Top 5 taxi services in London: Pros & Cons

A few years back, who would have thought that getting a taxi could be this easy? Just think about it….. you don’t have to walk towards the stand, the taxi itself comes to you. Pretty convenient, right?

It’s a no-brainer that Uber has made our lives easier. But what about the other taxi services in town? Are there any better alternatives to Uber in London? If you’re wondering the same, your search ends here.

For starters, these mini taxi/cab apps will definitely help you find a ride in no time. So, let’s have a look, shall we?

We present to you, the 5 best taxi/cab apps in London for the sake of more convenience and less wait time:

Hailo

Hailing a cab was never this easy, was it? With its excellent features of displaying the Hailo cabs surrounding your location, it will take you only two taps to book your ride. This app has great growth potential as it has a lot to offer than just hailing. 

Pros 

•  A wide variety of payment options to choose from.

• register your card once, and go cashless every time. 

• Pay the exact amount you see in the meter box 

• If you are a Halo driver, you will have your own app with an easy-to-navigate interface. 

• Fun features like that of Chat or Event to alert the drivers of traffic. 

 Cons 

• Surge pricing at peak hours. 

Uber

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know what Uber is! It uses the concept of geolocation to take you to your destination. Also, the price is comparatively lower than the competition. 

The best thing about Uber is it drops you at your exact desired location with an estimated time of arrival displayed on the app. 

If you are tight on budget, Uber got you covered with its pool services. Pooling can be really light on your pocket with the same amount of comfort and convenience. 

Pros 

• Extremely convenient app, as it’s easy to operate. 

• Saves you a lot of your time. 

• Cost friendly 

• Unique features like ride-sharing that help you save money. 

Cons 

• Sometimes Uber drivers might demand more money to go to the destination. 

• Surge pricing sometimes could be as high as 3x.

Radio Taxi

If you are looking for a clean and prompt taxi service, this is the one for you. It has a splendid reputation when it comes to being on time clean, and possessing a well-mannered term of their service. 

Furthermore, the radio taxi app is fairly intuitive and user-friendly and ensures that it brings a smile to your face every time you swipe for a taxi. 

Pros 

• Hygiene is their top priority. 

• well-mannered and experienced cab drivers. 

• satisfying cab ride, every time. 

Cons 

• Longer waiting period during the night time. 

• In peak hours, sometimes they run out of cabs. 

Gett

This is by far the best app that focuses entirely on black taxis. The Founders thought that you might not be carrying a smartphone all the time. So, Gett started to accept bookings from normal phones.

They also have this amazing feature to make advanced bookings which is sure to save you a ton of time. If you’re looking for a cab at the last minute, look no further, Gett is the one. 

Though they face strict competition from Uber, Gett never backed off from coming up with innovative in-app designs and features for users’ ultra convenience. Their cab service, like Uber, is cashless too. 

Furthermore, it is available throughout the day. Needless to say, the response time is pretty quick. you need not wait for more than three minutes even in rush areas like central London. 

Besides that, the major feature that this app has to offer is the details of the trip. Just like Uber, it includes the driver’s name, photo, and license number of your designated cab. 

Pros 

• Advance booking feature has got your back during rush hours. 

• Simple to use as a cab can reach you whenever you want. 

Cons 

• Much like Uber, surge pricing is too much during peak hours.

Addison Lee 

This minicab service has rightfully earned the fame of London’s favourite tab app. It is mainly because of the advertising strategies that have been undertaken by Addison Lee to cope with the surge pricing strategy of Uber. 

The main competitive edge that Addison Lee has to offer is that you can easily book a cab from their app whenever you want even if it’s in advance. 

Before swiping on to the final step, you will be shown the driver's details, expected fare, and the GPS order route to your destination as well. You can easily compare it with other cab services and accordingly book what suits best for you. 

Pros 

• You get to choose your car according to your requirements. 

• They also have loyalty clubs that give you coupons and offers that are ready to avail. 

• You can book your trip in advance and cancel it without any additional fee. 

Cons 

• Since they are London’s favourite cab service, they often run out of cabs which is very much understandable. 

Final Words 

Well, there are a lot of cab start-ups that have been coming up lately. Also, there are quite a few cab services that have closed down because of the strict competition in this sector.

However, with the help of these five app services that we have discussed above, you can clearly understand what each cab has to offer and what gives them a competitive edge over the others. 

Even though Uber had the first movers advantage, it is still facing strict competition from a lot of companies that have been established in recent times. So, with so much of options available in front of you, finding a ride next time won’t be such a hassle for sure!