Australians love a great deal, and finding the cheapest rideshare to get from A to B should be no different. Now, a new app Best Ride can do all the bargain-hunting for us.
Available on iOS and Android, users simply enter their destination and Best Ride will compare real-time prices of rideshare providers Uber, DiDi and Ola.
Developed by Australian entrepreneur Phil Lyons, Best Ride is the ideal hack for avoiding sneaky price changes when trying to get around.
Why is Best Ride an essential app?
“The great thing about Best Ride is you can be sure it’s saving people money every time,” Mr Lyons said. “And even better still, the longer the trip, the more you save.”
Launched during the coronavirus pandemic, Best Ride couldn’t have come at a better time.
According to a recent Trans urban industry report, 21% fewer Australians are taking public transport daily compared to pre-pandemic levels – largely assumed because the general public doesn’t feel as safe as they once did on the communal bus or tram.
Rideshare companies however, have placed high requirements on their drivers with mandatory masks and regular disinfection cleaning. Lyons discovered this from personal experience.
Unlike most chief executives who don’t talk directly to their customers, Mr Lyons decided to become an Uber and DiDi driver since 2019.
As well as providing ample opportunities to get to know his target market, Lyons’ experience taught him the trade secrets behind change pricing.
A thorn in the side of anyone trying to hitch a ride during peak hours, the pricing differential can see costs rise by more than eight times the standard price.
Lyons noticed different ride share apps were surging at different locations, depending on how many drivers were in one area at any given time. This makes it impossible for users to know definitively which ride share was cheapest, which is where Best Ride comes in.
Within seconds, users can accurately see which rideshare is cheapest for their journey, and save on average $3-5 per ride. For long-distance trips, users can save up to 50% per ride.
What are Best Ride’s plans for the future?
Aggregating prices from Uber, DiDi and Ola, Best Ride can help users navigate a plethora of options – at their fingertips. More rideshare services like GoCatch and all-female rideshare company Shebah will be joining in coming months.
Having launched in December 2020, more than 8,000 users have already joined the platform, and numbers are steadily growing.
All new Best Ride users will receive their first five searches for free.From then on, subsequent searches will cost just 37 cents each and result in an average saving of $3-5.
Users can choose to pay a monthly subscription of $5.99 per month for an unlimited number of searches OR they can purchase a batch of four searches for $1.49.
If users refer friends, they can earn extra free searches. Best Ride is available across both Apple App Store and Google Play.
