Early this morning, a woman was assaulted and raped in Allston off of North Harvard Avenue by an unlicensed cab driver who offered her a ride to Cambridge. The cab was unmarked, and not an official Boston taxi cab.

On August 6, a similar incident occurred in Nonantum, a village of Newton. Police say the driver assaulted and raped the woman outside of an ice skating rink instead of taking her home, and they are looking for more information involving both cases. The Cambridge Police Department tweeted a safety reminder earlier today:

While not accepting rides from unmarked “gypsy” cabs is the first way to protect yourself from harm, local cab and car services are providing alternatives to traditional taxi-hailing altogether that would take those trying to get home off of the streets, and into a secure cab.

Hailo, the taxi app that allows you to locate a cab from any Boston location at any time and hail one just by tapping your phone, is one service that’s providing a safer way to hail.

Vanessa Kafka, the general manager of Hailo, explains the safety perks of using the app: “Typically, when you hail a cab you go out on the street, and in the daytime, that’s fine. At night, if you’re alone and you don’t feel comfortable, Hailo is a safe alternative,” Kafka told BostInno. “You can hail from the restaurant, the club or bar, and you have a driver ready for you. You can avoid the anxiety of not getting a cab.”

And not being able to locate a standard cab late at night can lead to the decision to get into an unmarked taxi, even against better judgment. With an app like Hailo, not only can you locate a cab, but there are added safety measures, according to Kafka.

“When you have a driver assigned to you, you know what he looks like, his taxi number, his name, and then the ride is recorded. There’s an added level of security built into the ride,” she said.

Hailo was created as a way to make calling a cab more convenient — rather than “standing on the street and waving your arm around,” according to Kafka, you can signal a cab and leave when it arrives. The safety that comes with that convenience came as an extra bonus, and is even more prevalent as the City of Boston is in the process of tightening up taxi cab regulations in town.

Uber, another Boston cab service, allows you to request a driver via phone, whether it’s a black car or a cab. In light of the recent events, the team at Uber posted a statement on their blog addressing why Uber is a safer method of connecting with a cab or a car.

Like Hailo, Uber only employs verified drivers and provides you with their license information before they pick you up at your exact location. The post goes on to list additional perks that will keep you safe while getting to where you’re going:

  • You are able to call your driver through the app utilizing a disguised phone number. That way you can talk to your driver without ever sharing your personal contact information.

  • Uber regularly reviews all customer ratings and driver feedback to ensure we only work with high quality, highly rated transportation providers and drivers.

  • Uber captures detailed data, including GPS data, of your trip for ultimate accountability.

Both apps also make payment a secure and safe transaction: by loading your credit card information into the apps ahead of time, you don’t need to pull out your wallet and handle money late at night; the services take care of that for you.

Whether you prefer Hailo or Uber, it’s important to keep these services in mind next time you need a cab: the provided security, and knowing you’re not completely alone with your driver, can make a huge difference when you get into the backseat of a taxi.

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