Dragon Taxis has opened in Cwmbran and neighbouring areas.

The operation will run 24-hours a day, and will utilise Dragon’s popular app for passengers.

The app, available for both Android and Apple devices, which has been developed through more than £1m of investment, enables passengers to book a taxi in three taps, with the option of paying by either cash or card.

Users can also select their favourite pick-up locations through the app’s interactive GPS map or by searching for an address or post code, and, for existing Dragon Taxis passengers, the app creates an automatic 'favourites' page of previous pick-up locations on download.

Once a taxi has been booked, passengers can track the location of their car on the interactive map, which also gives the user a time estimation of the arrival of the car.

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The app cuts out the need to book a taxi through a centralised service, although Dragon Taxis’ passengers can still book a taxi through traditional methods such as over the phone, walk-in or on account.

As part of the expansion plans, Torfaen passengers who use Dragon will also enjoy a £2 discount on all fares until September 30.

There will also be incentives for drivers who become Dragon driver partners, and a recruitment drive has been launched to help service the expected demand for journeys in the area.

Engagement days for potential driver partners are being held between 10am – 5pm on Thursday August 22 and Tuesday August 27 at the Parkway Hotel, Cwmbran.

Jack Price, Dragon Taxis general manager – Newport & Cwmbran, said: “We are delighted to be bringing the Dragon Taxis experience to the residents and businesses of Cwmbran.

“Through our app, driver partners, and infrastructure, we are able to provide a high quality, convenient service 24 hours a day. More than 150,000 people a week enjoy the Dragon experience in South Wales and we want the people of Torfaen to enjoy it as well.”

Dragon is Wales’ largest taxi company, and has more than 1,000 driver partners operating in Newport, Cardiff, and Bridgend. Driver partners based in Cwmbran will be fully licensed by Torfaen.

Dragon is owned by Newport-based Veezu, the leading private hire operator in the UK. Its 3,500 driver partners complete 12.6 million passenger journeys per year.

Mr Price said: “Veezu is a dynamic, forward-thinking company, which has invested significantly in technology to continually improve and develop the journey experience for our passengers. Neither the passenger app or the advanced, high tech PDAs used by Dragon driver partners are currently available in Torfaen. We look forward to creating amazing journeys for our new passengers and driver partners.”