21 Feb
What is Uber?
In the early 2010s, Uber pioneered the development of the taxi industry by releasing an app that connected drivers and passengers quickly. Uber is a ride-hailing app. You may use the app to contact the nearest available driver and tell them where you want to go. The Uber app displays the total cost of your trip, including any surge charges that may apply during peak travel hours. You can also view the driver's current location so you can follow them as they arrive. It's a brilliant system that has been used by millions of people in recent years.
Top Uber Competitors in the United Kingdom
Side by side comparison of Uber app competitors in UK | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points of Comparison |
Uber |
Bolt(taxify) |
Free now |
BlaBla car |
Ola |
Wheely |
Founded in Year | 2009 | 2013 | 2009 | 2006 | 2010 | 2010 |
Type | Public | Private | Private | Private | Private | Private |
HeadQuarters | San Francisco, California, United States | Tallinn, Harjumaa, Estonia | Hamburg, Germany | Paris, Ile-de-France, France | Bangalore, Karnataka, India | London, England, United Kingdom |
Top 5 cities (most operated) |
1. Lisbon 2. Paris 3. London 4. Amsterdam 5. Porto |
1. Birmingham 2. Leicester 3. London 4. Milton Keynes 5. Peterborough |
1. London 2. Brighton 3. Edinburgh 4. Manchester 5. Nottingham |
1. London 2. Manchester 3. Edinburgh 4. Bristol 5. Carlisle |
1. London 2. Liverpool 3. Birmingham 4. Leicester 5. Amsterdam |
1. London |
Founders | 1. Garret Camp 2. Oscar Salazar 3. Travis Kalanick |
1. Markus Villig | 1. Marc Berg | 1. Francis Nappez 2. Frédéric Mazzella 3. Nicolas Brusson |
1. Bhavish Aggarwal 2. Ankit Bhati |
1. Anton Chirkunov 2. Pavel Bocharov |
Valuation ($ USD) | $69.73 Billion (2022) | $8.38 Billion (2022) | - | $2 Billion (2021) | $7.3 Billion (2022) | - |
Total funding raised | $20.9 Billion | $2 Billion | $131.2 Million | $563.5 Million | $4.3 Billion | $28 Million |
2020 Revenue | $11.139 Billion | $251.21 Million | - | - | - | - |
Apple App Store Ratings | 4.6 Stars | 4.9 Stars | 4.8 Stars | 4.5 Stars | 4.6 Stars | 4.9 Stars |
Google Play Store Ratings | 3.9 Stars | 4.7 Stars | 4.5 Stars | 4.4 Stars | 3.9 Stars | 4.8 Stars |
Website | Uber | Bolt | Free Now | BLABLA Car | Ola | Wheely |
List of top 8 UBER alternatives in the UK
1. Bolt
Bolt is the most popular Uber alternative in the UK. It had commenced as Taxify and relaunched itself as Bolt in 2019 Summer. They charge their drivers lower commission fees, resulting in lower pricing for riders. The initial charge is £2.50, followed by £1.25 for each mile and £0.15 per minute. Moreover, it has more than 31000 drivers in London.
Why should you go with Bolt?
- Enjoy a comfortable, low-cost ride with quick arrival times, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Before you order, check the price of your ride.
- Make use of a variety of safety options, such as sharing details about your route.
- You can pay with cash or credit/debit card within the app.
Bolt is available in more than 30 countries and 150 cities worldwide.
Bolt's purpose is to provide millions of customers around the world with fast, dependable, and inexpensive transportation while simultaneously assisting thousands of drivers in supporting their family
2. Free Now(Kapten, Hailo)
Free Now is the best Uber alternative in the UK. FREE NOW is a popular ride-hailing service in the UK, connecting over 14 million passengers with drivers in over 100 locations across Europe. It has operations in London, Brighton, Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Derby, and Leicester at the moment.
FREE NOW is a part of BMW and Daimler's mobility joint venture, which was founded in February 2019. FREE NOW announced the merger with Hailo, the biggest taxi app in the UK and Ireland, in July 2016, under the previous brand name "mytaxi" - a crucial step toward becoming Europe's largest e-hailing app.
Since then, FREE NOW has become the most popular black cab app in London. By partnering with Kapten in 2020, FREE NOW has become London's only ride-hailing service that includes both black cabs and private hire vehicles.
Passengers are connected to only licensed taxi drivers through this service, which has a huge fleet of black cabs on its books. Today, FREE NOW has a huge team of 1300 employees in 26 offices across Europe. Moreover, When you rides through free now you have to pay according to the meter which increases transparency and trust. Free now always supports local Drivers which benefits them with employment.
3. BlaBla Car
BlaBla car is another Uber alternative in the UK. It mainly provides carpool service which means its website and smartphone apps bring together drivers and passengers who want to travel at the same locations or nearby locations and split the cost.
As the cost of traveling is distributed among passengers it becomes very reasonable for the individuals. However the company does not own any vehicles; instead, it acts as a broker, earning a commission (between 18 and 21 percent) on each booking. There are 90 million users on the site, which is available in 22 countries.
4. Gett.
Gett is another Uber alternative in the UK. Gett is serving since November 1, 2010. It is headquartered in London. Gett, formerly known as GetTaxi, is an Israeli-developed technology platform dedicated only to business ground transportation management.
Gett brings together corporate fleets, taxis, ride-hailing services, and limo services on a single platform, streamlining the complete employee experience from booking to riding to invoicing and analytics, and saving businesses time and money. All of the firm's rides in the United Kingdom are carbon-neutral, according to the company. Its goal is to aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. You can't hail private automobiles like other applications, but in London, you can order a black taxi with just a click.
Moreover, Gett has a strategic partnership with the Volkswagon group as the Volkswagon group invested $300 Million. While serving the quarter of Fortune 500 companies Gett became GTM(Ground transportation management.) category, leader.
5. OLA
Ola is also India based Uber alternative in the United Kingdom. Ola was founded on 3 December 2010 by Bhavish Agarwal and Ankit Bhatti which is Headquartered in Bangalore, India. ola is setting a new standard for quality ride-hailing by combining a network of highly qualified drivers with round-the-clock support, a safety-first approach, and a hassle-free experience. Ola initially introduced its app in the UK in 2018. Metered taxis, began operations in Wales and the South West in late 2018.
With the support of passionate, local drivers, Ola had traveled more than 500 times the length of the United Kingdom in less than six months. Moreover, Ola attracts customers by its attracting schemes or providing referral discounts, by which ola’s network gets stronger and better. Ola safely and gladly transports you where you need to go. At today’s date, Ola is operating in more than 250 cities. Ola had successfully completed above six Million rides in the UK.
6. Wheely
Wheely is an expensive alternative to Uber in the UK. Its core focus is on providing luxurious rides to its customers. Wheely is an app that provides the fanciest rides in London They believe in providing premium and ultra-premium cabs with the most experienced and best Drivers. Wheely offers high-end vehicles driven by expert chauffeurs.
To work for Wheely, all drivers must complete extensive training and pass many tests. You'll be hailed by a well-dressed chauffeur who will be prepared to greet you with an umbrella if it rains.
30 minutes of free waiting time and a meet and greet service are included in airport transfers. This premium ride-hailing service is ideal for guests staying in London's most opulent hotels. You can pay with a credit card. VIPs are the common clients for Wheely. Moreover, You can hear music by connecting your phone making your journey more delightful.
7. Via
Via, initially known ViaVan, claims to "change public transportation, from a regulated system of inflexible routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network." It is based in New York and is now also available in the UK. Via is used by commuters from over 20 countries and 400 cities to get to their destinations. The business model of Via differs from those of the other companies mentioned. Via collaborates with local governments to improve public and urban transportation systems. The best part of Via is it charges standard local prices to its customer as it collaborates with the Government locally. Thus, Via is also an alternative having a special business model of ride-hailing in partnership with the government.
8. Addison Lee
You may book a cab with Addison Lee up to three months in advance, and there is no surge pricing even during peak hours. They take pleasure in only operating autos that are three years old. Their drivers have received extensive training in city driving, navigation, and client service. Every vehicle comes equipped with 4G Wi-Fi and a free phone charger, making it ideal for business travelers. It also believes in deep cleaning its all vehicle and they areElectrostatically Spray cleaned every three months.
Jay Pala