailo intends to pass on the savings created by its efficient app by allowing drivers to keep an extra 15 per cent of each fare they make. Finally, all fares are paid through a credit card pre-registered with the app, reducing the amount of cash a driver has to carry with them and ensuring that no one can skip on paying their fare. 

Hailo is the second company to launch an app-based taxi service in Toronto – Uber holds the distinction of being first. However, Hailo are the first such company to be licensed by the city of Toronto as a taxi-brokerage. (Toronto Standard examined the implications of such a distinction in a recent feature.)

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Igor Bonifacic is a simple intern working for the Toronto Standard. You can follow him on twitter at @igorbonifacic.