SMART TR AVE LLE R
Taxi or Uber? I 88
t’s been less than a decade since Uber launched (2009), and just six years since it expanded to the UK, arriving in London July 2, 2012. Since then it has expanded to 20 other UK locations including Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Cambridge. Many cities have fast, convenient public transport to transfer you from the airport and whisk you around town, but in some cases a taxi is still the preferable (or only) option. Where
taxi charges are on the high side (such as in the UK), ride-sharing companies such as Uber have gained a foothold. In London, Uber had a setback in September 2017 when Transport
for London (TfL) did not renew Uber’s licence, citing a number of issues; the dispute is ongoing, and for the time being, Uber continues to operate in the capital. Brighton and York licensing authorities are also reviewing Uber’s licences. In some countries and cities Uber faces stiff competition not just
from existing taxi firms, but also from other ride-sharing schemes. In March 2018, Grab – a competitor to Uber – took over Uber's operations in South East Asia. However in other countries such as Japan, Uber is proving a disruptive force by being easier to hail, and more convenient, rather than simply cheaper.
R IDE - S HAR ING’ S KE Y P L A YER S Uber’s initial success has spawned a host of similar enterprises, including :
• Taxify – available in Melbourne, Sydney, European and • African cities
Lyft – available in • the US
Cabify – available in South America, • Portugal and Spain
Gett – available in the UK, US, Russia • and Israel
• Grab – has replaced Uber in Singapore,
Ola – available in India
Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar • and Cambodia
Didi – in China; now • merged with Uber
Careem – available in the Middle East
JUNE 2 0 18
The pros and cons of regulated cab services versus the ride-sharing newcomers
There are many ethical and safety concerns about looser
regulations related to ride-share apps that have been flagged by readers on
businesstraveller.com/forum. But if saving money is your main concern, the following table shows some relative costs:
City
Auckland Birmingham Dublin Edinburgh Hong Kong Glasgow London Manchester Mumbai Singapore Sydney Tokyo
Distance from airport to downtown (km)
27 22 15 15 39 16 27 17 10 23 17 21
Taxi cost (UK£)
46.64 40.59 21.69 32.74 26.03 28.37 64.00 32.66 2.11 13.40 31.62 46.59
Uber cost (UK£)
19.18 15.42 34.11 16.17 20.09 13.24 29.62 15.97 2.56 11.97 22.65 47.10
Source: Go Rentals
Airlines and hotel groups have seen the potential benefits from partnering with ride-sharing companies. Frequent-f lyer programmes (FFPs) offering points or miles through partnerships include:
Airline FFP Qantas Frequent Flyer
Ride-sharing company
Uber Benefits and details
SIA Krisf lyer Delta Skymiles Jetblue Trueblue
Iberia Plus, BA Executive Plus, Vueling Club Aeromexico Club Premier
Grab Lyft Lyft
Cabify Cabify
• Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members earn 3 points per AUS$1 spent on airport rides booked through the Qantas app • Silver members earn 2 points per AUS$1 spent • Bronze members earn 1 point per AUS$1 spent (New Uber users get 2,000 Qantas Points on their first ride) • SIA customers can now book Grab rides through the Singapore Air mobile app • Grab Rewards members can convert their Grab Rewards points into Krisflyer miles By linking Skymiles and Lyft accounts, you can earn: • 2 miles per US$1 spent on airport rides • 1 mile per US$1 spent on all other rides By linking your Trueblue and Lyft accounts, you can earn 30 Trueblue points for every airport ride (*Up to US$20 in ride credit as a new Lyft user) Get 1 Avios per 1km in Spain and 1 Avios per 2km in Mexico, Portugal, Chile and Brazil (*750 Trueblue points or US$15 off when signing up and taking first ride) Earn 1.5 Premier Points for each kilometre travelled (*New users get 400 Avios for first ride)
Take note that airline FFPs and hotel groups change details of their partnerships and points with great
frequency, so always check the small print in case of amendments. Wherever you’re travelling to, check with your various reward schemes if they are running deals; you might
just get a free or discounted cab ride. One recent example was for IHG Rewards Club members, who received four Didi Premier coupons every month, with members getting discount coupons of 15 per cent to 25 per cent. Promotions of this type are oſten short-term, but not infrequent, so look out for them.
FU LL REVIEWS AND MUCH MORE ON BUS INE S STR AVEL L ER . COM bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
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