Gett, the cab-hailing app previously known as GetTaxi, will now allow users to book beauty appointments, call for household services and order food deliveries
The cab-hailing app GetTaxi is driving the next stage of the taxi technology revolution by launching a delivery service that will allow users to order food, beauty treatments and other services to their homes.
The company – which is also rebranding itself Gett – claims to be the first taxi app to branch out from its core transportation services and offer users a “permanent and broader” offering across its global operations.
Meanwhile, Uber announced the launch of UberEATS, a service that promises to deliver your food order within 10 minutes, following successful trials in Los Angeles and Barcelona. However, this feature is only available to users in New York.
Uber has also dabbled in other localised projects, such as a courier service in Manhattan and a moving service in Hong Kong
“It was expected that the [taxi app] industry would expand – it was just a matter of time,” said Gett founder and chief executive Shahar Waiser. “There are many operational difficulties and the industry had to mature to be ready to expand.”
Shahar Waiser, Gett founder and CEO
Mr Waiser declined to discuss which services would be available when the delivery feature launches in July, but said “think Gett Pizza, Gett Sushi, Gett Grocery, Gett Wine, Gett Flowers, Gett Dry Cleaning and Gett Plumber” as well as the current Gett Black Taxi.
The new services will be provided either by local services that have been approved by Gett, such as beauticians and electricians, or in the case of the food feature, by one of a number of large partners that will enable Gett to guarantee delivery within 10 minutes.
Mr Waiser said that the new options “have nothing to do with our drivers, they have enough work to do without delivering pizzas” and that transportation will remain “at the heart of Gett’s business”.
Gett currently has about 20,000 tax drivers in the 32 global cities in which it operates, including more than 6,000 black cabbies in London and another 2,000 across Edinburgh, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.
While the Tel Aviv-born company stressed its “ongoing commitment to black cabs”, Mr Waiser said he is “absolutely sure” this is the future of the war-torn industry.
“Three years ago people did not consume taxi apps in the way that they do now. A year from now, we won’t know how we lived without this,” he said. “The only thing we don’t have enough of is time. Everything else you can buy, so a service that helps you to save time – what could be more important and valuable?”
Last month, Starbucks announced that it would start delivering coffees in New York, while Burger King recently launched a home delivery service in the UK.
The on-demand economy has spawned a number of apps that allow users to order services at the touch of a button, from food delivery apps such as Just Eat and Hungry House to those that download novels and films, book beauty services, buy tickets to social events and, of course, hail taxis.
Gett is on track to generate $500m (£330m) in revenues this year from its transportation business, which Mr Waiser said grows at 300pc per year, and expects that to increase significantly with its new features.
Source: The Telegraph
