Gett

Gett's Tel Aviv development center and headquarters

Gett, previously known as GetTaxi, is a global on-demand mobility company that connects customers with transportation, goods and services. Customers can order a taxi or courier either through the company's website, or by using the company's GPS-based smartphone app.

The app was first developed and popularized by Israeli company GetTaxi.^[1] The app is compatible with iPhone and Android platforms. Gett currently operates in more than 100 cities across the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia and Israel.

History

GetTaxi was founded by Israeli entrepreneurs Shahar Waiser and Roi More. Waiser came up with the idea in the summer of 2009 during a thirty-minute wait for a taxi to the airport in Palo Alto, California. GetTaxi's beta version in Hebrew started operating in Tel Aviv and two years later, in the summer of 2011,^[2] and the service was launched in London in August 2011.^[3]

In March 2012, GetTaxi branched out to Moscow, ^[4][5] and opened their first USA offices in New York City. Mashable predicted "This App Will Revolutionize the NYC Taxi Experience".^[6]

By June 2012, the company had raised US$30 million, including $9 million more from British-based American billionaire industrialist Len Blavatnik's Access Industries Fund, to facilitate GetTaxi's entry into New York City as well as other U.S. markets. In August 2014, the company raised a $25 million investment from Vostok Nafta Investments.^[7]

Pricing and payments

The Gett revenue model varies from country to country. It usually includes any of these three models: charging monthly dispatch fees from taxi drivers, charging a per ride fee from drivers or charging fees for corporate rides. In New York City, Gett plans to add a feature for splitting taxis with other users in nearby area. ^{[8] [9]}

Reception

The Gett app was positively received by mobile users and technology blogs such as TechCrunch and Mashable, and was often described as a revolutionary service. The app was awarded the best application by Time Out Tel Aviv. Taxi drivers in Tel Aviv were welcoming to the new service, but several taxi fleet owners have prohibited drivers from using the application, fearing the competition.^[6][10]

Jim Edwards, founder of Business Insider UK, compared Gett and Uber as a user in Edinburgh. From a driver's viewpoint, Gett was very useful in that it helped to find fares that they otherwise would miss; but in bad weather drivers took advantage of the many fares to be found on the street, and none were available to users on Gett. In similar conditions Uber applies increased "surge prices", but is still available (cars do not ply for hire on the streets). Edwards took advantage of a promotion, and did not compare prices; he found Gett's old-school Hackney cabs more comfortable, and the level of service provided by Gett at quiet times to be similar to Uber, but "rubbish for people who aren't standing on the main street but still need a ride" at times of high demand.^[11]

Strategic partnership with the Volkswagen Group

In May 2016, Volkswagen Group announced that it would be investing $300 million in Gett, allowing Gett to grow its operations across European markets, as well as marking the first foray into the mobility space by the Volkswagen.^[12]

See also

• Mountview House Group

References