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Uber rival Kapten launches in London, with cheaper fares [Update - and now there's Bolt)

magneze said:
Took one yesterday. In chatting with the guy it seems that the drivers are treated much better than Uber.
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Just got from Mudchute to Stratford for five quid plus pennies but that won't happen when they normalise their prices in June. Driver was an absolute diamond but that'll be the five years' experience driving for Uber.

Anyway, he thinks Kapten will go tits up in a few weeks because they just don't have the volume of work to compete with Uber for drivers. Kapten will be charging drivers 24% commission compared to Uber's 25% which sounds like a pay rise but there'll be no charge for waiting in traffic and all fares prequoted on a preselected route means in reality they'll be getting paid less for jobs. In addition there are still a fair few Uber drivers (including the young man who picked me up today) who are still on an older 20% commission deal with Uber.

I'm guessing they're paying VAT either on their portion of the fare or on a predecided proportion of the fare as a 'booking fee' (which is what several large central London firms do) rather than on the whole fare because it won't really work with only 7% going to the company.

I don't fancy their chances of getting anywhere in London but their cars are still very good value for the next week or so. Might as well take advantage while you can.
 
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And another app promises cheaper taxi fares is rocking into the city:

bolt_markusvillig_car.jpg


Bolt (which formerly Taxify) claims to be the fastest-growing on-demand transportation platform, with over 25 million customers in 30 countries and 100 cities.

How's the app changed since TfL abruptly disallowed it in 2017? Bolt now has a special category for electric cars in several of its cities, and says it will be exploring options in London in the future, working with TfL to ensure that "an at-scale network of fast charging options becomes available for electric vehicles".

An in-app 'panic button' for passengers and drivers is also being sold as a USP, promising a "safer ride".

And Bolt says it is fairer to its driver, taking just 15% commission — up to half that of other operators. (In our own experience, we find that drivers in London tend to flit between apps, depending on who's offering the best dividends at the time.)
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As the French ride sharing app Kapten did a couple of weeks ago, Bolt is offering an initial 50% off rides for customers. In the long run, it says it will be "5% and 10% cheaper" than its rivals. On further prodding, the company admits that this claim refers to Uber, rather than Kapten, which already claims to be thriftier than its US-established rival.

Is this the beginning of a more competitive market; forcing Uber to reassess its prices, and its sometimes-extortionate surge charges? Perhaps, although let's not forget that for all its box-office success, Uber has still failed to make a profit. These smaller apps have no small challenge on their hands.
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Watch Out Uber... Yet Another Ride Sharing App Has Launched In London
 
Just had a go on the app - there's very few drivers signed up. Kapten has got way more in my area.
 
We have an app here called InDriver that Uber drivers all seem to also use. It differs from Uber as when you book your ride you also set the price and if a driver wants to accept he does.

Has that made it to the UK yet?

I asked my last Uber driver about it and he said they get all the fare :confused: how does the app creator make his money I wonder, maybe advertising :confused: He also said that here Uber take 20% of his fare and I thought it was 25% so he may also be wrong about InDriver taking nothing.
 
1%er said:
We have an app here called InDriver that Uber drivers all seem to also use. It differs from Uber as when you book your ride you also set the price and if a driver wants to accept he does.

Has that made it to the UK yet?

I asked my last Uber driver about it and he said they get all the fare :confused: how does the app creator make his money I wonder, maybe advertising :confused: He also said that here Uber take 20% of his fare and I thought it was 25% so he may also be wrong about InDriver taking nothing.
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It’s 5-8% according to Wikipedia InDriver - Wikipedia
 
So Kapten have now become FREE NOW who claim to be the "only ride-hailing app in London where you can choose an electric black cab, or electric PHV every time you ride."

I took a look but when I saw some fares listed as "£5 min" it out me right off. Surely the whole point of these new taxi services is that you're given a good idea of how much it's going to cost, unlike the old rip off mini cans of the past?
 
I use Bolt now. I got locked out of my uber account when I changed phone and I couldn't be arsed to reset it. I think a lot of drivers are signed up to both so its pretty much the same experience.
 
editor said:
Surely the whole point of these new taxi services is that you're given a good idea of how much it's going to cost, unlike the old rip off mini cans of the past?
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The opposite actually. Mini cabs have always been legally obliged to quote in advance and not to meter the fare which means that most of the time (exceptions being where office has given a bad quote or the driver is trying it on) they'll cost what they tell you in the first place whereas all the ride apps use gps to meter the fare so they give you a quote in the traditional sense of probable cost. Though when Uber says 7-10 quid it means 11.
 
maomao said:
The opposite actually. Mini cabs have always been legally obliged to quote in advance and not to meter the fare which means that most of the time (exceptions being where office has given a bad quote or the driver is trying it on) they'll cost what they tell you in the first place whereas all the ride apps use gps to meter the fare so they give you a quote in the traditional sense of probable cost. Though when Uber says 7-10 quid it means 11.
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I've had loads of bad experiences in mini cabs who have tried to charge me way more than their initial estimate.
 
editor said:
I've had loads of bad experiences in mini cabs who have tried to charge me way more than their initial estimate.
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Exactly. Very rarely have I hailed and they tell me what it will cost even when I ask directly it's vague. Most recent example was ripping of a friend and her small child £15 to get from the Centre to Temple Meads no meter. Obviously them not knowing Bristol they agreed and it being dark meant the driver just made it up.
 
BristolEcho said:
Exactly. Very rarely have I hailed and they tell me what it will cost even when I ask directly it's vague. Most recent example was ripping of a friend and her small child £15 to get from the Centre to Temple Meads no meter. Obviously them not knowing Bristol they agreed and it being dark meant the driver just made it up.
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That's not a minicab though. I thought the point of minicabs is that they can't be hailed and are booked in advance with an upfront cost stated.
 
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