Columbus Yellow Cab will begin using Verizon's Share solution to automate and streamline the cab reservation and payment process for its fleet of cabs across Ohio as a way to better compete with ride-hailing services, the telecommunications provider has announced.

Yellow Cab's drivers will use the system to more easily locate and rent available cabs, as a way to create an on-demand, self-service approach to gaining access to vehicles. The drivers usually lease vehicles from Yellow Cab on a daily, weekly or longer basis, which causes them to repeat basic administrative duties and cause delays to passenger pickups.

"Verizon's Share solutions will help us further the goal [of providing the best possible experience] by evolving fleet management technology for our dedicated team of drivers and facilitating easier vehicle reservation and tracking across the board," said Morgan Kauffman, CEO of Yellow Cab.

Other companies working with Verizon’s Share Solutions platform to reduce congestion, create on-demand self-service experiences, streamline services and help monetize idle assets include the Santa Clara Transportation Authority (VTA) and Swiftmile, the electronic bike (ebike) service; CruCar, a car sharing solution for airline crews, and A.A.S. Technologies, a security, networking and audio visual company.

"Our work with Columbus Yellow Cab is yet another example of a private fleet owner improving asset usage and customer satisfaction by providing a better, friendlier on-demand experience — one that they've come to expect in the new sharing economy," said Mike Toto, Verizon's product director of IoT solutions. "We're seeing rental car companies, dealerships as well as public and private fleet owners in construction; recreation and even on university campuses implement similar solutions to stay ahead of the competition and provide services and experiences fit for the 21st century."