A local ride-hailing platform will be up and running in the St. John’s metro region next week.

The Kabby app is now available for download and is going live as of Monday, May 13 with 10 drivers on the road and more anticipated.

Co-founder Frank Nie says he’s disappointed Kabby couldn’t beat Uber to the punch, but he believes Kabby, being local, gives them a competitive advantage.

“We’re pretty competitive in terms of pricing, and sometimes even better than Uber,” he said. “So I think that’s where we’re really going to shine.

“And also because we’re based here in Newfoundland, a local company, so we can react to local events and whatever’s happening here much quicker, and we can kind of adapt to the local market much faster than anyone else.”

Nie is one of three people behind the app, the trio having met each other during studies at Memorial University.

Kabby, which can be downloaded from the Apple and Google Play stores, is the second ride-sharing service to launch in the province, following Uber’s introduction two weeks ago.

The first licence was issued to Redsea Riding in January, but that was quickly revoked after it was learned its owner was facing sexual assault charges.