SMART TR AVE LLE R
Taxi or Uber?
charges are on the high side, or finding a cab when you need one is difficult, ride-sharing companies like Uber have gained a foothold. In Australia Uber is officially permitted by the government, with
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major city airports even offering dedicated Uber pick-up zones. Hong Kong allows Uber to operate if its drivers have a proper permit, but worries about suitable third-party insurance coverage remain a big issue. Not all countries are as welcoming, however. In India, New
Delhi has banned Uber, and the app-based service is facing serious roadblocks in other major cities. The company’s extensive battles with the Taiwanese government and taxi drivers resulted in its withdrawal from that marketplace, and over on mainland China, Uber sold out to national ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing aſter struggling to compete in the PRC.
R IDE WITH BENEF ITS Of course 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 – available in Singapore, Malaysia,
Didi – available in • China
AP RIL 2 0 18 Ola – available in India
Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, • Myanmar and Cambodia
Careem – available in Dubai
t’s been less than a decade since Uber was launched (2009), and just five years since it expanded to Asia (in Taipei, ironically, given Uber has currently suspended operations in the Republic of China). While in many cities there is fast, convenient public transport
to transfer you from the airport and whisk you around town, oſten a taxi is still the preferable (or only) option. But where taxi
The pros and cons of regulated cab services versus ride-sharing newcomers
There are ethical and safety concerns about looser regulations
related to ride-share apps that have been flagged by readers on
businesstraveller.com/forum. But if money is your main concern, the following table shows relative costs:
City
Auckland Bangalore Bangkok Hanoi Hong Kong Jakarta Kuala Lumpur Melbourne Mumbai Singapore Sydney Tokyo
Distance from airport to downtown (km)
27 36 35 28 39 37 70 24 10 23 17 21
Taxi cost (US$)
61.99 8.04 9.69 10.62 34.60 10.51 13.83 43.55 2.80 17.81 42.03 61.93
Uber cost (US$)
33.38 6.58 7.76 9.17 26.70 8.66 12.72 27.40 3.40 15.91 30.10 62.61
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’s Frequent Flyer
Ride-sharing company
Uber Benefits and details
SIA’s Krisf lyer Delta’s Skymiles Jetblue’s Trueblue
Iberia Plus, BA Executive Plus, Vueling Club Aeromexico’s Club Premier
Grab Lyft Lyft
Cabify Cabify
• Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members earn 3 points per A$1 spent on airport rides booked through the Qantas app • Silver members earn 2 points per A$1 spent • Bronze members earn 1 point per A$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)
Over on the hotel side, Uber users travelling to Singapore can book the “Stay & Ride with Uber” package at
one of Millennium Hotel and Resorts’ six properties, allowing one complimentary Uber ride daily, as well as other benefits including free room upgrades and 20 per cent discount on F&B. And if you’re an IHG Rewards Club member, you’ll receive four Didi Premier coupons every month, with
Club and Gold Elite members getting 15 per cent, Platinum Elite 20 per cent and Spire Elite level 25 per cent discount coupons (promotion runs until end of the month).
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
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