Which Taxi App is the Best Overall for the Biggest Cities in the UK?

bery_451

Ergates said:

Longer term you're best not using Uber too.  Their policy is to essentially undercut all the existing taxi firms - using their massive amount of investment cash to subsidise fares- until all their competition has gone out of business.  Then they can raise prices to whatever they want.  They also openly flout just about every law and regulation they can find and laugh about doing it.

As an organisation they're almost comically evil - they're like a villain from a Bond film, only less interesting.

Okay when you mention uber to undercut all existing taxi firms - this means they should be the cheapest correct? In any market there's always a competitor like Pepsi to Coca Cola and Apple to Microsoft so its possible for Uber to raise prices to whatever they want if there's no Ola or Bolt competitors correct?

Uber is a international company meaning they don't have to abide to laws and jurisdiction of a particular country right? Well that's what I heard otherwise the the Ceo of Uber would be in jail now?

bery_451

Sandtree said:

CKhalvashi said:

Once again, try to find a local company in the cities you visit. You're then supporting local jobs for about the same price and generally such companies trade on their reputation exactly because they're competing with the likes of Uber.

Where do you think the Uber taxi drivers live?

Local companies are fine for planned trips but if you find yourself on a random street corner and wanting a car "now" a single local company can often be a 30min-1hr wait, particularly in a large city. Large apps like Uber its more likely to be a 5-10 minute wait. 

Not sure there is ever a single overall best option because each have such different pricing models and you cannot predict surge charging/time components etc that some use. Plus then there is priorities... would you prefer a £10 fare but 1hr wait for pickup or £11 fare and pickup in under 5 minutes?

This Surge Charging - this applies during peak times only?

Is there like a comparison table between these taxi companies?

bery_451

Deleted_User said:

Birmingham has Bolt and Ola operating alongside Uber, TOA is a local firm with a similar app

Depending on where you are, you can usually hail a black cab without issue by the station for example but the rest have to be pre-booked

Aren't Black Cabs known to be the most expensive?

CKhalvashi

bery_451 said:

Sandtree said:

CKhalvashi said:

Once again, try to find a local company in the cities you visit. You're then supporting local jobs for about the same price and generally such companies trade on their reputation exactly because they're competing with the likes of Uber.

Where do you think the Uber taxi drivers live?

Local companies are fine for planned trips but if you find yourself on a random street corner and wanting a car "now" a single local company can often be a 30min-1hr wait, particularly in a large city. Large apps like Uber its more likely to be a 5-10 minute wait. 

Not sure there is ever a single overall best option because each have such different pricing models and you cannot predict surge charging/time components etc that some use. Plus then there is priorities... would you prefer a £10 fare but 1hr wait for pickup or £11 fare and pickup in under 5 minutes?

This Surge Charging - this applies during peak times only?

Is there like a comparison table between these taxi companies?

There is, but mainly for airport transfers.

There's also a fare chart available, but that's again making some assumptions and would be for Hackney Carriage vehicles. The majority of PHVs don't use meters outside London, even in areas they're allowed to.

Surge charging can be at any time, but generally is peak times. There's no transparancy on how and when this applies.

Uber on paper can undercut firms, however they use surge pricing and also a rate per minute. PHVs are not regulated in terms of pricing at all.

For finding a company, Google is your friend.

Hackney Carriages aren't necessarily more or less expensive. The fares are generally regulated, however.

I personally tend to only use taxis on pre-booked, longer journeys to/from airports, and only use 2 named drivers for who I have a direct contact number due to the nature of what I do when I'm in the car (generally business calls etc, so discretion is required), so I cannot help with any specific recommendations. I also don't want others to know when my home may be empty.

I'd also dispute to an extent that drivers live in the areas they're licensed judging by the number of London PHVs on the streets in the area I live, which is definitely not in London. We have a constant issue here with such drivers not knowing the area they're working in and London plated vehicles are by far the biggest issue.

Sandtree

bery_451 said:

Sandtree said:

CKhalvashi said:

Once again, try to find a local company in the cities you visit. You're then supporting local jobs for about the same price and generally such companies trade on their reputation exactly because they're competing with the likes of Uber.

Where do you think the Uber taxi drivers live?

Local companies are fine for planned trips but if you find yourself on a random street corner and wanting a car "now" a single local company can often be a 30min-1hr wait, particularly in a large city. Large apps like Uber its more likely to be a 5-10 minute wait. 

Not sure there is ever a single overall best option because each have such different pricing models and you cannot predict surge charging/time components etc that some use. Plus then there is priorities... would you prefer a £10 fare but 1hr wait for pickup or £11 fare and pickup in under 5 minutes?

This Surge Charging - this applies during peak times only?

Is there like a comparison table between these taxi companies?

Surge charging happens when there is a surge in the local area of people asking for Ubers... clearly they are more likely to happen around peak times but can happen at very localised peak times... eg if you are near a football stadium at the end of the match there could be a surge in requests and so prices.

Sometimes they seem very odd though, I've had a couple of times recently where the likes of Uber X and Uber Exec are under massive (never seen before level) increases and yet Uber Comfort or Uber Green are basically normal price. 

Never seen a table I'd trust, just local taxis dissing their competitors, and the trouble is that given the different calculation methods its hard to say for any random journey who'll be cheaper... for a start for those that use time you dont know the duration, you dont know the surge, for those that do distance you dont know if they'll all take the same route... black cabs are time/distance in London but can take routes that Uber and others can't.  So weekday daytime near London Bridge to somewhere near the other side will be cheapest black cab because they can cross LB at that time whereas Uber would have to go via Southwark or Tower bridge which you may then be unlucky and find is open so a long wait for the ship to pass.

[Deleted User]

bery_451 said:

Deleted_User said:

Birmingham has Bolt and Ola operating alongside Uber, TOA is a local firm with a similar app

Depending on where you are, you can usually hail a black cab without issue by the station for example but the rest have to be pre-booked

Aren't Black Cabs known to be the most expensive?

Sure but just pointing out they are available and can be hailed, Birmingham, as I guess other places do, requires private hire to be pre-booked or the driver is not insured so if planned, use a taxi app, if an emergency then black cabs are around or can be stopped 

biscan25

London, you have Uber, Bolt, Ola, and FreeNow.
Freenow is usually the cheapest, but they have the fewest cars, so you may have to wait a while
You really have to check them all, because the demand based pricing doesn't all surge at the same time. Also, there's always 20%-50% discounts on at least one of them.
I tend to not use them very often though. Much cheaper (£1.60) and better for the enviroment to get the bus.

Sandtree

Deleted_User said:

bery_451 said:

Deleted_User said:

Birmingham has Bolt and Ola operating alongside Uber, TOA is a local firm with a similar app

Depending on where you are, you can usually hail a black cab without issue by the station for example but the rest have to be pre-booked

Aren't Black Cabs known to be the most expensive?

Sure but just pointing out they are available and can be hailed

On paper they are but as highlighted they can use bus lanes etc and so they can be quicker (which may be worth the extra) or actually take a much more direct route and so may be cheaper. Cannot say for Birmingham but there are several roads (inc London Bridge) that are now bus, black cab and bicycles only during the day meaning a the more direct route the cab can take offsets the higher price per mile (as well as getting you there quicker)

CKhalvashi

Sandtree said:

bery_451 said:

Sandtree said:

CKhalvashi said:

Once again, try to find a local company in the cities you visit. You're then supporting local jobs for about the same price and generally such companies trade on their reputation exactly because they're competing with the likes of Uber.

Where do you think the Uber taxi drivers live?

Local companies are fine for planned trips but if you find yourself on a random street corner and wanting a car "now" a single local company can often be a 30min-1hr wait, particularly in a large city. Large apps like Uber its more likely to be a 5-10 minute wait. 

Not sure there is ever a single overall best option because each have such different pricing models and you cannot predict surge charging/time components etc that some use. Plus then there is priorities... would you prefer a £10 fare but 1hr wait for pickup or £11 fare and pickup in under 5 minutes?

This Surge Charging - this applies during peak times only?

Is there like a comparison table between these taxi companies?

Surge charging happens when there is a surge in the local area of people asking for Ubers... clearly they are more likely to happen around peak times but can happen at very localised peak times... eg if you are near a football stadium at the end of the match there could be a surge in requests and so prices.

Just to point out, they're not Ubers, they're minicabs/Private Hire vehicles. They're nothing special and I'm not sure why people treat them as such by using a different word.

Sandtree said:

Deleted_User said:

bery_451 said:

Deleted_User said:

Birmingham has Bolt and Ola operating alongside Uber, TOA is a local firm with a similar app

Depending on where you are, you can usually hail a black cab without issue by the station for example but the rest have to be pre-booked

Aren't Black Cabs known to be the most expensive?

Sure but just pointing out they are available and can be hailed

On paper they are but as highlighted they can use bus lanes etc and so they can be quicker (which may be worth the extra) or actually take a much more direct route and so may be cheaper. Cannot say for Birmingham but there are several roads (inc London Bridge) that are now bus, black cab and bicycles only during the day meaning a the more direct route the cab can take offsets the higher price per mile (as well as getting you there quicker)

As I've explained above, with no fare regulation on licensed PHVs, licensed HC vehicles are not necessarily any more expensive.

Point taken on the rest though.

[Deleted User]

Sandtree said:

Deleted_User said:

bery_451 said:

Deleted_User said:

Birmingham has Bolt and Ola operating alongside Uber, TOA is a local firm with a similar app

Depending on where you are, you can usually hail a black cab without issue by the station for example but the rest have to be pre-booked

Aren't Black Cabs known to be the most expensive?

Sure but just pointing out they are available and can be hailed

On paper they are but as highlighted they can use bus lanes etc and so they can be quicker (which may be worth the extra) or actually take a much more direct route and so may be cheaper. Cannot say for Birmingham but there are several roads (inc London Bridge) that are now bus, black cab and bicycles only during the day meaning a the more direct route the cab can take offsets the higher price per mile (as well as getting you there quicker)

There are bus lanes in Birmingham, lot are just 7-10am but some of them are permanent and yes taxis (plus bikes, motorbikes) can use them, though there are a few areas like you describe that ban cars. Broad Street might end up that way with the tram and buses but with all the clubs and bars, taxi would be useful