Mobile taxi network Hailo makes its North American debut in Toronto today

Hailo is making the trip overseas from the U.K. with its first North American launch today, as it officially debuts its service in Toronto.

Toronto's Beck taxi cab company has recently launched their own smartphone app for hailing cars. Photo by Michael Gil.

What Hailo now provides in Toronto is essentially the same service it offers in London and Dublin: A way to hail taxis via an app for iPhone or Android devices, complete with a map showing you where the nearest drivers are and their progress as they approach; estimated time of arrival; notifications that tell you when the cab has arrived; and payment via credit card on file that happens automatically, so that a user never has to take out their wallet, and a cab driver never has to worry about ditched fares or other problems like credit cards getting declined.