Top Car-Hailing Apps To Use Around the World
Not everybody has the luxury of driving around in their own cars, especially when they are traveling abroad. More often than not, people have to resort to public transport services to get to from point A to point B. However, most of us have probably had bitter experiences with public transport before. If you are not a local, you may struggle to make the best use of public transport. Not to mention, you have to cover a fair bit of distance on foot if public transport is your only option.
Given the fact that the number of commuters and travelers in the streets around the world is growing with each new day, it makes sense for people to use alternative transport services to move around more conveniently in foreign destinations. The need for a prompt and dependable transport service has given rise to the success of Uber. There is no denying the fact that Uber is the new global phenomenon and it is well on its way to dethroning the good old taxi cabs that we have grown used to.
However, in order to use car-hailing apps without any interruptions even when you are on a trip to a foreign country, you need to make certain that you’ll be provided with the best coverage wherever you go. With a Data SIM Card or WiFi Hotspot from Keepgo, you’ll be able to book a ride no matter where you go.
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The reason why Uber and similar services have become so incredibly popular is that they are integrated with mobile phone apps. The growing and rapidly expanding car-hailing market gives people the option of traveling in a more flexible manner. As long as you have a cell phone with internet connection, you will have no problem in securing your ride for the day. Moreover, you no longer have to go through puzzling city maps to figure out the correct bus or subway line.
The following are some of the top cab-hailing apps that have been very well received by international travelers:
1. Uber (iOS/Android)
It comes as no surprise that we begin our list with Uber. In simple words, Uber is the standard bearer in the cab-hailing app industry. The most popular transport app in the world has established its presence in 107 countries and is looking forward to further expanding its booming business. In the United States, a land that is no stranger to cab-hailing apps, 21.3% of the Android devices have Uber installed in them.
Uber’s primary selling point is the fact that it lets its clients travel around in someone’s private car at the click of a button. This exempts people from having to go out in the street and calling a cab. The Uber app also makes it easy for users to know exactly what they will be paying for the trip even before they get in the car. Furthermore, you could use your phone to track the GPS route that the driver is taking to make sure that you are getting to your destination as quickly as possible.
Besides the features mentioned above, Uber offers something beyond an ordinary commuting experience. You get to engage in conversation with your Uber drive who may share the same interests and lifestyle as you. Since all Uber drivers and clients are rated on the app, you have the liberty of travelling with someone that you could be comfortable with.
2. Easy Taxi (iOS/Android)
Easy Taxi is available in 420 cities across 30 countries in the world. It is one of the better alternatives to Uber out there in the market. As of now, Easy Taxi claims to have a taxi fleet of 400,000 drivers and a user base of 17 million clients.
Notable features that make Easy Taxi stand out include the destination fare calculator and the estimated arrival time of the driver which are remarkably precise on most occasions. One of the best things about this service is the fact that you can sync the Easy Taxi app with other Facebook applications to redeem coupons and vouchers that you could use to lower the fare of your rides.
The taxi drivers working for Easy Taxi are screened and tested. Hence, there is no reason for you to worry about your safety being compromised. Furthermore, Easy Taxi has won a number of awards for being one of the safest and most reliable taxi-hailing services in the world. It is not as great as Uber, but it is something that you could use as a plan B if you are in a part of the world where the Uber service is not particularly great.
3. GrabTaxi (iOS/Android)
GrabTaxi is dominating the cab-hailing app market in Southeast Asia. According to recent statistics, this app has been downloaded more than 3.8 million times. It is known to offer great comfort and safety to its users, which is probably the reason why people in this part of Asia have received this app so well. The app is very highly rated in Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong, three locations which could easily make a claim for being the commercial capital of Southeast Asia.
GrabTaxi currently has 75,000 drivers registered on its network and is offering its services in 21 different cities. It was named the Frost & Sullivan Best Travel App of 2013. Since then, GrabTaxi has progressed in leaps and bounds. Its reviewers genuinely believe that there is no better taxi-hailing app in Southeast Asia.
The pre-screening of drivers, the ability to track your ride using your phone’s GPS and availability on Android, iOS and Blackberry devices makes GrabTaxi extremely versatile and highly convenient for the Asian market where safety and mobile phone compatibility is a major issue.
4. Lyft (iOS/Android)
The list would not have been complete without a proper mention of Lyft. It is probably the biggest competitor that Uber has in the United States with coverage in 60 cities across the country. Since safety is of the utmost priority for the users of transport apps, Lyft makes sure that all its drivers posses a valid license and have gone through DMV, background and criminal checks.
Lyft and Uber have incredibly similar interfaces. Both of them allow the users to track their trip and dig up details on the driver that they will be riding with. Lyft has performed amazingly well in recent times, and according to a study published by the Zebra magazine, Lyft has an average waiting time of 6 seconds which is surprisingly better than that of Uber.
Lyft is currently offering four different services. You could use the regular Lyft, the Lyft Plus, the Lyft Line or the Lyft Premier. Lyft Plus accommodates six or more passengers, Lyft Line allows you to tag along with other passengers while Lyft Premier is a high-end service where you get to travel in a luxury sedan that seats a maximum of 4 passengers.
Despite the fact that there are plenty of alternatives to Uber, it is still dominating the global market for cab-hailing apps. It is the top service in more than 108 countries. GrabTaxi is a distant second with 6 countries to its name. Coming in at third is Easy Taxi that is currently the number one cab-hailing service in five countries.
These cab-hailing apps can only be of benefit to you if you are connected to the internet. When you are offline, you have no other option but to hail a cab in the traditional way. This could be a major problem for you, especially if you are away from home in a foreign destination that you are not familiar with.
To make sure that you don’t face any difficulty while commuting, you could use Keepgo’s travel friendly mobile WiFi hotspot that will keep you and your friends in touch with these cab-hailing apps wherever you go.
5. Curb (iOS/Android)
Curb is one of the most popular taxi apps in the USA that connects you to over 50,000 taxis in 65 cities, including New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Miami, Washington D.C., etc. The application provides you with 3 ride options:
- Ride Now - to request a taxi for immediate pickup;
- Ride Later - to reserve a taxi for a pickup in up to 24 hours;
- Pair & Pay - to гse the Curb app to pay for rides you hail with your hand (the functionality is supported New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, and Las Vegas).
6. Gett (iOS/Android)
Gett is a global ridesharing app available in 100+ across Europe, including London, Moscow, and Tel Aviv. Gett os the Israel-based app that has a pales in comparison to Uber and Lyft. Compared to the latter two solutions, Gett offers more reasonable pricing and pays its drivers more competitive hourly wages rather than a percentage of every fare.
7. Junoride (iOS/Android)
Juno app was founded by Talmon Marco, a serial entrepreneur who presented Viber photo and video messaging app to the worldwide community of users. The company takes a 10% commission out of fares. Uber, in comparison, takes around 30%. Juno rides come in three flavors - quick, stylish, and SUV for larger groups of travelers. Juno app estimates each tier’s fare, provides an ETA, and hails nearby cars.
8. Wingz (iOS/Android)
Wingz is a San Francisco-based project that started out providing transportation services to and from airports. Now, they also offer around-town rides in 16 metro areas and 22 airports. Using the application you can schedule airport rides up to two months in advance. There is one peculiar thing about the Wingz app - riders can pick and choose their favorite rides and the company guarantees that the cost of the service will remain less expensive than a taxi or limo.
9. Via (iOS/Android)
Via app is a great choice for those who don’t mind hitching a ride with a few other travelers. In order to start using the app, you simply need to tell the service where you’d like to go and you’ll get dropped off at a nearby location along the way. The static routes that are shown in the app mean that you'll often have to walk a block or to reach the nearby pick-up location. The application automatically finds cars with the necessary seating. The service is available in Chicago, New York, and Washington.
10. Arro (iOS/Android)
Arro has a database of over 20,000 taxis available in a number of cities, including New York City, Boston, Miami, and Houston. All fares are based on taxi meters. The service is also expected to be more reliable than its competitors - all pickup requests are sent to drivers via dedicated data terminals rather than driver’s smartphones or tablets.
