Washington Takes on Uber With Its Own Taxi App

Washington is developing a smartphone app to enable its taxis to compete head-on with Uber and other ride-sharing services, the US capital's taxi commission said Friday. Beta testing of the Universal DC TaxiApp is scheduled to begin in March, and if all goes well it could be fully in service by late spring.

"We are the first in the country to have a universal taxi cab app," DC Taxi Commission spokesman Neville Waters told AFP.

"This is not targeting Uber per se," he said. This is a result of what consumers have been demanding -- and it enables taxis to compete on a level playing field with other private operators."

All 7,000 licensed taxis in Washington will be obliged to make themselves available on the app whenever they are out on streets and on duty. Drivers and taxi companies will be free to keep using alternative taxi-hailing apps alongside the Universal DC TaxiApp, Waters said.

Consumers, meanwhile, will still be at liberty to opt for Uber, Lyft, Sidecar or other ride-sharing services in lieu of a conventional cab. While the DC Taxi Commission is developing the app, it will be up to an taxi industry cooperative to maintain it and set user fees.