The rise of ride-sharing apps has changed the way we travel. This is especially true for nomadic travelers who prefer to explore new places without having to worry about finding a place to stay. For these digital nomads, traditional taxi services are no longer needed. They either do not exist or in the other case, they are simply not reliable enough.
As people shift towards a more nomadic lifestyle, mobile applications such as Uber and Didi have taken a ride to the moon. So exactly which of these services is the best? And how do the prices differ? Are all the rates the same and how can you find the best offer? Fret not, because I’ll walk you through the gist of it all, in this guide.
| Service Name | Places Available |
| Uber | 107+ Countries |
| DiDi | 28 Countries |
| Easy Taxi | 30 Countries |
| GrabTaxi | 21 Countries |
| Lyft | United States |
| Curb | United States |
| Gett | 100+ Countries (European market) |
| Junoride | United States |
| Wingz | San Francisco |
| Via | New York, Washington, and Chicago |
| Arro | United States |
1. Uber
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, chances are that you’ve heard of Uber. What started as a small car-hailing company has now grown into a multi-million-dollar tycoon enterprise. In short, this is the most popular and trustworthy application on the market.
Being a digital nomad, you just cannot go wrong with Uber. The company operates in more than 107 countries with the number growing.
The general trend for all car-hailing apps is similar; You enter the destination location and choose the riding options. In the case of Uber, the premium ride is known as Uber X. After confirming, you’ll simply wait for a rider to confirm your request and then drop you off.
A key point to remember in the case of Uber is that your total bill will be determined after you reach the destination. The reason I am mentioning this is that in many other services, you’ll have the option to set rates before the ride starts.
What makes Uber so appealing is the fact that you don’t have to sit in a yellow car with a professional taxi driver. Instead, it could be any person who is working with Uber on his car. And not to mention, you can have quality time conversing with people.
Additionally, the way the service works is that after you reach the destination, the driver and rider both can rate each other on the app. This competitive system makes it more appealing to have a higher priority on interaction for both parties.
I’ll also like to mention here that the company keeps track of your ride at all times. Therefore, you’re extremely safe in an Uber.
2. DiDi
Another popular car-hailing service is DiDi. Unlike Uber, the company does not operate as widely and is currently only available in 28 countries including Australia, Japan, and several Latin American countries.
The best part about the service is the rates. To give you an estimate, I’ve compared the rates in several countries with Uber and they are as much as 50% cheaper. This makes it a brilliant option for me.
Plus, the safety features are quite good as well. You can use the DiDi app to contact the police and other emergency services in case of any issues. Additionally, the company requires the driver to pass through a face verification so that you do not end up sitting with someone who did not register with the company.
Moreover, DiDi also allows female drivers to decide the gender of their passengers. Therefore if you’re a female digital nomad, you’d be much more comfortable opting for this service.
Lastly, your pick-and-drop locations become hidden after the ride is completed so that your privacy is not compromised.
3. Easy Taxi
Easy Taxi is another popular service that is available in over 30 countries. I consider this service better than Uber due to its highly calibrated systems for estimating fare rates and driver arrival times.
As far as your safety is concerned, all the drivers are tested and screened, making it quite trustable.
The rates are also cheaper and the app routinely gives you coupons and vouchers. You can also connect the app with Facebook applications to get more bonuses.
Although Uber is quite good, Easy Taxi can easily rival it. The only downside is its popularity since the company does not operate in as many countries as Uber.
It is also worthwhile noting here that Easy Taxi has won several rewards for being the safest traveling service in town.
4. GrabTaxi
My nomad life isn’t just restricted to living in the West and every time I end up going to Southeast Asia, a must-have app on my list is GrabTaxi.
The service is extremely good with a good software user interface and extremely good safety. If you’re residing in Singapore, Hong Kong, or any nearby areas, then make sure you have GrabTaxi.
Currently, the service boasts more than 70,000 drivers and operates in 21 different countries. The application has also received a handful of awards in its life including the Frost & Sullivan Best Travel App back in 2013.
The reviews on both App Store and PlayStore are quite good and it is safe to say that the company has a large fan following in the Asian market.
5. Lyft
Ah, good ol’ Lyft. Look, if you’re in the states, then you can possibly not miss Lyft. This company is the arch-rival of Uber in the United States and covers more than 60 cities in the country.
The company has strict policies in terms of safety. To give you an example, the company requires all of its drivers to have no criminal records, an unexpired driver’s license, etc.
What I like about Lyft, however, is the waiting time. The company has extremely competitive waiting times and completely dominates Uber in terms of fare costs.
The company also has a service similar to Uber Pool where you can share a ride with other clients.
As of now, Lyft operates in 108 countries and is slowly growing larger.
6. Curb
The United States is a global hotspot for online taxi services and Curb can second that. The company has more than 50,000 drivers in the country that span 65 different cities.
In terms of service, Curb is quite good but does not come close to Uber or Lyft.
A key feature of the service, however, is the option to preplan booking for up to a day. You can essentially reserve the taxi this way. This is quite appealing to me personally as I prefer to use it in cases when I have sharp schedules to reach.
7. Gett
Gett is another popular car-hailing service that is available in more than 100 countries. It dominates mainly the European market.
The main difference between this service from other ones on the list is the fact that Gett does not pay its drivers a percentage of the fare. Instead, it pays them hourly, thus allowing them to earn more money.
In terms of quality of service and rates, the service is quite good with extremely reasonable rates in comparison to Uber.
8. Junoride
Junoride is another popular service that is similar to Uber except it takes way less commission. This makes the drivers more competitive to deliver better service.
At the moment, Junoride has three options: Quick, Stylish, and SUV. You can choose either option with SUV being the premium one.
9. Wingz
Wingz is a bit different. If you’re a digital nomad in San Francisco, then I would highly recommend you to always keep this application in your phone, but not as an alternative to Uber.
In its essence, the company is made for airport rides and offers significantly cheaper rates. You can use the service to travel to 22 airports and 16 metro areas, in San Francisco.
10. Via
If you like Uber Pool, then you’ll love Via. But if you’re into traveling alone, then this may not be the best dish out there for you.
As you may have already assumed, Via is a car-hailing service that is solely dedicated to providing cheap car rides to other travelers.
The way Via works is that you’ll look at the route of a car, hop in and tell the driver where you want to get off and that’s pretty much it.
However, as of now, the service is only available in New York, Washington, and Chicago.
11. Arro
With more than 20,000 drivers in several cities in the states, Arro brings a traditional touch to online car-hailing services.
This is because the business model for fares follows a taxi meter system where you’ll be charged by the minute. This can be quite cheap for shorter rides.
FAQ
Why Have Online Taxi Services Become So Popular?
Ever since smartphones became the daily driver for people, online taxi services have become a hot market. But the main reason for their popularity is the features.
As a digital nomad, you can either try and wait for a taxi to come and then pay high fare rates. Or you can simply book a ride through a reliable service with safety features such as police and emergency contact information in the app itself.
Additionally, for me, time is of the essence. And this is primarily why car-hailing services are crucial to me. In many countries like Mexico, you cannot exactly rent a car if you’re living simply on immigration. Therefore, driving a car is out of the question. This is where these services can make themselves appealing.
Coupled with this is the fact that these services offer better fares, better salaries for drivers, and comparatively less attention.
Why Do Women Like To Drive For Didi?
Something crucial that I’d like to talk about is the fact that women have a strong appeal for DiDi. The main reason for this is the fact that the company gives them the option to decide the gender of their client.
This is a pretty smart business idea since female riders can travel with much more ease than female drivers.
Which Service Is The Best For A Digital Nomad?
Honestly, this is subjective. If money is not an issue for you, then I’ll say go with Uber, Lyft, or Easy Taxi. However, this is from a global aspect.
If you’re someone who lives in a city where a service is offered particularly, then it is better to go with that since the company would have a higher market in that area.
Conclusion
Being a digital nomad is not just about work and traveling is an important facet of it. Unfortunately, not all countries allow us, nomads, to rent or drive cars. This makes online taxi services a relief to have.
In this guide, I went through some of the most popular services around and how they compare with each other. That’s all for this article. Thank you for reading.