By Erika McVey, News Correspondent
The world’s fastest growing app-based taxi service, Hailo, celebrated its first year in Boston on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The company commemorated its first Boston anniversary by announcing their expansion to Brookline, giving out Kickass Cupcakes and offering $15 off promotional codes.
A Hailo hail is accepted around the world every four seconds from Hailo’s global network of tens of thousands of drivers and hundreds of thousands of passengers, according to the company’s website. Hailo is available in London, New York, Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, Madrid, Barcelona, Washington D.C. and Osaka.
The company says Hailo provides a safe and convenient way for users to hail a cab while comfortably indoors. The app utilizes location services to provide a time estimate for the nearest taxi. Customers just drag the pin to where they want to be picked up, press the “pick me up here” button and wait for their cab. The app notifies them when the driver has arrived.
In addition to simplifying the cab-hailing process, Hailo also takes measures to ensure the safety of its users, the company said. It uses only licensed Boston taxi drivers and provides a picture, first name and rating of each driver for customer assurance.
“I definitely plan to use e-hailing. All the drivers go through background checks, it’s a more personal experience and it’s much safer overall,” sophomore computer science and biology major Trevyn Langsford said. “Cabs are a great option if you’re not close to the T. I bought a fridge at target once and had to get it back to Stetson West with just my bike, so a taxi would have been great.”
Alex Morris, a freshman journalism major, has had success with Hailo before.
“I was at a convention one time and I was by myself. The T had closed and I didn’t really know where I was, so I used the taxi app,” Morris said. “I was able to wait safely inside because I got a message when the driver was there, and I made it back to Northeastern safely. It was much easier than searching the streets for a cab.”
The general manager of the Boston branch of Hailo, Vanessa Kafka, understands the need college students have for safe transportation.
“We know that getting home late after a night out, particularly after the T closes, is something all college students worry about,” Kafka said. “Hailo only works with licensed taxi drivers, who are closely regulated. In Boston, taxi drivers are vetted through the Boston Police Department. The data from your pickup location and ride are captured, so there’s a record of exactly where you were and where you went.”
Hailo also makes paying for a cab easy. Users can enter their credit or debit card information into the app and pay automatically. Users can enter a tip or rate their driver’s performance, and Hailo will email them a receipt. It eases the transaction process and ensures that drivers will be paid.
“I think that’s a really great feature,” junior Kevin Priolo, a communication studies major with a media concentration, said. “It makes it easier to pay if I’m just lazy or something, but it’s also super helpful if you ever lose your wallet. Then you’re not stranded.”
Hailo was created in London in 2011 by three taxi drivers and three entrepreneurs before making Boston the first US city to utilize e-hailing. It benefits both the passenger and the taxi driver, as it simplifies the hailing process and helps drivers to keep customers in their cars throughout the day.
Kafka said Hailo’s first year in Boston was very successful, and they look forward to expanding to other areas and cities soon.
“We have been thrilled with all of the love and support for Hailo,” she said. “There are now more than 2,000 cab drivers registered with Hailo, and we have expanded our service to Brookline and Cambridge. It’s been a great first year and we are looking forward to the next one.”
