Birmingham cabbies are bracing themselves for a taxi app war as two services that will put black cabs and private hire cars directly in competition with each other launch on the same day this week.

Controversial minicab app Uber will face competition from another new service, GetTaxi, which works exclusively with black cab drivers.

Both apps allow customers to book a lift at the touch of a button on their smartphones rather than hailing a taxi in the street or phoning a mini-cab company.

Uber caused a row when it arrived in London with traditional cabbies arguing the way the app calculated fares was tantamount to a taxi meter, which only black cabs are legally allowed to use in the capital.

The battle was even referred to the High Court after transport bosses failed to settle the dispute.

But in Birmingham Uber has been licensed as a private hire operator.

The company has faced problems in India, where a woman claimed she was raped by an Uber driver. Uber in Delhi now has an in-app emergency button.

Uber was also criticised for raising fares because of increased demand during the Sydney café siege and the company has struggled in Germany, where some of its services were banned for failing to comply with German law.

But the company is confident of success in Birmingham, where bosses insist the service will be safe and reliable after its launch on Thursday.

"There's a lot of myths about Uber," Jo Bertram, regional general manager for UK, Ireland and Nordics said.

She said Uber complies with all the UK's safety regulations and Birmingham City Council's licensing rules. "We are often stricter than the licensing authorities are," she said.

"We restrict the number of points they can have on their licence.

"At the end of every single trip the customer has the opportunity to rate the driver so we get real time feedback on their performance."

Uber general manager for Birmingham, Fouzan Ali, added: "Even before you get into your car you know who your driver is.

"You see their name their photograph and their licence number. Before you get into the car you can share your trip details with your friends or family and they can see you on a live map travelling in the car. Uber is going to be the safest choice for riders in Birmingham."

Uber will initially cover Birmingham and Solihull, where Mr Ali said 20,000 people have opened the app in the last day alone – despite not having launched yet in the city.

The service uses GPS to match users with nearby drivers. At the end of the journey you do not have to tip and the fare is charged directly to your card.

The fare can also be split across multiple accounts - a popular option with students.

At peak times the app automatically operates "dynamic pricing". The customer will be warned that the fare will be higher or given the option to wait until the surge period ends.

But most of the time Uber said its prices are cheaper than traditional black cabs.

However, Mohammed Taj from the Birmingham Black Cab Drivers Association said unlike in London, Brummie cabbies will not be protesting.

"We are not particularly bothered about Uber coming to Birmingham," he said.

"Other apps have been and gone and from TOA's point of view and from my own personal experience, TOA [Birmingham's black cab service] would welcome competition providing it's competition on a level playing ground."

And local business leaders said increased competition will be good for the city.

John Lamb, from Birmingham's Chamber of Commerce, said: "I think it will be a positive move because sometimes it's very difficult to get a cab, so if you are able to do it through these services it will be very much welcomed by the business community in Birmingham."

GetTaxi launches on the same day in six new cities, including Birmingham. Unlike Uber, GetTaxi only works with black cab drivers and passengers can pay via cash or card.

Company chief executive Remo Gerber told the Birmingham Post: "Technologically we are doing similar things as Uber but we also have pre-booking and also we have a 24/7 customer service so if ever anything doesn't work we are there to help on the phone."

Because it uses black cabs the GetTaxi service is also more accessible for wheelchair users than Uber.

Mr Gerber added: "For us, Uber is a different company. We are working with the best drivers in town, people who actually know their way around.

"It's an additional option for customers. I don't believe there needs to be one app for one city, I think there can be multiple apps for one city. What's important is who delivers the best service."