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New York City's taxi e-hail program grows as Hailo joins the fray

New York City's taxi e-hail program grows as Hailo joins the fray

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New York City Taxi TLC (STOCK)
New York City Taxi TLC (STOCK)

Less than a week after Uber became the first participant in New York City's e-hail taxi program, it's already facing competition. Hailo's CEO Jay Bregman just confirmed on stage at TechCrunch's Disrupt event that NYC's Taxi and Limousine Commission has given his company the necessary go-ahead to join the pilot. Updates to the Hailo apps for iOS and Android will be released today, according to TechCrunch, enabling New Yorkers to request a yellow cab with their smartphone.

The quick approval suggests the commission isn't holding a grudge even after Hailo jumped the gun earlier this week, alerting NYC users of an invite-based e-hail beta app it was running without the city's blessing. TLC officials have said that other apps are also going through the approval process, so it seems — after waiting far too long for the privilege — New Yorkers will soon have plenty of options for summoning a cab.