Uber Competitors Among Startups: TOP 10

Uber is the first of its kind American transportation company, which growth was so rapid that it created major changes in the industry. Nowadays the number of Uber competitors grows exponentially, however, there are several that have already reached the top ranks of the world’s most successful startup listings.

Started in 2009 as a ride-sharing service, Uber has now developed a broader spectrum of services, including food delivery, freight transportation, pet shipping, options for people with disabilities, healthcare, and public transport. It also has different types of cars to fit the budget and needs of the clients. In some countries, Uber also provides other types of vehicles, such as scooters (for rent), boats, and even helicopters.

By 2040, Uber plans to become a fully electric platform, contributing to the reduction of CO2 emission.
No wonder, Uber’s success has created a base for other companies with similar services, some of them becoming its strong competitors.

Let’s briefly overview each of them and check if they really worth their salt and can be compared to the top last-mile mobility startup.

Lyft

One of the biggest Uber competitors in the USA is Lyft. They are quite similar, both being innovative transportation companies with drivers as independent contractors and user-friendly apps; although Lyft is much smaller and for now operates only in the USA and in Canada, compared to Uber`s coverage (63 countries). Also read about android driver scoring app list for truck drivers.

One of Lyft`s distinguishing features at the beginning were big pink fuzzy mustaches on the front of its cars. As odd as it may seem, it worked well for brand recognition. However, the company gave up this idea later.

Bolt

Bolt was founded in 2013 by a 19-year-old high school student. Previously known as Taxify, the company decided to change its name in 2019, because it was planning the extension of its services.

As for now, Bolt has added food delivery and scooter renting to its scope of services. The company’s main area of operation is in Europe.

Didi Chuxing

Didi Chuxing is a Chinese ride-hailing service, which was Uber’s biggest competitor in China. Due to Didi`s strong position in its domestic market, Uber was facing major losses in profit. After a while, Didi Chuxing acquired the Chinese branch of Uber. Aside from taxi, ride-sharing, and food delivery, the company also provides a chauffeur hiring service for customers’ own car; and some automotive services.

Ola Cabs

Ola Cabs (OLΛ) is on the list of Uber competitors in India. It was founded in 2010 and now operates in 100+ cities in India.

Recently OLΛ has extended to Australia, New Zealand and UK. Similar to Didi, OLΛ has an advantage over Uber in its homeland and holds 60% of the market.

Besides cars and bikes, the company also has auto-rickshaws in its fleet.

Gett

Gett (formerly GetTaxi) was founded in Israel and now is spread in Russia, UK, and the USA. The main difference with other mentioned services is that Gett doesn’t hire regular drivers. It centeres mainly on taxi drivers.

For that reason, taxi drivers favor Gett against Uber as it gives them an opportunity for additional income, while Uber disrupts the taxi business. One of the useful features of Gett is that you can book a ride up to 2 weeks in advance.

Cabify

Continuing the list of Uber competitors, Cabify is the biggest one in Latin America.

Originated from Spain, Cabify is growing rapidly in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. Similar to Uber, Cabify has different classes of vehicles for different needs, from Executive to Light.

The company was also the first private service, which offered transportation options for people with disabilities.

Curb

Curb is the top taxi app in the USA with the goal to close the gap between taxi business and ride-sharing using advanced technology. All of the drivers in this company are fully licensed, insured taxi drivers.

Curb has an option to book a ride on-demand or up to 24 hours prior for a fee. Customers can also choose a specific driver for their trip. Recently Curb has launched a new pricing system, which shows the price of the ride beforehand.

Aside from transportation services, the company offers fleet soft- and hardware systems.

The implementation of new technology and some features that Uber doesn’t have, make Curb one of the biggest Uber competitors in the USA.

Grab

Grab is a Singapore-based ride-hailing company and is now the main Uber competitor in Southeast Asia.

The company hires both private and taxi drivers. Customers can book a taxi for themselves or use a ride-sharing option, and also book a ride up to 7 days in advance. Find out more about best fleet management software.

In addition to transportation, Grab has food delivery services (usually by bikes and motorcycles).

Gojek

Gojek is an Indonesian company, which started as a motorbike taxi service. It still focuses on motorbikes (which is very convenient in the cities with dense population), but car taxis are also available.

Gojek now is a major technology company with a range of on-demand services, including transportation, logistics, food delivery, medical services, and payment solutions.

Via

Founded in 2012 in New York, Via currently operates in 20+ countries. From the start the company chose to focus on ride-sharing and sticks to it, rewarding drivers for doing shared rides. One more bonus part for the drivers, Via allows choosing between hourly rates or per ride payments.
Via`s cabs pick up and drop off passengers by the nearest to the destination corners, which is good for keeping customers privacy, cost-saving, and emission-reducing.

Via`s business model aims at being something between a taxi and public transport. That’s why the company declared that it no longer sees itself among Uber competitors, although the market could decide otherwise.

To sum up

All of these last-mile mobility companies have similar services and their own distinctive features, which bring them to the top and make them Uber competitors.

But why have they become so popular, displacing classic taxi services?

One of the reasons is digitalization. It is much more efficient to book a ride in an app then waste your time by talking to the operators.

GPS maps allow you to track the driver and your road, and in-app payment solutions are more convenient than cash.

The other reason is simple: these services are cheaper.

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If you need help developing your own last-mile or on-demand mobility service – or other transportation and logistics software – contact us! CoreTeka team has deep experience in these markets.