By Mary Whitfill, News Correspondent

Freeing its citizens from waiting on rain-soaked streets to catch a cab, Boston has become the first American city to get Hailo – a London app-based taxi service that aims to revolutionize the way city dwellers travel. Using smart phone technology, Hailo makes sure that urban travelers are never more than two taps away from a licensed taxi driver.

“City dwellers are always looking for ways to ease their travel burdens,” Hailo General Manager Vanessa Kafka said. “Hailo is already the No. 1 taxi service in London and Dublin, and we quickly became the second-largest in Toronto within days of launch. We are excited to bring Hailo to the United States and are looking forward to transforming the taxi experience for the citizens of Boston.”

Hailo provides its users with a hassle-free way to hail a cab. Users can relax inside while a cab comes to their doorstep, use a secure payment method through a smart phone so there is no need for cash, and log journeys in coordination with licenced cab numbers in case of any type of incident, including loss of personal belongings or a lack of feeling safe when traveling alone.

“No need to hail in the rain or snow. No need to worry if you leave your laptop in the backseat of the cab. No need to worry about taking a cab home at 3 a.m. by yourself,” Kafka said. “The app delivers a Boston licensed taxi to your front door, a great driver, gives you the information you need to track something down if you forget something in the cab and provides a safe mode of transportation in times when you want extra assurance.”

In a city bustling with universities, Boston tries to cater to the needs of more than 200,000 students and the adoption of Hailo is no different. Living in an urban environment, many students rely only on the transportation methods provided to them by the city to get around.

“College students in Boston are busy, sociable people with places to be and people to see,” Kafka said. “Hailo promises to streamline the taxi experience for them in three ways: Hail in two taps and watch [your taxi] arrive in real time, convenient and safe travel by providing driver information before arrival and effortless payment without having to hand over a credit card or have cash on hand.”

Northeastern students have responded to the introduction of the app in a variety of ways, but many feel this will make transportation easier to fit into their day-to-day lives.

“As someone who has lost things in cabs, I think it definitely opens up the door for students to travel more, because it allows them to see travel with less risks, as they won’t be as apprehensive toward the possibility of losing their valuables,” freshman political science major Alejandro Moreno said.

Freshman international relations major and Connecticut native Emily Kish believes the app gives her one less thing to worry about on her journey home.

“I have been stuck outside with all my luggage in bad weather, trying to hail a cab to get to the airport,” Kish said. “Having a college campus in the middle of a city makes it hard – we have to compete with other Boston residents and traffic to try to get around. If I could see when my cab gets here and not have to chase cars around the street, travel would be so much less stressful.”

While these students see the immediate benefits of having the application available at their fingertips, others don’t think the service is as relevant to college students as it is to other residents.

“I think this could be beneficial in some ways, but I feel as though most college students, myself included, mainly travel via public transportation because it is cheaper,” sophomore political science and international affairs major Kate Chandley said. “Personally, I don’t see myself utilizing this app, but I am sure some people will find it very useful.”

Hailo can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store on iPhone and through Google Play for Android devices. For local Hailo news, follow @HailoBoston on Twitter.