A London-based taxi app aims to save professional cab drivers' jobs from being taken away by other services like Uber and Lyft.
Karhoo, a new app that works like a search engine for booking taxis, has signed up 80,000 drivers of licensed black cabs, minicabs and executive cars to compare prices and proximity, according to Engadget.
Unlike Uber and its rivals, Karhoo runs on an open platform that allows companies to connect their own systems to the app.
Karhoo, available for free on iOS and Android, finds out where users are and shows how many cars are available in the area. Travels can be sorted by price, estimated time of arrival or type of vehicles, including luxury cars or additional seating.
The app's system shares real-time data, which lets supporting cab companies know where demand is high.
"What we have done at Karhoo has never been done before. It has been a hugely complex challenge to integrate so many different dispatch systems with such varying degrees of sophistication," John Daily, development manager at Karhoo, told International Business Times. "By connecting directly with established operators and their fleets, Karhoo can bring hundreds, if not thousands, of cabs online in an instant, giving passengers more choice at the touch of a button. It really is a feat of technological innovation."
Users can also choose to pre-book a taxi, whether it's on the same day or months in advance.
Karhoo launched in the UK on Monday, with ComCab — a licensed taxis and black cabs provider — as well as Addison Lee, KV Cars, Swiss Cottage Cars and Mornington Cars, already signed up to the service.
Backers include hedge funds and private equity groups that have raised more than $244 million so far.
Taxi drivers are praising Karhoo, seeing the new app as a way to save their trade from Uber.
"Without doubt, Karhoo is a lifesaver for the classic, licensed minicab driver," Nicholas Monteith, owner of Mornington Cars, told MailOnline. "It will help protect the minicab industry and allow us to fight back, bringing us jobs that we would otherwise not have been able to access, giving us the chance of more work while giving consumers more choice. It allows us to properly compete."
