Taxi Driver Online

Came across this by chance, basically, so not sure how significant it is, or might be

But it's advertorial, essentially.

And although I groaned at the use of 'ride-hailing' from the off, the headline is probably a more accurate portrayal, and their website uses lots of more traditional phraseology like 'minicabbing'.

And, guess what, it reads just like the app-based incarnation of the spiel for a 'taxi' circuit co-op c. 1990

Also wondered how they've managed to sign up thousands of drivers, but haven't got an operator's licence yet

Then the penny dropped - or, at least, the thousands of pounds dropped, because it's all about the modern version of chucking a wodge of banknotes into the pot to fund the hackney co-op - the online 'crowdfunder'


Ride Nuff: The story of an ethical private hire platform#

https://www.londonworld.com/community/r ... rm-4974565

For nearly a decade, London’s ride-hailing industry has been dominated by just a few big players. While these companies promised convenience, their success came at a cost, drivers struggling under high commissions, passengers facing longer wait times and rising fares, and local wealth being funneled away from the communities that built it.

Ride Nuff was born out of frustration but fueled by a vision for something better.

A Driver’s Perspective:Ride Nuff’s founder, Tayfun Keskin, spent nine years driving for Uber and other platforms. Like thousands of other drivers, he witnessed firsthand how the industry shifted from being an opportunity for independent drivers to an exploitative system where commissions rose as high as 50% per ride. Drivers had to work longer hours just to take home the same earnings, leading to burnout, financial stress, and declining service quality for passengers.

Tayfun realized:- What if drivers kept 100% of their fares?- What if the system actually worked for both drivers and customers?- What if wealth stayed within the community instead of going to overseas corporations?

That’s when the idea for Ride Nuff took shape a community-owned, Private hire platform that eliminates commissions, up to 15% lowers fares for customers, and brings fairness back to the industry.

Building the Movement: Tayfun wasn’t alone in his frustration. When Ride Nuff started taking driver sign-ups in October 2024, the response was overwhelming—within just 10 days, 1,700 drivers had signed up. Today, that number has grown beyond 3,500 drivers, all eager to work under a fairer model.

Instead of taking a 40-50% cut from drivers, Ride Nuff charges zero commission and operates on a simple, fair pricing model:- £25 weekly subscription- 50p per ride fee.

This means drivers earn more, leading to happier, more motivated drivers, which in turn reduces wait times and improves service for passengers.

The Crowdfunding Mission: To bring this vision to life, Ride Nuff is launching a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube in February 2025. The goal is to raise funds to secure an operator license and launch the service across London. But more importantly, the campaign is about keeping ownership in the hands of drivers, customers, and the community, not overseas companies looking for profit.

Tayfun’s message is simple:

"London needs a ride-hailing service that works for both drivers and customers. Ride Nuff isn’t just another app, it’s a movement to fix what’s broken."

As Londoners continue to face rising fares, driver strikes, and long wait times, Ride Nuff is stepping in to offer a better, fairer way forward, where drivers keep more, riders pay less, and the city wins.

It's all certainly glossy and glitzy enough, though, and there's obviously quite a lot of money gone into it so far, with a website and professional video ad (short but sweet).

(Video is accessible via the press article link above - it's a DailyMotion video, and I can't work out how to provide a direct link to it.) This is the website here:

https://www.ridenuff.com/

And certainly sounds an attractive proposition as a driver, but I somehow doubt it'll be the next Uber from the all-important customer-demand perspective

Not sure about the name either - it's supposedly like 'nuff said, as in we've had enuff of the likes of Uber...

And, as always, from the point of view of driver commissions etc, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is


Ah, you mean a minicab operation with app-only booking?

And note it's now 'ride-sharing' rather than 'ride-hailing', both of which are nonsensical and arguably misleading.

I mean, what did 'ride-sharing' mean with regard to the industry pre-Uber?

It didn't mean the basic taxi or minicab model at all

Looking around social media, it seems that Ride Nuff has been knocking around since late-summer last year, so I'd guess the crowdfunder is a sort of last gasp, and if it doesn't succeed then it'll all basically sink without trace.

But good luck to them, but if I had to put money on it, I'd say that it won't exactly be a household name to rival Uber or even Bolt in twelve month's time

Coincidentally, saw this on TaxiPoint today, which sounds very like the Ride Nuff approach, but from a black cab perspective

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/why-i ... -it-unique

So, again, 'Jump' maybe all sounds too good to be true. But, as TaxiPoint says (and consistent with what I said about Ride Nuff), it may sound great to the drivers, but for it to succeed it has to appeal to customers too...

Or it needs a unique selling point (USP), as TaxiPoint says.

So it's obviously got a USP in that it appeals to HC drivers with it's zero/low-commission model (like Ride Nuff appeals to PHV drivers), but the other half of the equation is constructing a USP from the marketing/passenger perspective...

Uber is absolutely massive in London, I suspect they have 80-85% of the inner London cash/card PH market. Others do ok with the account work market, but nothing will ever get near Uber. Sadly.

But all this talk about commission is a tad moot, drivers are interested in what's in their pocket at the end of the week. So a 40% discount on a £10 fare is better than a 15% discount on a £7 fare. Just.

And one thing I've noticed about anything coming from an app developer or app operator is that it's nearly always utter bo*****s.

_________________
IDFIMH

Indeed - their 'earnings calculator' says that drivers earning £1,000 with Uber or Bolt would make £,1513.46 with Ride Nuff.

Reality, however, is that while they make £1,000 with Uber or Bolt, they might just make £500 with Ride Nuff, or just £100, or even £zero if they don't get an operator's licence

So although the low/zero-commission model looks great on paper, in reality things are a lot more complex.

Nuff said