British taxi-booking app Karhoo gets LTA's nod

A new taxi-booking app is set to join those already in use to make getting a taxi easier, after getting approval from the Government to operate in Singapore, reported The Straits Times. 

British start-up Karhoo was issued a certificate by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to run a third-party cab-booking service. Karhoo joins two other apps, GrabTaxi and Hailo, which got the necessary approvals in December.

Though it did not give a firm date, Karhoo said it will launch very soon, and that it has already hired a growing team of a dozen staff members in Singapore.

Unlike most other taxi-booking apps, which work through peer-to-peer matching of cabbies and passengers, Karhoo relays its customers' booking requests to the taxi operators' despatch systems. Commuters are then given a selection of taxis near them, which they can sort through and select based on price, local knowledge, quality, punctuality, vehicle type or brand.