TAXI passengers in Wirral can travel with added reassurance thanks to the brainchild of a safety-conscious cabbie.

Dave Humphreys has added a modern twist to his Birkenhead-based black cab firm, enabling passengers to track their movements and keep loved ones informed of their location.

The 49-year-old’s Eye Cab Taxi company is one of the first in the country to have its very own app – allowing passengers to find the nearest cab’s availability and speak directly to the driver of their choice.

“It’s all about to safety,” said father-of-four Dave, who worked as a bus driver for 23 years before becoming a cabbie.

“It means you can speak directly to the driver and you can choose which cab you want. It gives peace and mind to our customers and keeps a track on where each cab is.

“You can set it up so that it sends a message to your mum or your sister when you’re in the cab and when you’ve arrived, so they know where you are and that you’re safe.

“When the cab’s light is on, it shows up on the app but when the light is off, it disappears from the screen. That means that no one else can see where you’ve been picked up or dropped off.”

As well as providing adding security and peace of mind, the app – which was inspired by the popular Plane Finder app – also proves useful for those who may have become a little lost.

“It acts like Google Maps and tells you where you are,” explained Dave. “So if you phone for a cab you can tell them exactly where you are.

“The app also gives you all of the information you would normally ask the driver for about where the best place to go for a drink is, when the football is on – it’s all included in the app.

“Another good thing about it is that you know which cab is yours if you’re at a nightclub and loads turn up at once.”

Each journey you make is stored in the app’s history, allowing you to look back and see which cab you used and when – handy if you have left something valuable behind.

It also puts an end to being told your cab is just around the corner when in reality, it is a good 15 minutes away.

“You’ve spoken directly to the driver and they’re not going to say they are 10 minutes away and then turn up 15 minutes late because you’re going to ask what’s going on.

“Alternatively, if you want a little longer before your cab arrives, you can choose one that’s further away.”

There are currently 15 drivers operating under the Eye Cab Taxi brand but Dave hopes that once the app takes off, he will be able to attract drivers from all over Wirral.

He added: “We’re looking to add CCTV to the outside of the cabs and if we’ve got 30 or 40 cabs going around with CCTV it makes it a safer environment for everyone, especially with the street lights being turned off by the council.”

For more information, visit eyecabtaxis.com or search for Eye Cab Taxis on your Android or Apple device.