While the idea and practice of paying someone to pick you up and drop you off at your desired location has been around for as long as cars have, it is fair to say that Uber have taken over the industry over the past decade.
While they have since branched out to food deliveries as well, they’ll likely always be most famed for their taxi service.
Due to the success of Uber, many other pick up/drop off apps have been created and are enjoying their own success.
The bad PR that Uber often receives, in addition to the fact it has, in the past, faced bans in some jurisdictions, ultimately left the door open for other iterations to arise.
In this article, we are going to look at some of the best Uber alternatives out there and tell you a little bit about each one. Let’s get started.
Apps similar to Uber – The top three
Bolt
Bolt is the first app that we’d like to tell you about and that is because it has become the number one competitor to Uber in recent years.
While on the face of it, Bolt appears to offer an identical service to Uber, there are a few differences which are swaying people in the direction of the new kid on the block.
The main selling points of Bolt all revolve around the fact they want to be seen as humane and decent company to work for – unsurprising given that Uber has been tarnished with the opposite reputation.
Bolt drivers can earn double that of Uber drivers due to their commission costs, so if you’re looking to support a company that looks after its workers, then Bolt is a better bet than Uber.
Additionally, all of Bolt’s drives in Europe are 100% carbon neutral, meaning that users can be rest assured that by using their service they aren’t harming the environment.
Another plus point for Bolt is the fact that the app contains an SOS button which directly sends customers to the emergency services, ensuring passenger safety at all times.
In terms of the app itself, it is very straightforward to use. All you need to do is download the app, sign up to an account, grant the app access to your location and then enter in where you want to go.
From there, the app will search for local drivers who will then pick up the journey. If you are interested in becoming a Bolt driver, then you can also do this through the app – simply select the settings bar then click ‘become a driver’.
Ola
Ola is another top competitor to Uber that you may well have not heard of yet.
However, it’s a service that is becoming increasingly popular in London and other large cities across the United Kingdom such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Cardiff.
The app works much in the same way as Uber and Bolt, in the sense that all you have to do is tap in your desired pick up point and destination and the app will find you a local driver to complete the journey.
Once you’ve done this, the app will then bring up a list of available cars near you – these are typically comfort, comfort xl, exec and EV, depending on what’s around you.
While the first three cars in that list are fairly self explanatory, the EV model is something that has recently been added to Ola and is somewhat of a game changer.
Their EV vehicles are 100% electric, meaning they are the perfect solution for those of us who want to get in a taxi but not feel guilty about the harm it could be doing to the environment.
There has never been a better time to sign up to Ola as they are currently running a promotion where all new customers are gifted a 25% discount on their first ride booked through the app.
This discount can be applied to all of their vehicle types, giving you the perfect excuse to try their service out before committing to ditching Uber for them on a permanent basis.
Lyft
Lyft is the final Uber like app that we’d like to bring to your attention, and it’s one of the more well known ridesharing apps you can download.
Although the app only currently operates across the pond in the United States and Canada, there is a really good chance that it could be making its way over here in the coming years.
Lyft offers a number of services to its users, including ride shares, where customers can split their costs with others who are travelling in a similar direction, bike/scooter hires and car rentals.
The app will also let you know if there are other public transport options nearby that may well be more beneficial to you. In other words, they really do put customer needs at the forefront of everything.
The Lyft app isn’t as simple as the other apps we’ve mentioned in this piece, thanks in large to the fact they have quite a lot going on.
However, the booking system does work really nicely. In order to use this part of the app, you’ll need type in your current location and your desired location and hit enter.
Once you’ve done this, Lyft will bring up a list of transportation options to you and their cost. It is then up to you to select which one you want to select and confirm.
Despite the app being quite convoluted, there is one section in particular that we would like to bring to your attention, and that is the rewards section.
This is a really cool feature which allows customers to build up points for each journey they take via the app.
After collecting a certain number of points, users are then able to redeem them for rewards such as hotel stays or air miles.
Conclusion
To conclude, if you are uneasy about using Uber for whatever reason – whether it be safety concerns, environmental concerns, cost concerns or even having technical issues with Uber (like your number not being supported in the Uber app), there are alternatives out there which should alleviate your concerns.
The apps discussed above are all well worth a go, so get downloading and give them a go the next time you want to hail a ride via app.
