And there in lies the problem with app only providers.
As the technology to do this gets easier, every programmer and their granny are jumping onto the bandwagon in their belief they can all become like Uber.
Just write an app, give it some catchy name then stick it on the internet then wait for the cash to roll in.
If there were only one or two doing this then it wouldn’t be too bad but with so many out there, whichever you choose, you’re only going to get a small piece of the cake.
You might argue that the cakes growing but as more and more apps are added, the slices get ever thinner.
For the Hackney driver not working with a local company this becomes a problem, as you can’t afford to use them all so you may as well just pay some radio rent.
Now if you compare that with a company using a booing
system with its own app, the whole of the local cake is available.
Anyone using the Internet for a taxi is likely to type in the town name so that companies’ details (and their app) will be there along with all the others.
The best thing is that the more random national apps that appear, the overall slice that they take locally remains essentially constant.
A tricky question with no good answer.
Bill