Next time you are having trouble standing on a street trying to flag down a taxi, get out your mobile device and send #TAXI.
Customers of AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and Alltel Wireless can now punch in the code to connect to the first available taxi cab company serving their local area, CellWand Communications Inc. has announced.
The Canadian company developed and manages the application, which has been successful in Canada. The company has partnered with Single Touch Systems Inc. to deploy the application to the U.S. carriers. Single Touch Systems offers abbreviated dialing code programs.
“Everyone has experienced waiting for a taxi during bad weather or rush hour, and just not knowing the name or number of a taxi service,” Anthony Macaluso, Single Touch CEO, said in a news release.
Macaluso said the new service is “like 911 for a taxicab.”
By working with the three carriers, more than 150 million subscribers will be able to use the service. Additional carriers may be added by the end of the year. The application is a pay-per-use service. It will cost Alltel and Verizon customers $1.50 per call. AT&T subscribers will pay $1.79 per call.
