Taxi networks unite behind new app to battle Uber
New York taxi services have set aside their competitive differences to united behind a new ride-hailing app that they hope will fend off Uber.
The High Class Car Service app was created by Limosys Software to help the city’s taxi and limousine companies pull their cars together and serve more customers.
As well as appealing to customers, Limosys Software co-founder, Issac Yehuda hopes it will also convince drivers to hold off on leaving the neighbourhood car services to work for Uber.
The Limosys Software is dated, it’s been used by the limousine industry since 1989, but that longstanding relationship means it has a history in the industry and is more likely to be trusted by those who are trying to battle the likes of Uber.
Yehuda has created a network where each company can have its own app with its own branding and all of the companies link to one software system, allowing them to pool their cars and serve more customers.
In an interview with the New York Times Yehuda said it was “amazing to see competitors who didn’t speak together in 20 years are sitting in one room learning to talk to each other even when they’re two blocks away.”
The app is currently available on Apple and Android and has collectively garnered around 250,000 downloads. With only a few thousand rides placed on the app each week it won’t resemble anything like a competitor to Uber however it could serve as a lifeline for the struggling taxi companies.