The number of people using the Cabwise text service has trebled in the two years since its launch according to figures released this week by Transport for London.
By texting the word ‘HOME‘ to the Cabwise number, 60835, the area a caller is in can be identified and the phone numbers of a black cab company, as well as two local licensed minicab firms, sent back.
The service was set up to eliminate the use of illegal minicabs, a major contributor to sexual assaults on women. TFL say there has been a 46 per cent reduction in cab related sexual offences over the past five years.
A record 23,000 Cabwise text messages were received in December last year with more than 100,000 texts being sent in 2007.
Licensed minicabs must always be booked through an operator and must display a distinctive hologram badge (pictured above) to prove their status.
