taxi apps london

The best taxi apps in London

London is one of the cities in the world that has more tourists every year around. Between its long history combined with a modern lifestyle, London is always a preferred destination for many people around the world. So, you need to consider the best taxi apps in London.

As you get to London, it is important that you can move from one location to the other safely. While you can use public transportation, sometimes you want to take a faster journey or you simply want a more comfortable journey. This means you need to ensure that you know the best taxi apps in London.

Discover the best taxi apps in London

To name 7 of the most important taxi apps in London: Uber, Bolt, Addison Lee, Viavan, Ola, Wheely, Blacklane, Free Now, Gett, Taxiapp. you should download some of the most popular taxi apps in London. It is the most convenient way of getting a taxi by simply few taps of your phone.

Taxi apps with private hire cars

#1: Uber:

When thinking about taxi apps in London, you just can’t go over Uber. Despite the many legal disputes the company has been involved in in London, Uber still is one of the most popular ways to book a taxi in this beautiful city.

As soon as you select your location and destination, Uber will deliver a fare estimate. On top of that, you will be able to choose the type of ride that you want as well as can see how long it will be till an Uber driver is available. For paying, you don’t need to have cash with you. You can simply pay using a credit or debit card or a PayPal account as long as it is linked to your account.

Uber is available on both iOS and Android.

#2: Bolt:

Formerly known as Taxify and Hopp, Bolt is an Estonian company that has been offering both lower fares to passengers and higher income for drivers.

With the Bolt app, you can easily pick your destination, request a ride, meet your driver and get to your destination on time and in a secure way. One of the things that make Bolt a different company is that the company includes an in-app “panic button” for both drivers and passengers. It’s worth noting that this service will immediately contact the Metropolitan Police directly. In addition, if you’re someone who cares for the environment, you will be glad to know that all Bolt rides in Europe are 100% carbon-neutral.

The Bolt app is available on both iOS and Android.

#3: Addison Lee:

When you are looking for a premium car hiring service, then you need to consider Addison Lee. With a wide range of vehicles to choose from and fully vetted drivers, you can be sure that you’ll have a very pleasant ride with Addison Lee. Overall speaking, you can use this app for trips to the airport, reserve for longer hauls, or even book it for special occasions around London.

With more than 40 years of history, Addison Lee has the largest executive suite in Europe. Between their vetter, insured, and trained drivers to the hygiene and safety, you will be able to choose from a high-end executive vehicle to a premium one.

The Addison Lee app is available on both iOS and Android.

#4: Viavan:

Formerly known as Viavan, Via is also one of the most popular taxi apps in London, Simply put, you can see this company as an expanded Uber Pool or a personal bus service that includes Mercedes-Benz.

Just like most other taxi apps in London, it is incredibly easy to book a ride. You can be picked up at a nearby corner and select your destination. As a safety measure, you may also share with others that you’re going your way and still get a low fare.

The Via app is available on both iOS and Android.

#8: Ola

Ola launched in the UK in 2018 across Wales and the South West as the UK’s first ride-hailing app for both Private Hire Vehicles and metered taxis – from Ola website.

After a number of month when they had the operating license suspended, Ola said: “We welcome the licence decision, which reflects our continuous commitment and proactive approach to providing safe and reliable services in London and the steps we have taken in the last 14 months.

Ola now operate in London and their app is available on both iOS and Android.

Taxi apps in London with high end cars

#5: Wheely:

While no so popular as other taxi apps in London on this list, Wheely still delivers a good and secure taxi service when you are in London. After all, it intends to be a more luxurious service.

Wheely is based in London and its main difference is that it doesn’t work with cabs or taxis. Instead, it offers a chauffeur car service. While this may not make a huge difference for some, it may be something that others will look forward to. For example, when you are traveling on business, you want to add a good impression and Wheely can certainly help you do that. After all, you will always be arriving in a new Mercedes-Benz.

The Wheely app is available on both App Store and Google Play.

#6: Blacklane:

With Blacklane, it couldn’t be any easier to go from one place to another in London as well as if you need to travel between cities.

Booking a ride is incredibly simple with the Backlane app as you can also use their airport transfers service.

All vehicles are driven by insured and licensed drivers and you can expect a safe travel no matter where you are headed to.

One of the differences between Backlane and other taxi apps in London is that you can easily hire its different services. You may only need an airport transfer, a long-distance ride, book a taxi by the hour, book a ride to the destination and then return, and even special deliveries.

The Blacklane is available on both iOS and Android.

Black cab taxi apps in London

#7: Free Now:

If you are used to traveling around Europe and you usually use taxi apps, then you probably already know Free Now. After all, this is one of the most popular taxi apps in Europe that has around 100,000 registered taxi drivers in more than 100 cities.

When you are looking for the black cab experience, you need to book a taxi using the Free Now app. Formerly known as Hailo, and then Mytaxi, Free Now is making a huge difference. Not only their waiting times are incredibly low as they want all their vehicles to be zero-emission capable by 2025, in the UK including all taxis by 2024.

As soon as you select where you are and your destination, you will be able to choose the vehicle that you want. You may choose a traditional Black Cab that can easily move through traffic in the bus lane or an EV Black Cab.

The Free Now app is available on both iOS and Android.

#9: Gett

When you are looking for the black cab experience, you need to book a taxi using the Gett taxi app.

Gett had a project of same day couriers, where the courier deliver your parcel on demand in the same day. You can see in the app the courier in real time.

The Gett app is available on both iOS and Android.

#10: Taxiapp UK

Created to give passengers and cabbies a better deal, Taxiapp is the only app run by drivers for drivers. No surges or random extras.

TaxiApp is founded by the licensed taxi drivers themselves. It is a non-profit organization and the main purpose is to prevent the classic black cabs from running out of business. TaxiApp is mainly funded by the memberships and it does not impose any extra fee for both passengers and the drivers.

If you think you’ll travel more, you can see the article about taxi apps in Madrid here or about taxi apps in Barcelona here.