Top 9 Uber’s Competitors & Alternatives

Last updated: Mar 21, 2021

Since its inception in 2009, Uber Technologies Inc has dominated the industry as an omnipresent and massive ride-sharing company. With the rise of new technologies and the influx of communication through mobile, Uber has spread its operations in more than 60 countries.

This guide will highlight some of the global competitors of Uber, who are equally trying to take the benefit from the growing technology.

1. Lyft

Launched: 2012
Founders: Logan Green and John Zimmer
Headquarter: San Francisco, California, U.S

Lyft is considered as a major competitor of Uber. Since its inception in 2012, it has gained popularity due to its fuzzy pink mustaches that can be identified on the dashboards or front of the car. For the facilitation of customers, this transportation company provides ease by making it easier to spot the ride. It offers its services in areas nationwide and in roughly 220 cities, which includes Vietnam, The Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The operations of Lyft is similar to Uber as users can see a map using a smartphone application. This allows them to mark their location and track their ride accordingly.

2. Via

Launched: 2012
Founders: Daniel Ramot and Oren Shoval
Headquarter: New York

Unlike Uber, Via is known for providing its services at a more localized level, by covering areas, such as the Washington DC, Chicago, Seattle and the New York City. It is economical for the users as it is available for passengers heading in the same direction towards different locations. This allows drivers to maximize their earnings and results in a minimum cost for the passengers.

3. Ola Cabs

Launched: 2010
Founders: Bhavish Aggarwal
Headquarter: Bengaluru, India

Ola Cabs is an application-based Transportation Company that was initiated in 2010 in Mumbai as an online cab aggregator. Currently, with an extensive network that spreads across India, Australia, New Zealand, UK (169 cities) and with over 100,000 cars, it is one of the fastest-growing business.

As a major competitor for Uber, Ola is famous for offering a diverse range of cab services through its mobile application.

These services range from luxury to economical, based on the preferences of users. For the ease of consumers, it supports the digital as well as a cash payment. Ola also launched its rental and outstations that allows customers to either rent a car on an hourly basis or book a cab in advance.

4. Didi

Launched: 2012
Founders: Cheng Wei
Headquarter: Beijing, China

Referred to as “Uber of China,” DiDi is known to be a major player in the taxi-hailing market of China.

Didi is well known in the Chinese market. Now it has partnered with many global players such as Lyft, Ola, Grab, Bolt, etc. to expand their global footprint in Australia, Mexico, Japan, and Brazil.

It is a major competitor of Uber as it operates in more than 400 cities and with its partner network, Didi platform provides 10 Billion passenger trips in a year.  

5. Gojek

Launched: 2010
Founders: Nadiem Makarim, Kevin Aluwi and Michaelangelo Moran
Headquarter: Jakarta, Indonesia

GO-JEK is a popular ride-sharing company and one of the major competitors of Uber. The company offers a diverse range of services by a collaborating with drivers that allow them to provide one-stop-shop services.

By connecting with driver-partners, customers can avail food delivery, payment, logistics, transportation, and other on-demand services. Gojek operates in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.

6. Snapp

Launched: 2014
Founders: Eyad Alkassar
Headquarter: Tehran, Iran

Snapp is recognized as the “Uber of Iran” that partners with more than 1.5 million drivers and operates in around 34 cities in Iran. It is one of the major ride-hailing application in Iran that offers a variety of services, including the delivery of grocery and food and an app for travel booking.

7. Grab

Launched: 2012
Founders: Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling
Headquarter: Singapore

Grab, which was initially referred to as GrabTaxi is another competitor of Uber. This ride service company was founded in 2011 and is famous for offering its services in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. It can be used easily by users just like Uber through installing an application on their smartphones.

Grab has introduced cost-effective and simple mobile-based technology for revamping the market of local taxis. They aim towards making the taxi industry efficient and safe medium of transport for their customers.

8. Bolt(Taxify)

Launched: 2013
Founders: Markus Villig
Headquarter: Tallinn Estonia

Bolt, which was previously known as Taxify, is considered as the major rival of Uber in Europe. The company serves more than 25 million customers globally and operates in 100 popular cities. Unlike other companies, Bolt offers the best commission and reasonable charges, which allowed it to earn over numerous passengers and drivers.

9. Cabify

Founders: Juan de Antonio
Headquarter: Madrid, Spain

Cabify is rated as the safest ride-sharing service. It offers the best in class services with modern vehicles, professional drivers, and geo-tracked journeys. Also, it allows users to control their preferences while traveling. Additionally, Cabify also ensures a transparent and clear system for pricing. It operates in Spain, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Portugal, etc. 

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