Taxi passengers in Philadelphia will be able to electronically hail cabs beginning in October, using the Way2ride app from Verifone on their mobile devices. Through this expansion, Philadelphia joins New York City, where  passengers are already using Way2ride's payment and new e-hailing feature to hail cabs and pay for taxi rides with a tap of their smartphones.  

More than 1,400 of the 1,600 licensed taxis in Philadelphia are already equipped with Verifone payment systems for credit card acceptance and are ready for Way2ride, according to a press release. Way2ride is available now for both iPhones and Android phones and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Verifone said the Way2ride app has been downloaded more than 45,000 times in Philadelphia since it became available in the city a year ago.

"Verifone's payment solutions are already used in the majority of cabs throughout Philadelphia, so Way2ride provides passengers and licensed taxis in the city an enhanced app for taxi payment and hailing that's backed by a familiar and trusted brand," said Amos Tamam, senior vice president for global taxi systems for Verifone. "The ability to pay for rides and hail cabs via smartphone is an incredibly easy process that provides additional security and convenience for passengers and drivers alike."

The introduction of Way2ride in Philadelphia follows its formal introduction in New York City earlier this month. Next, Verifone will also roll out the app in Boston, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, and will launch in all U.S. Verifone markets in 2016, according to the announcement.