Toronto Says “Hailo” to Popular Taxi App

App-based taxi service now available on the App Store in Canada

TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2012 /CNW/ – After taking London and Dublin by storm,
Hailo has crossed the Atlantic and brought the world’s largest
app-based taxi service to North America. Beginning today, Torontonians
can hail and pay for a taxi with two taps on the screen of their iPhone
– at the same rate as a regular taxi ride.

Hailo was founded in 2011 in London, England by three taxi drivers and
three internet entrepreneurs who set out to bring a centuries-old
industry into the 21(st) century.

“Technology is driving the change that the taxi industry so desperately
needs. Our mission at Hailo is simple,” says Hailo Canada President
Justin Raymond. “We want to make the taxi experience better and easier
for both passengers and drivers.  By offering an easier, faster and
simply better taxi experience, we believe Hailo is going to
fundamentally change the way that people move around the city.”

In Toronto, today’s launch makes Hailo the city’s second largest taxi
network. The company received official licensing from the City of
Toronto in August – the first app-based taxi company in Canada to
receive official city licensing.

“Hailo is putting drivers first by bringing real change to the market
and a completely new way of connecting drivers and passengers” explains
Louis Seta, one of Hailo Canada’s driver partners and a 30-year veteran
of the Toronto taxi industry.

Hailo promises to streamline the taxi experience for passengers in three
ways:

        --  Hail in two taps.With Hailo you can hail a taxi from your home,
            office or restaurant and watch it arrive in real time.
        --  Safe and reliable. No more wandering the streets looking for a
            taxi. Hailo uses only licensed Toronto taxi drivers and
            provides every customer with the driver's photo, first name and
            rating before he or she arrives to pick you up.
        --  Effortless payment. Hailo's integrated smartphone payment
            system means customers simply hop out of the cab at the end of
            a ride without having to hand over a credit card. An electronic
            receipt is sent immediately.

For taxi drivers in Toronto, Hailo means three things:

        --  A lower cost burden. Currently, almost 40 cents of every dollar
            that a shift driver makes goes to pay people other than the
            driver - with Hailo, 85 cents on the dollar stays in a driver's
            pocket. Hailo eliminates the need for dispatch fees and other
            charges so drivers pay only when they take a fare through the
            system.
        --  An easier way to make money. Cabs run empty in Toronto about
            60% of the time. By helping drivers work smarter, not harder,
            Hailo drivers can increase revenues by 20-30%. Plus, the Hailo
            network allows drivers to share information about high demand
            areas or traffic congestion.
        --  A safer ride. Drivers know who their passengers are,
            eliminating fare skipping.

Hailo is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad or iPod
touch and at www.itunes.ca/appstore.

SOURCE Hailo Network Canada

Image with caption: “Hailo, Canada’s first city-licensed taxi app, launched today in Toronto. Hailo is the world’s largest taxi app, and has been downloaded more than 400,000 times. Toronto is the first North American market for Hailo. (CNW Group/Hailo Network Canada)”. Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120926_C9678_PHOTO_EN_18507.jpg