New taxi app aims to rival Uber and provide fairer deal for drivers

A new Brussels app, Uride, aims to become a Belgian alternative to major international taxi platforms such as Uber, promising drivers a greater say and the ability to join the underlying cooperative, called Unit.

As a representative of the Belgian Association of Limousine Drivers (ABCL), Jean-Paul Ngomba Mbenti has protested against, among other things, the fees that apps such as Uber charge drivers to use their platform.

Mbenti decided to set up Uride, headquartered in Saint-Gilles, as an alternative that would “give control back to the drivers and offer them a fairer price.”

“Belgian drivers have been exploited for years,” Mbenti told Bruzz.

“On the Uride platform, drivers now only have to pay a 15% commission: a huge difference compared to the 25% to 35% charged by the big multinationals.”

Those who join the cooperative Unit will pay a commission as low as 10%.

There are already 200 drivers active on the platform, 90 of whom are members of the cooperative.

Customers of the app can also join the cooperative and thus benefit from a 10% discount on journeys. For both drivers and customers, a share - and thus a say in the direction the cooperative takes - costs €100.

As for fares for customers on the new platform, these will change little.

“Prices are fixed by region,” said Mbenti. In Brussels, this has been the case since the 2022 taxi ordinance.

“Nevertheless, a ride via Uride is better for the Belgian economy, because no money goes abroad and it’s fairer for the driver.

"I understand the temptation to choose the multinationals: for years they have offered an excellent service, but it will be exactly the same drivers who serve you on Uride."

Just like with Uber, passengers can download the Uride app, enter a destination and book a ride. The price is displayed immediately once the destination has been entered.

The app has been available on Android for several weeks now, and for Apple devices for the past few days.

In the long term, Uride hopes to grow to a 10% market share, first in Brussels and then across the rest of the country.