Why Freedom Taxi thinks Uber is a ‘great thing’

Ridesharing and on-demand car service apps like Uber and Lyft are pushing taxis to develop their own apps, even in a city like Philly, where there’s only one option — Uber.

Everett Abitbol, owner of Philly-based Freedom Taxi, thinks it’s an important next step in his industry, despite the added competition, NewsWorks reported.

“Companies like Uber have forced the hand of the taxi industry across the country to embrace technology, and I think it’s been a great thing,” he told NewsWorks.

Freedom Taxi’s iOS and Android apps for hailing taxis have seen some usage: Philadelphians have used them to book 40,000 trips in the last year, according to the report. Though some users, specifically Android ones, seemed disappointed in the app, according to user reviews (which, of course, should be taken with a grain of salt). We’ve reached out to Freedom Taxi to find out who built its app but haven’t heard back yet.

Here are two other local cab apps:

• All Threes: the free apps for iOS and Android have received mixed reviews. They were built by Canada-based Digital Dispatch Systems, which makes apps for many taxi services across North America.
• Checker Cab Philly/All City Taxi: the free apps for iOS and Android both have a number of positive reviews.

Read more about how mobile apps are changing the local taxi industry in this Philly Weekly article.