Karhoo: new ‘game-changer’ taxi price comparison app takes on Uber

New app touted as rival to Uber, we see how it compares.

Karhoo is a new ‘game-changer’ app that helps you compare taxi prices and book your ride for a fixed price.

Unlike rival taxi-haling apps like Hailo and Kabbee, Karhoo lets you compare various options including licensed black cabs, local minicabs and executive cars at a glance in one place.

Many are hailing the app, which has now launched in London, as the service that will rival Uber.

The firm has created an open platform which allows any company - apart from Uber -  to connect their fleet of drivers to the app.

Big names including Addison Lee and ComCab (which represents 8,000 London black cab drivers) as well as smaller local firms like Camden-based Mornington Cars have signed up to the service.

So far Karhoo says it has 80,000 drivers in the UK, with 30,000 set up in London, but it expects these numbers to multiply by the end of the year, as operators flock to sign up to the app that is ‘changing the landscape of the on-demand transport industry’.

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How it works

The Karhoo app (available free from the Apple App Store or Google Play)  allows you to compare cabs available in your area and order by price, proximity and vehicle style.

You can then book a ride, which can be within minutes or days, weeks or months in advance, with both local and national operators that only employ only professional, licensed drivers.

Users are quoted a fixed price for their journey, which isn’t subject to change no matter the time of day or when demand is high.

You can also make multiple bookings and pay via your card details stored on the app.

How it compares

Karhoo is the first app on the market that allows you to search black cabs, mini cabs and executive cars all in place.

Hailo allows people to hail a cab through their smartphone. Set up by three London cabbies it was initially just for black cabs, but is now open to private hire vehicles. A minimum fare of £10 applies on weekends but not during the week. It is currently set up in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Ireland.

Gett also known as Get Taxi works in a similar way to Hailo but only allows users to get a black cab. You can pay via the app and there is no minimum fare or extra charges on weekdays or weekends.

Kabbee allows users to compare the cost of more than 70 London minicab companies and can show the nearest to you. It also has the option to add a via point to pick up/drop off a friend and choose between vehicle classes.

Karhoo claims that by working directly with established cab operators and their fleets, it can expand more quickly than the driver-by-driver model used by other app-based services.

Karhoo vs Uber

Direct competition aside, Karhoo is being touted as the app that will curb the rise of Uber.

Uber is an app that allows people to get a ride with drivers located nearby and is seen by many as the cheap alternative to traditional taxi services like black cabs or private car firms.

You can pick the type of car you want (UberX is the cheapest option) and choose to split the fare. Once you’ve booked a journey you’ll get the driver’s name and contact details and an estimate of the cost. Prices are also liable to surge at busy periods. In contrast Karhoo is able to provide a fixed cost for your journey and allows you to book ahead.

When I checked the cost of a journey from Old Street to Paddington Station at 10.30 am today the cheapest option with Karhoo was £12.20 from a local cab firm while the cheapest Uber available was available for between £12-17.

Uber operates in a number of UK towns and cities including Leeds, Belfast, Leicester, Birmingham, London, Bristol, Manchester, Cardiff, Merseyside, Dublin and Glasgow. Meanwhile Karhoo is only available to compare prices in London at the moment, though it plans to expand quite rapidly.

Another difference that may make a difference to a lot of people is that Karhoo uses fleets of professional drivers, but anyone can be an Uber driver (Read: Become an Uber driver: all you need to know about pay, tax and your driving licence).

Verdict

Karhoo says it is working as a vendor neutral operator to empower established licensed operators who are experts in their local area.

So if you don’t like the way Uber works, Karhoo offers an easy way to find an alternative ride, that could be just as cheap.

But the savvy will have both apps to see which can offer them a better deal.

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