Vodafone launches London taxi text payments

Taxi

Vodafone sponsored taxis will be making their way around London over the coming months, bringing with them in-vehicle charging and payment facilities.

Today will see the first of hundreds of Vodafone-branded taxis exploring the capital, sporting a Union Jack design. Those hitching a ride will be able to pay by text as well as powering up their device.

Next week, Vodafone-sponsored Heathrow Express trains will be launched as part of the "London Calling" campaign, in which the provider is claiming it offers the best service in the capital.

"We have already made hundreds of improvements to increase coverage, capacity and reliability to ensure Londoners can always stay in touch with friends and family," said Vodafone UK chief executive (CEO) Guy Laurence.

"Now with our fantastic fleet of Union Jack cabs and their on-board chargers which anyone can use, all Londoners will be able to see our continuing commitment to the capital."

Vodafone said it improved the performance of more than 500 of its sites across London over the past few months and will continue to invest heavily in the city's infrastructure.

London is a key target area for operators, as indicated by O2's recent announcement it was to open a new 3G network in the area.

O2 took advantage of a ruling by Ofcom which allowed O2 to reuse the 900MHz spectrum for 3G services instead of just 2G.

Tom Brewster

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.