The taxi is still a very comfortable and simple way to be chauffeured from A to B. In the meantime, however, driving services such as Moia, Free Now or Minicar have joined the ranks, competing with the classic taxi company and which can also be ordered very easily via an app. In the following article, we reveal what the difference is between a taxi and a driving service, what you should look out for and where you might even be able to save money.
What is a driving service?
In addition to the classic taxi companies, you can find more and more driving services that you can reserve to get from A to B. In addition to the familiar taxi principle, where you are picked up and taken to a specific address, these driving services, such as Taxi Karlsruhe, often also offer ridesharing or environmentally conscious driving with hybrids and e-cars.
What should I bear in mind when using a driving service?
While taxis can officially wait for customers at the side of the road, driving services are, strictly speaking, only allowed to accept their orders at the company’s headquarters. In principle, they have to return to the starting point after each journey before the next customer can come on board. So you can’t just stop a driving service like that, you have to order it in advance, but this is usually quite easy to do via app or phone.
wolverhampton taxi license
Advantages and disadvantages of taxis and driving services
Taxis or driving services have a number of advantages:
possible at any time
usually very fast
easy to order, often via app
quite short waiting times
direct rides from door to door
no need to search for a parking space
There is room for several people
Waiting times at the request of the customer, e.g. to stop at the pharmacy or ATM, possible
cashless payment
However, there may also be surcharges if
the taxi driver has to wait too long
at night, on Sundays or public holidays, or if the journey is longer.
the journey is longer.
Different driving services
There are usually ridehailing and ridesharing services. Ridehailing services are those that use a platform, such as an app, to match different customers with different local drivers to make journeys from A to B. Ridesharing services are those that use a platform, such as an app, to match different customers with different local drivers.
Ridesharing refers to driving services that are more like organised carpooling. It has been known for quite some time through the former ridesharing service. In this case, you book a seat in a car with several people who have the same or similar destination, usually via an app. This type of service is particularly environmentally friendly, as the use of a full car has less of an impact on the environment than individual journeys.
Are ride services cheaper than taxis?
It is impossible to say exactly. In any case, taxi companies are bound by various taxi tariffs and also the respective taxi regulations. This means that their prices are set by the respective cities, municipalities and districts and the companies have to abide by them. Taxi companies themselves or even the taxi drivers cannot influence the prices in this case.
Driving services, on the other hand, do not have to adhere to these tariffs or the taxi regulations, which means they are free to set their own prices. Normally, however, these driving services rely on cost-efficient structures and a high degree of digitalisation, which makes relatively inexpensive journeys possible.
Opportunity for rural areas
In medium-sized to large cities, there may well be competition between the classic taxi and other ride services. In rural areas, however, ride services can represent a real opportunity. In these areas, public transport often does not meet the needs of the people who live there, and taxis are just as rare. That is why the federal government wants to strengthen these kinds of transport services, especially in rural areas, so that local people can be more mobile even without their own car.
Conclusion
Whether it’s a ride-sharing service or a taxi, both types are a totally convenient, fast and reliable way to get from A to B. And even though ride services, carpooling and other options are becoming more and more popular, the classic taxi is also still very much in demand.
