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Hailing a cab is about to get a lot easier in New York City.

Starting February 15, you can use a smartphone app to "e-hail" yellow cabs. It's part of a one-year test program supported by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC).

E-hailing cabs is already working in London, and the TLC commissioner says they can't avoid technology that could potentially benefit customers.

While proponents say it'll be easier for you to get a cab in a neighborhood that isn't as highly trafficked, opponents believe veteran cab drivers will have a hard time adapting. Long-time cabbies are used to picking up riders on demand because it's money in their pocket. They don't always trust that someone who schedules over a smartphone will still be waiting when they arrive.

But the TLC says it's taking steps to protect cabbies with distance limits. The Associated Press explains "from 59th Street to Battery Park in Manhattan — the primary business zone — yellow cabs will be allowed to respond to an electronic hail within half a mile. Elsewhere in the city, the limit is a mile and a half."

About a dozen companies are already prepared to be part of the test, according to the Associated Press. The commission will track the program's progress and released quarterly updates.