Software & Apps > Apps On-Demand Taxi, Private Driver, and Rideshare Apps Get a ride with a few taps on your smartphone By Elise Moreau Elise Moreau Freelance Contributor University of Ontario George Brown College Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 3, 2021 Apps Best Apps Payment Services Trending Videos Close this video player Rideshare apps are everywhere, with nearly every smartphone equipped with one or more apps to summon a ride. Uber and Lyft are well-known services, but there are several alternatives. We looked at the top rideshare, taxi, and driver apps and evaluated each for quality of service, availability, and ease of use. Not all rideshare, taxi, and driver services are active in every area. Check the company's availability in your area before downloading its app. 01 of 08 Most Popular Rideshare App: Uber S3studio / Getty Images What We Like Readily available in many locations. Reasonable prices. Incredibly convenient. What We Don't Like During busy times, there's surge pricing and fewer available cars. Read Our Guide to Uber Uber is the biggest name in the app-based rideshare space, operating in more than 80 countries. Customers using the Uber app can summon a driver, be delivered to their destination, and then rate and review the app and driver. Choose from a variety of ride types with varying price levels, including Uber X, Uber Pool, Uber Black, and more. Need some extra cash? Sign up to be a driver with Uber, or work for one of its spinoff services, such as Uber Eats. Download For: iOS Android 02 of 08 Friendliest Rideshare App: Lyft Smith Collection/Gado / Getty Images What We Like The drivers tend to be friendly and open to conversation. It's more apt to be available during high-demand times. Has excellent customer support. What We Don't Like Fewer vehicle options than Uber. Operates only in the U.S. and Canada. Read Our Guide to Lyft Uber's biggest competitor is Lyft, which has developed a loyal rideshare following and attracted many drivers. While Lyft has many of the same convenience and ease-of-use features as Uber, it's available only in the U.S. and Canada. Also, it doesn't operate in as many U.S. cities as Uber. Still, Lyft has a reputation for friendly, readily available drivers. It has excellent customer service and an easy-to-use app. Download For: iOS Android 03 of 08 Best for Corporate Ground Travel: Gett What We Like Great for business travel. Service in many areas across Europe and North America. No surcharges. Extra help for international travelers. What We Don't Like It doesn't have as many cars available as Uber. Gett is designed to take care of all the ground-travel needs a businessperson might have, including limos, taxis, and rideshares. There's coverage in more than 1,500 cities across Europe and North America. You can even travel across countries in Europe. Gett makes expense reports easy for business users and vows to eliminate unforeseen and unexpected costs. Download For: iOS Android 04 of 08 Best for Consistent Pricing: Flywheel What We Like Hailing a taxi is a seamless process. The drivers are handpicked, licensed, and professional. No price surging. What We Don't Like Not widely available. Flywheel is a taxi-hailing app that makes getting a ride as easy as possible. Get a taxi quickly and conveniently, and pay with a variety of payment methods. The app offers an intuitive interface that's easy and enjoyable to use. Like many others on this list, you can apply to become a driver with Flywheel and get paid promptly for your services. Flywheel is currently only available in a few major U.S. cities, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and San Diego. Download For: iOS Android 05 of 08 Best for Flexible Taxi-Hailing: Curb What We Like Supports the taxi industry. Drivers are licensed and fully insured. Set up a ride now, schedule for later, or hail a cab on the street. Earn free Curb rides by sharing your personal referral code. What We Don't Like Available only in 65 U.S. cities. Curb is another taxi-hailing app that helps users connect with nearby taxi drivers. Curb offers a "ride now" on-demand service as well as a "ride later" scheduling service that lets you set up a ride more than 24 hours in advance. There's also a "pair and pay" option for hailing a cab on the street and then using the app to pay for the ride. Download For: iOS Android 06 of 08 Best for Getting Rides for Your Kids: HopSkipDrive What We Like Track your child's car in real time. You receive a photo and bio of your child's driver. Set up repeating rides. Great for busy family schedules. What We Don't Like If a driver cancels a trip, having your child left in the lurch is unacceptable. HopSkipDrive aims to be a safe and dependable transportation solution for families and schools, giving rides to kids aged six and older. Rides are provided by trusted CareDrivers with at least five years of caregiving experience. Drivers must pass a rigorous 15-point certification process, including fingerprinting, background checks, DMV checks, car inspections, in-person interviews, and more. Download For: iOS Android 07 of 08 Most Personalized Driver Experience: Wingz What We Like Ride with your favorite drivers. No surge pricing. What We Don't Like Not widely available in the U.S. Wingz is an app-driven private car service. It provides pre-scheduled, flat-rate rides with a trusted personal driver. It aims for a reliable and personalized driver experience. Add drivers to your list of favorites, and keep a list of favorite drivers by city to have at your disposal. Wingz is available in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Portland, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Seattle. Download For: iOS Android 08 of 08 Best App for Carpooling: Waze Carpool What We Like It's eco-friendly. Filter your matches based on gender, workplace, and personalized groups. Share the cost of commuting. Hop on the express lane. What We Don't Like People can be unpredictable, and there's always a risk you might not enjoy your carpool partner. Waze Carpool partners riders with drivers who are heading their way, aiming to help the environment by reducing the number of cars on the road. You can set filters such as gender, workplace, and personalized groups to find a carpool partner you're likely to get along with. Waze Carpool is currently available in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Israel. The Waze Carpool app is for riders only. To become a Carpool driver, download the original Waze app and tap the carpooling icon to get started. Download For: iOS Android Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit