A MOBILE phone app which allows users to safely hail a taxi using their smartphone is being launched in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The GetTaxi app - already popular in cities worldwide, including New York - connects customers and taxi drivers using GPS and helps to ensure safety by providing a photograph of the driver and detailing the vehicle make and registration.

The app went live in Edinburgh on Thursday and will be rolled out fully in Glasgow soon.

GetTaxi chief executive Remo Gerber said: "Where at present you can only flag a black cab in the street, by using this app you can hail one from anywhere."