Taxi app Hailo calls in Surname & Surname for consumer drive

The app firm has hired Surname & Surname, the consumer brand agency offshoot of Blue Rubicon, to handle its consumer PR.

Hailo was founded by three London black cab drivers and is backed by Accel Partners, Wellington Partners and Atomico Ventures, which together have funded Facebook and Spotify, and founded Skype.

The service allows people to hail a cab on their smartphone and is one of the world’s largest app-based taxi networks.

The move to hire agency support comes as Hailo is facing increasing competition from brands such as www.kabbee.com, Get Taxi and Ubi, which are all looking to make inroads into the London cab app market.

Ron Zeghibe, Hailo chairman, said: ‘We know that around a third of London cabs are empty at any time and yet Londoners can still waste hours searching for taxis every day. Hailo’s aim is to make the market more efficient; to speedily unite passengers with trusted black cabs by streamlining the booking process to a simple two taps.’

Lotte Jones, co-founder of Surname & Surname, added: ‘We want to help make Hailo an essential accessory to London living.’