GetTaxi – Taxi service for person and goods

Probably most of you are familiar with the application Uber, the taxi company with the unique business model whereby customers submit a trip request on their smartphone which is then routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars. One of its competitors is GetTaxi (Gett), a startup which offers the facility to book licensed black caps in more than fifty cities globally. Gett is an Israeli-based startup (2011) that developed a GPS-based application which connects customers with a taxi driver. With the use of a smartphone or the use of the company’s website, consumers are able to order a taxi at the right moment. The business idea arose from the experience of one of the owners of the company: Shahar Waiser had to wait for more than 30minutes on an airport, which was an inconvenient experience. Together with his business partner Roi More, he launched the application in Tel Aviv two years later and soon, other countries followed.

Gett courier

Figure 1. Gett Courier

In February of this year, Gett launched a new feature called Gett Courier. The company found a need of the customers which was not fulfilled in the market yet and combined it with its current application. This customer demand is a more efficient and affordable courier service. As described by the company: “Delivering spontaneous gifts or misplaced belongings is no longer a laborious, expensive inconvenience to someone’s day”. For now, the courier service is only available in London. Soon it will be expanded to other cities.

Figure 2. How does Gett Courier work?

How does Gett Courier work and how does it differentiate itself from its competitors?

For a flat fee of £6 (approximately €7.50) customers are able to order a courier who delivers the package of up to five kilograms anywhere in central London. The courier will arrive within twenty minutes to pick up the package by scooter, and will deliver it to the indicated destination within an hour. Outside of the central London zone, Gett Courier gives a fixed price for the delivery after entering the destination and time of delivery. The delivery service is available from 9 am to 9 pm, every day of the week.

The unique character of Gett Courier is the fast delivery within an hour. While it takes other delivery services, at least, one day or consumers have to pay a (high) additional fee to deliver the packages on the same day, with Gett Couriers, it becomes possible for customers to send forgotten belongings or spontaneous gifts fast and relatively cheap. To guarantee the delivery within an hour, the drivers of are currently studying on ‘The Knowledge’, which is a geographical test that the black cap drivers must take in order to prove their knowledge of the roads in London.

Uber has also a service which delivers packages, called UberRush. This service mainly focuses on the delivery of goods which are linked up with e-commerce services. Small business could use the service to deliver the sold goods to the customers. The fee for the delivery is $6 (approximately €5.5) for deliveries within a mile and every extra mile costs $3.

Uber