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.
Download the Freedom Taxi app for freeHere 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.
Before you go...
Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.
3 ways to support our work:- Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
- Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
- Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
Join our growing Slack community
Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!