I tried Uber’s luxurious London competitor Wheely, and it made me think it's possible for money to buy happiness
- Luxurious Russian chauffeur app Wheely launched into London last year.
- CEO Anton Chirkunov said that the company is trying to attract drivers in the capital away from Uber.
- I tried Wheely on two occasions — once from my flat to Gatwick Airport (£75, or $97), and once to Heathrow (£70, or $90).
- It was more like having a personal driver than being in a taxi.
I've lived in London for more than five years, and getting around is officially becoming exhausting.
Over the last few years I've become relient on Uber for when I've been in a rush, carrying a lot of stuff, or just feeling too tired or lazy to get on public transit (which is almost always).
However, ever since Uber lost (and then regained) its license in London — and drivers started protests demanding better treatment and an upgrade in employment status — the app seems to have turned a bit chaotic. Lately, Uber rides rarely go off without a hitch, whether it's due to a long wait time, a badly-planned route, or even an unfriendly driver.
What's more, when the company won its license back in June, it was only for 15 months with a clear set of conditions – so the future of the app in the capital remains uncertain.
Luxurious Russian chauffeur app Wheely launched into London and Moscow in 2012, but pulled out of the UK capital when it failed to compete against then-giant minicab company Addison Lee.
The company re-launched in London last year with "plans to plough hundreds of thousands of pounds into attracting drivers away from Uber," according to the Financial Times.
When I heard the news, having long wished for an Uber competitor, I decided to give it a go.
Wheely may not replace Uber like-for-like — it's certainly more expensive than the standard UberX, and has less drivers in the capital.
However, after using the service twice — once in September from my flat in south east London to Gatwick airport, and a second time in December from home to Heathrow — I had a glimpse at how money can, in fact, buy happiness.
Here's what riding with Wheely is like:
Wheely was founded by Swiss/Russian 29-year-old entrepreneur Anton Chirkunov in 2012. The premium ride hailing app is now available in London, Moscow, and other major Russian cities — and it plans to launch in Paris this year.
The FT reported last year that since Wheely's launch, Chirkunov has spent $13 million on the company, adding that the CEO is trying to raise $20 million in investment to expand in London and attract drivers away from Uber.
In April, Wheely paid £150,000 to renew its London license until 2023, while Uber's licencse renewal in June only guaranteed it 15 months.
I decided to try it out. I used the service twice — once in September from my flat in south east London to Gatwick airport, and a second time in December from home to Heathrow. Here's what the booking screen looks like — at the time of writing this, a journey from the Business Insider office to Heathrow would cost a flat rate of £80, and a car would be available within 5 minutes.
When I checked the same trip on Uber, a car was also just 5 minutes away, and the trip was estimated to cost between £42-56 for an UberX — or £78-103 for an Exec "high-end" car, which would likely have been similar to Wheely's offering.
As of April 2018, Wheely only had 150 drivers in London while Uber had 50,000, according to the FT.
Wheely's drivers, however, are all professional chauffeurs.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Contributer : Tech Insider https://read.bi/2DlRma2
Reviewed by mimisabreena
on
Sunday, January 20, 2019
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