Grapple Mobile has worked with an inventive London cab driver to produce an cab:app – an app that allows users to hail a cab on their smartphones. 

Peter Schive, the cab driver behind cab:app, came up with the app in response to his customers. “As a London cabbie,” he says, “Ive spent years listening to passengers complain about how difficult it is to find a taxi in the capital when you need one. It became clear to me that there were a number of issues that could easily be resolved using the latest technology, providing passengers with a safe, reliable and convenient way to hail a cab at the touch of a button.”

The app, which works on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Nokia smartphones, allows users to log on and hail a cab. This alerts drivers using the app in the local area. A driver can then accept the job, and the user can track the drivers location as the car approaches to pick them up. 

The passenger is sent the drivers name, badge number, registration details, and can instant message the driver regarding their location and pick-up point. 

There is also a pre-booking service available through the app, as well as a cab-share facility, which teams up customers going in a similar direction and allows them to travel together, reducing the cost of the journey and helping the environment.

The app is free, and available from the relevant app stores now.