In a bid to keep up with technology and companies like Uber and Lyft, Little Rock Yellow Cab has launched a mobile app. The app, “Taxi Hail,” is similar to Uber’s app and gives customers the power to request a cab, bypassing the call center.
Taxi Hail provides customers with the car make, color, and driver’s name, along with real-time GPS tracking of the requested cab. The only difference between the Uber app and Yellow Cab’s app is Uber provides a picture of the driver and his or her ranking. Customers can pay through the app, but also through a credit card reader in the back of the cab or simply by paying in cash. Because taxi rates are set by the city, they also don’t have “surge pricing” like Uber does, making them more affordable during big events or on excessively busy nights.
Paige Coker, vice president of Yellow Cab of Little Rock, said “[Customers] want visual confirmation that there is a cab on the way, they want the promise on their phone.” Coker also believes it’s the company’s safety features that set it apart from other transportation services. Every driver is thoroughly vetted and licensed, and all rides are digitally recorded.