Gone Are the Days of Hailing a Cab
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
About 7,000 yellow cabs now have a ride-hailing app, which launched this week. It's called Arro, and it's the taxi equivalent of Uber. It lets passengers hail yellow cabs and pay for rides via their smart phones.
The app comes as Uber continues to eat away at the yellow taxi's traditional domination of the market. Some are hailing it as the industry's last, best chance to recapture their previous position.
Transportation consultant Bruce Schaller said it'll be a tough battle, but Arro might be able to do it.
"Arro will have a large number of cabs right from the start," he said. "So they'll have tremendous coverage around the city, and certainly they hope that they'll be able to provide very prompt and responsive trips when people use their app."
According to Arro spokesman Michael Woloz, about 2,000 potential riders downloaded the app in the first two days it was available.
In this interview, WNYC's Jami Floyd talks with Schaller about the place Arro might take in the e-hail market.
