When chatting with European friends who have been to China, they must express their amazement at how cheap taxis are in China! Indeed, taking my hometown in Jiangsu as an example, the price of public transport has increased from one yuan in my childhood to two yuan, while the starting fare for taxis has surprisingly remained at six yuan. If there are at least three people traveling, it would be foolish to take the bus. Even in Beijing during my school days, the subway was only two yuan, and the starting fare for taxis was still only ten yuan, which was not considered expensive.
In contrast, taxis in Europe are very expensive. On one hand, all labor costs here are very high (doesn’t the driver need to drive you?), and on the other hand, public transport is more encouraged here, as seen with London’s “congestion charge”. I remember during my internship in France, one time I stayed out too late with friends and had to take a taxi home. After finally getting a car, I spent over twenty euros for just a few kilometers, which was quite painful.
Of course, if you must take a taxi, there are ways to save money. Similar to the recent fierce competition between Uber and Didi Chuxing in China, Europe also has many similar mobile apps. Today, I will introduce the taxi apps available in the UK, especially in London.
[Uber]
Speaking of Uber, I believe everyone is already familiar with it. In the past two years, Uber has aggressively entered the Chinese market and has made quite a few headlines; it’s hard not to know about it.
Currently, Uber operates in four cities in the UK: London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Leeds. Uber only entered the UK at the end of 2012, so it’s not been long, and its market share in London has only shown significant growth in the past year. Although its prices are somewhat higher than regular taxis, Uber is more convenient and offers higher-end vehicle options, which has severely impacted the business of local Black cabs in London, even leading to public protests from the latter’s drivers.
For specific pricing standards and estimated costs, please refer to the official website. Uber categorizes its services into three levels based on vehicle luxury: UberX, UberEXEC, and UberLUX, with prices increasing accordingly. There is also an UberXL option for larger groups. Interestingly, Uber has added a service called UberTaxi, which allows users to hail regular Black cabs through its app, with charges based on Black cab rates. I wonder if this is a result of negotiations between the two parties?
If you do not have an Uber account yet, you can use this promo code: u9fma to receive a £10 credit for rides. This is my personal promo code, and I will also receive a corresponding reward after you use it.
Uber collaborates with Starwood’s SPG program, allowing you to earn SPG points while riding. The rules are as follows:
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Earn 1 SPG point for every $1 spent.
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During your stay at a Starwood hotel, SPG regular members, gold members, and platinum members can earn double, triple, and quadruple points respectively.
The maximum spend is $10,000. Calculating at 1 SPG point = 2.5 cents, platinum members can earn a 10% return on taxi rides during their stay, which is quite considerable.
[Gett]
Gett, originally named Get Taxi, is also a global taxi app. Compared to Uber, Gett is a bit more “official” in London, as all its operating vehicles are traditional Black cabs. According to Gett, they even interview and train all their drivers. Gett’s coverage is broader than Uber, currently operating in cities including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, and Leeds.
Compared to Uber, Gett has the following advantages:
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No minimum fare, which is useful for very short trips.
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Reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance, and no fees are charged for cancellations.
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There is a dedicated customer service hotline.
If you do not have a Gett account yet, you can use this promo code: GTKAIZH to receive a £5 credit for rides. This is my personal promo code, and I will also receive a corresponding reward after you use it.
[Hailo]
This is currently the most popular app in the UK market. The fundamental difference between Hailo and the above two apps is that Hailo does not have a direct employment or contractual relationship with taxi drivers; its sole purpose is to find the nearest taxi to you, saving you the trouble of finding one yourself. Despite not doing much substantive work, Hailo charges drivers a hefty commission, which is one reason it has faced some resistance from drivers.
Hailo has also partnered with British Airways’ BAEC and Iberia Plus from Spain, allowing you to earn Avios rewards on taxi rides. If you are in the UK, you can directly add your BAEC account after opening the app. The accumulation rules are as follows:
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Earn 1 Avios for every £1 spent.
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Before December 31, 2015, if you use Hailo’s airport transfer service for the first time, you can earn an additional 400 Avios. After that, for each airport transfer service, you can earn an additional 100 Avios.
[Karhoo]
Karhoo is a newly launched taxi app with a new concept, currently just starting in London, with plans to expand to other countries and cities in the future. Unlike the above clients, Karhoo does not manage any taxi companies; instead, it integrates data from dozens of such companies in London, displaying waiting times and prices to consumers, allowing them to compare and choose. Karhoo is a direct competitor to Uber.
Since Karhoo is still relatively new, there is not much information available, and there are quite a few negative reviews on Google Play. I have only used it once, booking a car to Heathrow Airport, and the whole experience was smooth, with prices much cheaper than Uber, so everyone can give it a try. New users can register using my promo code: KAIZH577, and both of us can receive a £10 reward.