Hailing App For Yellow And Green Cabs Expands To All 5 Boroughs

NEW YORK — Outer-borough New Yorkers no longer have to wait on the curb for a cab. The ride-hailing app Waave now allows travelers across the city to call a yellow or green taxi from their smartphones for an up-front price.

Waave expanded its service to all five boroughs Monday as part of a two-year pilot program allowing traditional taxis to offer fares in advance, as ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft have long done. The service first launched in Manhattan at the end of August.

Waave offers cheaper rates for longer trips and doesn't charge higher "surge" prices when rides are in high demand, according to a news release.

"With Waave, New Yorkers can count on the ease and dependability they have come to expect from other ride-hailing apps, while enjoying considerable savings," Waave CEO Dan Iger said in the release. "At the same time, the city’s yellow and green taxi drivers now have the technology they need to compete on a level playing field, which will boost their earnings while reducing traffic congestion and pollution."

Waave's citywide launch comes on the heels of a one-year freeze on most new for-hire vehicles like those used by Uber and Lyft, one of several recent efforts to help the traditional taxi industry catch up with the app-based sector.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission first proposed the pilot program in March to let cabs adopt strategies long used by the app-based services, including surge pricing and up-front fares.

Iger said Waave will make it more convenient for New Yorkers to call a taxi in quieter neighborhoods or during less busy times of the day. The app also lets travelers book a cab with more room for luggage at no extra cost.

"Street hails, for sure, will continue to be our bread and butter," said Augie Tang, a 34-year-old yellow cab driver, in a statement. "But Waave enables us to expand our ridership, especially if it starts raining and surge pricing happens."

Waits for a Waave ride could be longer than usual in the beginning, Iger said, but will improve as more drivers sign up.

(Lead image: Photo courtesy of Waave)