Taxi Service in the Palm of Your Hand

A lot of people have been getting a kick out of seeing the signs posted in Hollywood and other parts of town explaining how (not) to hail a taxi. For those who know the drill of reaching your arm up and leaning towards the street and hoping the next cab pulls up to the curb in front of you, the signs are precautions about what for many urbanites is second nature.

If you're feeling unsure of raising your hand, though, you can now arrange for a cab with a different kind of hand motioning (no, not that, you rude beast!). GoFastCab is a company that has partnered with cab companies in cities around the US to provide taxis with text messages (in Los Angeles it's LA Yellow Cab). Process: Text your complete pick-up address to 777222 (777CAB), cab is ordered, you get sent a confirmation text. The service is free--not including your carrier's charge for text messages and the cab ride itself, of course. Let us know if you've used it, and what you think!