With the announcement that Uber has lost its licence to operate in London, we're sure that many people in the capital will be reeling, wondering how they'll ever be able to get around.
Well fear not, Uber is by no means the only ride-hailing business in town, and we've compiled the best of the rest here so you can still get to that meeting/ party/ sofa, without having to brave the tube.
Addison Lee
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Depending on your age, you may remember that before Uber took over the world of minicab hire, Addison Lee was the big name in ride-hailing services. In recent years, Addison Lee has got into courier services in a big way, but you can still hire a vehicle to get yourself from A to B too.
You can choose from a spacious Ford Galaxy, a swanky Mercedes, or if you’re suffering from withdrawal symptoms, a Toyota Prius.
Depending on your journey, Addison Lee could work out cheaper than the alternatives too. According to its app store listing, its average fares are “up to 30% less than other taxi's on accounts”.
Plus, with Addison Lee you’ll know the price of your fare before you get into the car, meaning no more meter watching.
Gett
Rather than hiring minicabs, the Gett app is a way for you to hail one of London’s famous Black Cabs.
On its listing for the iTunes app store, it boasts ‘Affordable Black Cab prices. Although as anyone who’s ever taken a Black Cab will be able to tell you, that’s going to be more than you would have been paying with Uber.
What is more convenient than hailing a cab from the pavement is that your card details are held securely on the app meaning that you can hop out at the end of your journey without having to do a fiddly payment.
MyTaxi - (formerly Hailo)
Much like Gett listed above, MyTaxi is an app that allows you to hail a Hackney Carriage from your phone.
MyTaxi absorbed Hailo in 2016, so if you’re looking for Hailo, it doesn’t exist any more.
MyTaxi didn’t let the opportunity of Uber’s ban pass them by. Within minutes of the announcement, it massively slashed its prices, sending a message to its customers stating: “mytaxi to undercut UberX on news that they are not fit and proper to operate”.
PedalMe
If the loss of your favorite ride-hailing service seems like a good opportunity to try something new, maybe PedalMe is just the change you’ve been looking for.
The app works much like Uber, but with one fairly significant difference; you get picked up by a vehicle on two wheels, not four.
Admittedly, you’re much more likely to get rained on using PedalMe, but if its Q&A is anything to go by, the prices are pretty comparable, and that’s not something to be sniffed at.
Uber
We know, we know, it's an 'alternatives to Uber' piece. But still, Uber can appeal the decision, and we'd be very surprised if it didn't, so we're including it here. You know, just in case.
Uber has become as big as it has thanks to quick pick-up times, relatively cheap fares, and large numbers of vehicles on the road.
Its business practices have obviously come back to bite it, but the benefit for the end user is undeniable.
- Want to know all the latest on the Uber ban? Check out: Uber has lost its license to operate in London
