Uber Faces Threats From Competitors Like Taxify and Via

This article details information about how Taxify and Via Transportation pose a threat to Uber as showcased at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin.

Uber has had its fair share of problems over the last few years. Most people remember the self-driving car that killed a pedestrian. But Uber also had its own hacking scandal with victims numbering in the millions.

And, in certain markets, Uber may not be viable from a numbers standpoint. In other areas, local legislation may restrict or forbid companies like Uber from functioning.

With that in mind, other entrepreneurs set out to create alternatives such as Taxify.

A Long Road With Large Dividends Paying out

Markus Villig initially started Taxify a number of years ago to little traction. Only in the past year has Villig seen impressive growth now serving millions of customers with hundreds of thousands of drivers.

It all started in 2013 when Villig founded the company, but services didn’t launch until 2017. Unfortunately, after acquiring its license to operate, Transport for London forced the company to end services until Taxify got a different license.

However, receiving an eight-figure USD bump from Didi Chuxing helped Taxify amplify its services to become the #2 travel app in South Africa, as well as #1 in both Nigeria and Kenya in 2017.

As of May 2018, they reached 10 million users and plan to expand into the dockless electric scooters market in Paris under the brand name “Bolt.”

The app functions much like Uber: you request a ride, drive to a location, then pay and rate your driver. Drivers may use their own cars or use one of the Taxify fleet cars.

Villig attributes the company’s rapid growth and success to “localization and being frugal” as in this blog post on Medium.

But Taxify isn’t the only app out there challenging Uber’s hold on car-hailing apps.

A Different Approach to Ride-Sharing With Via

Via has been around for a while now with the CBS video above being from 2015.

It differs from other car-hailing apps such as Uber and Taxify in the way that it structures its rides, as well as how it engages with and supports its drivers.

One central difference is that riders share rides with Via to make transportation more eco-friendly. The app also has associates on standby to help drivers or riders with anything during their rides.

The app generates specific directions to maintain time and fuel-efficient travel paths.

Riders are also asked to meet drivers at the corners of major intersections to further enhance efficiency. Wait times for rides are promised to be around five minutes and you can pay with a variety of commuter benefit services.

Via also has a corporate package to partner with businesses, as well.

Both Taxify and Via will be speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin happening in November.