Taxi-hailing service has become one of the most used services globally.
Within a few clicks & your ride is in front of you.
Now, how to choose the best among different Uber alternatives available online? Before we move forward to the alternatives, let’s understand the business of Uber.
Uber has become the face of transportation. With over 50 Million users & wide range of cars, It has dominated the global taxi market.
However, being popular doesn’t mean being perfect.
People often find different issues with booking – such as random fare hikes during difficult weather, driver’s misbehaviour, service not available, etc. In addition, the training certification of Uber drivers has also been a concern for the customers.
Well, I’ve faced similar problems during my office-to-home routine commute & thought to suggest solutions via this blog post.
So, no further wait for Uber. I’ve listed some of the best, cost-effective alternatives to Uber. I suggest you compare & book the best service near future.
1. Ola Cabs
- Users: 17 million active customers
- App: iOS | Android
- Website: Olacabs.com
- Ratings: 4.6/5 based on 1.8 m ratings on iOS | 4.1/5 based on 21.4L ratings on Google Play
Ola Cabs is a global cab company founded in India by Bhavesh Agrawal and Ankit Bhati in 2000. The company is identified as providing the finest inexpensive services in many countries like New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and India’s major cities.
Other information you should know about Ola:
- As per your requirement & budget, Ola allows picking from various vehicle types such as sedans, mini cars, car-pooling, auto, scooters, etc.
- The app or web booking offers additional details (number, type & name of car, number), driver’s rating, etc.
- Ola transportation is famous for providing quality services at a very affordable cost.
- Except for multiple services, Ola also sells 2-wheelers known as Ola S1 & S1 Pro.
2. Lyft
- Users: 18.7 million active riders*
- App: iOS | Android
- Website: Lyft.com
- Ratings: 4.9/5 based on 11.4 m ratings on iOS | 3.9/5 based on 2.97L ratings on Google Play
Lyft is an American taxi-hailing company founded by Logan Green and John Zimmer in 2012. After Uber, it is the second most used ridesharing service in the USA & other countries. The main areas for the services provided by Lyft are the US and Canada. I’ve also covered Lyft alternatives, do explore if you want to utilise other services.
Other information you should know about Lyft:
- Lyft is not only a taxi-booking app; they also deliver food items and offer bicycle sharing.
- Lyft car models include Lyft XL (minivan for 6 people), Lyft Lux (luxury Sedan for 4 people), Lyft shared (car-pooling) etc. I’ve covered an in-depth blog about a variety of Lyft vehicles.
- The Lyft app for smartphones updates the customer about the driver’s arrival in advance with an expected fare and sometimes the exact price of the service.
- Like Uber & other online taxi services, ride price depends on the weather, peak hours and other conditions.
- Compared to Uber, Lyft offers more compensation, care & other features to its drivers.
- Being a regular user, you can also choose Lyft Pink membership which offers exclusive rideshare, car, bike and scooter benefits with the best fares.
- Lyft users based on demographics.
| Race | Share |
|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 53% |
| Hispanic or Latinx | 18% |
| Black, African American, or Afro-Caribbean | 22% |
| Asian | 7.2% |
- The median income of a Lyft rider in the US is $54,000, whereas Canadian Lyft users have a slight low at $51,300.
3. Gett
- Users: 18.7 million active riders*
- App: iOS | Android
- Website: Gett.com
- Ratings: 3.2/5 based on 2.96L reviews on Google Play
Gett, formerly known as GetTaxi, is an Israel-based transportation platform founded by Shahar Waiser and Roi More in 2010. Next to Lyft, Gett has become the fastest-rising taxi app. After Israel, they successfully managed to provide their services in cities like London and Moscow.
Other information you should know about Gett Taxi:
- With Gett, you don’t need to wait for D-Day to book your ride. It allows you to book your rides at least 2 weeks prior.
- For travel managers, it is very convenient because of the features like invoices, auto-generated reports, order tracking etc.
- Compared to Ola or Lyft, you can also calculate savings per ride.
- Gett is trusted by ¼ of the Fortune 500 companies.
- The brand offers over 2000 partner fleets.
Gett’s business strategy & commitment to its users helped it compete with big transportation players such as Uber & Lyft. The company also offers exceptional promotional deals & coupons, which helped them grow.
4. Didi Chuxing
- Users: 58 million active users (As of December 2021)
- App: iOS | Android
- Website: Gett.com
- Ratings: 4.9/5 based on 20.4k ratings on iOS | 3.9/5 based on 781K reviews on Google Play
Didi Chuxing is a china-based transportation platform. It was founded by Cheng Wei, Zhang Bo, and Wu Rui in 2012 & today referred to as China’s Uber in the transportation industry.
Didi is currently providing services in more than 400 cities in China & some parts of Japan, Taiwan and Latin America.
Other information you should know about Didi Chuxing:
- The Chinese cab service offers their customers vehicles such as tuk-tuks, a wide range of cars, bikes, buses, and even helicopters.
- Didi ride models include Didi public taxi service (local drivers), private taxi service, shared taxi service, etc.
- The company uses Artificial Intelligence to make systems efficient & use resources more proficiently.
- Unlike Uber & other players, Didi Chuxing’s ride depends only on your vehicle and destination.
Did you know?
Didi bought Uber’s china operations in 2016; that’s why Uber doesn’t operate in China.
5. LeCab
- Users: 70k active users
- App: iOS | Android
- Website: Gett.com
- Ratings: 4.1/5 based on 50 ratings on iOS | 3.8/5 based on 1.75T reviews on Google Play
LeCab is a France-based private transportation taxi-hailing service. The company was launched in December 2012 and offers a fleet of over 1000 Peugeot 508 sends. Currently, LeCab offers in cities such as Cannes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and many other cities. It is considered Uber of France.
Did you know?
Some of our readers must be aware that France has banned Uber and this decision proved advantageous for LeCab.
Other information you should know about LeCab:
- The company is providing its full-fledged service in Paris, claiming that your ride will be next to your place within five minutes of booking.
- LeCab partners with PrivateFly and provides air services for those who want a tour of Paris through private jets.
- They have so many cool features to offer in their app. Re-booking a ride and changing the details is basic with this app.
6. GrabCabs
- Users: 187 users worldwide
- App: iOS | Android
- Website: Grab.com
- Ratings: 4.8/5 based on 105k ratings on iOS | 4.8/5 based on 9.55M reviews on Google Play
GrabCabs, formerly My Teksi, was founded by Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling in 2012. The Singaporean multinational technology company is one of the best startups southeast region.
Apart from rides, Grab is famous for delivering various items such as Food, Mart, and Express. That’s not all, it also offers financial services including Pay, Invest & insurance.
Today, Grab operates in 8 countries like Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, etc.
Other information you should know about GrabCabs:
- Grab is the cheapest cab service provider compared to all alternatives covered in the list.
- Brand focuses on user convenience.
- You can also rent a vehicle with the Grab app.
- Apart from cab service, users are highly engaged in the on-demand delivery system.
7. Wingz
- Users: Over 20k active users
- App: iOS | Android
- Website: Wingz.me
- Ratings: 4.9/5 based on 6.2k ratings on iOS
Wingz, formerly known as Tickengo, was founded by Christof Baumbach, Jeremie Romand, Fred Gomez & Geoff Mathieux in 2011.
It is a San Francisco, California-based company that offers private, scheduled and fix-price rides across 30 major cities in the United States.
Other information you should know about Wingz:
- Users can book rides from two hours to one year in advance.
- The company provides rides emphasising the airport in the served cities.
- From the request section, the passengers can ask for facilities like chargers, car seats etc.
- Wingz doesn’t go with high/low prices, unlike other cab services. They keep flat prices for most journeys & customers are only charged after the ride is provided.
- Along with these facilities, the company also has a “Favourite Driver’s list”, which is used by the passengers to look for their favourite drivers.
- The company is backed by Expedia & Marc Benioff.
8. Bolt
- Users: 100 million customers*
- App: iOS | Android
- Website: Bolt.eu
- Ratings: 4.9/5 based on 20.4k ratings on iOS | 4.8/5 based on 3.48M ratings on Google Play
Bolt is the next European mobility and most popular Uber alternative in London. The company offers vehicles for hire, car-sharing & food delivery services.
It was launched by Markus Villing as Taxify and relaunched as Bolt. Bolt is headquartered in Tallinn and serves over 500 cities and 45 countries, such as Europe, Africa, Latin America, etc.
Other information you should know about Bolt:
- App accepts cash and credit/debit cards.
- The company has 3 million partners to offer rides and deliveries.
- Provides a comfortable & low-cost ride.
- Accept regular cabs Bolt offers scooters, food/grocery and other business.
- You can partner with Bolt as a driver, courier, store, fleet & franchise owner.
- Bolt driver offers a short-term car rental service.
- Bolt is focusing on a green plan involving items such as planting new plants & adding more electric vehicles/scooters.
Important Uber Stats You Should Know
- Uber holds a global ridesharing market size of $85.8bn.
- The company has raised over 24bn USD for far.
- Uber has a global market share of 37.2%.
- Didi & Lyft are major competitors of Uber.
- Uber completed over 6.3 billion trips in 2021.
- Over 37% of Uber users are between the age of 16 to 24.
- Only 2% of Uber drivers make over $1500/month.
Conclusion
Hope you got your answer in the mentioned list above.
Based on your utility & money, a transportation platform can offer you a wide range of services – including cars & experience. No doubt that Uber has been dominating the market since its launch globally. Until today, I can’t see any similar app offering a similar range of services in different countries & cities.
However, other cab apps such as Ola & Lyft have taken a good number of riders & proved trustworthy enough to stick to their regular users.
Seeing your convenience, budget & country, you can pick any best alternative to Uber. Happy commuting
FAQs
Is there a cheaper alternative to Uber?
Cab apps like Wingz, Sidecar and many more offer a flat price or don’t have a surge pricing model. Unlike Uber & Lyft, these companies don’t offer service in all locations.
Who is cheaper, Lyft or Uber?
Seeing an average booking price & personal experience, Uber is cheaper than Lyft.
Who is cheaper, Uber or Ola?
Depending on the country’s location, fare price changes. However, Ola is cheaper.
Which cab service provider is safest?
Lyft is considered safe for all travellers – men & women. The company provides the best training to their drivers & rated the best, especially in women’s safety.
