The ride-hailing industry in London is in an era in which multiple apps have penetrated the capital market. These actors are in arrival order, Uber, ViaVan, Free Now (former Kapten), Bolt and OLA. If they all offer the same service that is to take riders from A to B, there are variances in what they provide to drivers and customers. Different features for riders, different benefit packages for drivers. To see clearer and to be able to compare, Driver App London has made a unique ride-hailing app comparative table. Please have a look below.
Apps comparative table
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO | Dara Khosrowshahi | Marcus Vilig | Sebastien Oebel | Daniel Ramot | Bhavish Aggarwal |
| London's manager | Melinda Roylett (UK & Ireland) | Unknown | Mariusz Zabrocki | Jessica Oppetit | Ankur Nyati |
| Address (Main) | Western Gateway, Royal Docks, London E16 1AA | Bolt Hub, 114 Power Road, Chiswick, W4 5PY | 51 Hoxton Square, Hackney, London N1 6PB | 2-10 Baron St, The Angel, London N1 9LL | Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, N1 0QH |
| Drivers phone number | 08 8169 7334 | 080 8169 8818 | None | 074 7927 3020 | 020 3972 0800 |
| Customers phone number | 080 8169 7335 | 080 8169 8818 | 020 3966 6933 | 074 7927 3020 (Only for live rides support) | 020 3874 0516 |
| Covered Area | Greater London, Hertfordshire, Thurrock, Brentwood, Luton, Surrey, Guilford | Inside M25 area | Zones 1 to 5 | Zones 1 to 5 (temporarily suspended due to pandemic) | Inside M25 area |
| Commission rate | 20% or 25% . Up to 5% on Quest. | 15% | 15% | 15% | 15% |
| Airports | Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City | Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City | Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City | Heathrow and Gatwick | Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City |
| Number of countries | 65 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Pricing type | Fixed | Based on distance and time but figures are rounded | Fixed | Fixed for customers. Based on time and distance for drivers (Flex mode) or by the hour (Blue mode) | Based on distance and time |
| Fares | £2.50 base fare, £1.43/mile*, £0.12/minute for X category *Include a Clean Air fee of £0.15/mile that is only given to EV drivers. | £2.50 base fare, £1.28/mile, £0.12/minute for Standard category | £2.50 base fare, £1.25/mile, £0.15/minute for Standard category | £2.50 base fare, £1.25/mile, £0.15/minute for Standard category | £2.50 base fare, £1.25/mile, £0.15/minute for Comfort category |
| Cancellation fees | Available | Available | Available | Available but inconsistent | Available |
| No show paid | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Categories | X, Comfort, XL, Executive, Lux, WAV, Assist, Pool (suspended due to pandemic) | Standard, XL, Executive | Standard, Electric | Standard | Comfort, Comfort XL, Executive |
| Bonuses | Based on consecutive trips | Based on number of trips | Based on number of trips | Based on number of trips achieved | Based on number of trips achieved + Guaranteed Income plans |
| Congestion Charge compensation | £1.50 fee per trip hitting the CC zone + £0.15/mile Clean Air Fee | £1.50 fee per trip hitting the CC zone | £1 fee per trip hitting the CC zone | Feature to avoid CC trips | £1 fee per trip hitting the CC zone |
| Airport pricing | £10 base fare, £1/mile, £0.12/min + Parking fee | £10 base fare, £1/mile, £0.12/min + Parking fee | £2.50 base fare, £1.25/mile, £0.15/min + Parking fee | Guaranteed fares applied + Parking fee | £10 base fare, £1/mile, £0.12/min + Parking fee |
| Destinations | Two per day until reaching destination | Four destination trips per day | One per day until reaching destination | None | Two per day until reaching destination |
| Number of drivers | 45,000 | 25,000 | 20,000 | Unknown | 30,000 |
| Drivers benefits | Uber Pro Program including Sickness insurance, Maternity and Paternity leave, Gym Memberpass, EV assistance | None | None | None | Guaranteed income plans |
| Tips option | Available | Available | Available | Available | No |
| Other mobility services | E-bikes, food delivery and thames boats | Scooters (not in UK), Delivery services | None | Mini bus transportation | None |
Bolt do not pay any no show fee to driver as waiting carry on even if rider does not come 20mins so driver have to cancel to carry on his work and bolt do not pay any fee to the driver and do not pay and cancellation fee even if rider cancel the job.Thirdly this app does not calculate the fare based on the miles covered they are scamming the drivers.
Hi Bader,
There are many things that we can blame Bolt for. Please see our article http://driverapplondon.co.uk/bolt-between-fares-issues-and-drivers-dismissals-is-in-the-controversy/
However, they do pay cancellation fees and no show. After 6 minutes if paid wait, just cancel the trip under “missing customer” and they will pay it to you.
Thanks.
Uber fare £1.25 per mile
Not £1.40
Hi Sohail,
Uber is charging customers £1.40 per mile in London. You need to take into account the clean air fee of £0.15.
Bolt is now working in Watford too, you can order a ride from there.
£0.15/mile from Uber is not a congestion charge compensation. You only get it if you have an electric vehicle, regardless if you are driving in congestion charge area or not.
You have not said anything about commission which is the most important aspect, the driver deactivation rate and also the new player Ola.
Hi Mario,
Thanks for your input.
The £0.15 per mile Clean Air Fee has been introduced by Uber following the Congestion Charge changes. Then, we see it as a compensation to the Congestion Charge especially for Electric/Plug-in driver who do not pay it and enjoy the fee at the same time.
Regarding your other points, we have updated the article accordingly as the environment has changed since its publishing.
Thanks.
Need to correct the area the ola operate. They don’t cover inside 25 like Bolt. They seem to say they only cover TLF area. Don’t understand how staines comes inside that.