Hail (and Pay For) Yellow Cabs With Your Smartphone

Until now, there's only been Uber. As I once wrote:

If you're more Zsa-Zsa Gabor than Jimmy Breslin, Uber efficiently sends you the closest nice black town car on their massive computerized grid, and charges you a fair price (plus stiff surcharge). It's considerably more than a taxi, but provides a much better and faster experience. Even if you're not Zsa-Sza, it's great in the rain, in the boonies, or when you simply need to get the hell out of where you are (I think of it as my seldom-used hyperspace button).

Now comes Hailo, a smartphone app (iPhone and Android) that calls, and automatically pays for, yellow cabs in these cities: Barcelona, Boston, Chicago, Dublin, London, Madrid, New York, Tokyo,, Toronto. I'm assuming there'll be a surcharge, but it won't be as expensive as Uber, with its fancy town cars.

It's due to start in NYC next month, and you can sign up now for a $10 credit.

See this video for more info: