A new taxi app has launched in Leeds, enabling customers to book journeys with their smartphone.

Hailo, which operates in 17 cities worldwide, today launched its first service in Yorkshire.

Leeds is the fourth UK city to be rolled out by the company, which was founded in London in 2011.

Today (October 23) saw its service also launch in Liverpool, in addition to its existing London and Manchester businesses.

It comes days after The Yorkshire Post revealed controversial car hire firm Uber had applied for a private hire operator licence from Leeds City Council.

Uber has previously faced backlash from taxi firms and regulators, with London cab drivers staging a protest earlier this year.

Hailo’s service allows licensed Hackney carriage drivers to join and accept bookings and payments via smartphones.

The app’s Pay with Hailo feature enables passengers to pay via their smartphone regardless of how they booked their journey.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/hailo-launches-taxi-app-in-leeds-1-6913649