Uber-rivalling Taxify app launches in London

A new taxi-hailing app has launched in London hoping to tackle Uber’s dominance in the market.

After going live this morning in the English capital, the app’s key selling points are that it will cost less than market leaders, is better for taxi drivers and offers more security for passengers.

Taxify takes 15 per cent commission from each ride, which it claims is “up to half the commission taken by Uber and other ride-sharing platforms”. It says this allows it to offer cheaper journeys and more pay for drivers.

In a comment no doubt aimed at Uber, Taxify says it “believes in treating its drivers with respect” – its leading competitor has faced accusations of treating drivers poorly in the past.

Last November, Uber drivers staged a ‘go-slow’ protest in London, bringing traffic to a crawl to protest at low pay for working long hours with no benefits.

At launch, Taxify has 3,000 private hire drivers sign up, with each having to meet local licensing requirements.

In the past, Uber had been accused of not doing enough to vet drivers, and last month it emerged that a senior Metropolitan police officer had expressed concerns that the US-based app’s staff were not reporting sex crimes by its drivers to protect its reputation.

Uber responded by saying it was “surprised by this letter – as we don’t feel it reflects the good working relationship we have with the police and the extensive support we provide”.

Markus Villig, founder and CEO of Taxify, said: “We have based our business around a sense of fairness and transparency and it is testament to our business model that we have had thousands of London drivers sign up to Taxify in such a short space of time.”

Finn Geraghty, UK operations manager for the ride-hailing app, added: “Drivers can expect to earn 10 per cent more when driving with Taxify compared with competitors.”