A cab firm which paved the way for app-based taxis locally is fighting fire with fire in the competition for customers.

This week our website KentOnline revealed that Uber is migrating further into Kent, hiring in Dartford and operating freely within the Medway Towns, to the fear and disappointment of long-standing minicab firms based there.

But All Night Cars in Hythe Street, Dartford, was one of the first in north west Kent to create an app allowing people to book a cab within seconds on their phone, without needing to make a call.

The company set up its own app back in 2012 when Uber was only just rumbling onto the London scene, and is updating it to keep abreast of their rivals every year, as they take a firmer hold further into the county.

While local companies pay the borough council for their driver, vehicle and operator licences, Uber operates without those regulations and safety checks.

For some, including Said Djannine, the owner of DA1 Cars, and the Medway companies most recently affected, it is taking away business.

James Willson, 27, is manager of All Night Cars which has a fleet of 135 minicabs, and said: “Our app is used around 250 times a day, so it is popular and the number of people using it keeps rising. People love an app.

“We were looking at ways to make things easier for our customers.

“With an app they can pay with a card, and it’s fast.

“It remembers previous locations so we can pick people up just with the click of a button. People can get a cab within five to 10 minutes, and they don’t have to sit on the phone waiting for a free line.

“But we’re not getting rid of our office. Some people will always want to ring, and we like our customers to talk to us and give us feedback. Plus, if anything were to go wrong, most people want to be able to pick up the phone and talk to somebody, not a machine.”

Once it is booked, as with Uber, customers get a picture of their driver, and the details of their cab, including the registration number.

Unlike Uber, the app does not demand card details to work; people can instead opt to pay by cash when their minicab arrives.

Crayford Cars also has an app system and while Mr Willson is realistic about the scope of local apps compared to a national brand, he has also signed up to Karhoo, a cab comparison app that looks at local companies and compares their fare charges.

“It’s got a long way to go to rival Uber, but it is far more reliable and the businesses it uses are much more heavily regulated. Customers are asked to give the service they received a star rating, and if you receive less than three stars Karhoo stops using you.

“So it’s a team effort. The drivers need to be on top form or we all lose out because the company won’t receive the work.”