We’ve seen a surge in taxi apps in recent times, with the likes of Hailo securing $17m in series A funding, and Uber rolling out a new mobile-friendly site aimed at BlackBerry and Windows Phone users.
With that in mind, GetTaxi has today announced the release of the second version of its Android app, as it seeks to capitalize on its growth over the past two years.
The latest release follows hot on the heels of version 2.0 landing on iOS last month, and the features unveiled for Google’s mobile platform are the same. The key new features are:
- You choose to enter either your location using GPS or a well-known landmark, such as a café, bar or nightclub…which is useful if you don’t know the exact address.
- A new radar feature lets you see where your taxi is in real-time, relative to your location.
- Didn’t you know taxi-ordering was a social experience? You can now connect with Facebook and Twitter to tell your friends and followers what you’re doing and where you’re going.
In addition to this, you can now pay by credit card by entering your details only once, when you first sign-up, and it is saved for future usage to speed the transaction up.
Founded in 2010 by entrepreneurs Shahar Waiser-Smirin and Roi More, GetTaxi has gone on to raise more than $10m in funding, and its range of mobile apps – which include iOS, Android and BlackBerry (updated app coming soon) – now serve users in the UK, Israel and Russia, apparently Europe’s biggest taxi markets. It will shortly launch in France, Italy, Germany and Spain too.
“The Android platform offers us a chance to provide GetTaxi to an even wider audience,” says Neal Fullman, CEO of GetTaxi UK. “We’re very excited about the new GetTaxi version which is packed full of Android specific features. For example, we’ve specifically optimised GetTaxi for Android taking full advantage of the close connection between the platform and Google maps. This makes for a uniquely location sensitive user experience which we are confident our new and existing Android fans will love.”
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