A move to a part-time call-centre means weekend and after-hour bookings go to 13CABS in Melbourne, resulting in a short period of pain as a new location database is built from scratch.

Users could be asked to give exact details of well-known Ballarat locations – a demand they haven’t been subjected to in the past.

Ballarat Taxis Co-Operative chairman Stephen Armstrong said the new technology would help with the move.

The new app allows the user to book and pay for the taxi in advance online as well as bypassing the traditional queue that is formed during live calls.

It also allows the user to watch a ‘live map’ and track the taxi’s location while waiting.

“It’s going to make it a lot easier for people to get to restaurants and pubs,” he said.

The application can be found by typing in ‘Ballarat Taxis’ into the app store.