Wheely
Transportation | |
Founded | 2010 |
---|---|
Founder | Anton Chirkunov |
Headquarters | London , England |
Area served | Russia, United Kingdom, France |
Revenue | 80,000,000 United States dollar (2019) |
Number of employees | 100 (2018) |
Website | wheely |
Wheely Ltd., commonly known as Wheely, is a Swiss-founded British
Wheely was founded by Anton Chirkunov in 2010. As of early 2020, Wheely had US$110 million annually in bookings and a total passenger base of 80,000 customers.
History
Swiss-Russian founder Anton Chirkunov launched Wheely in Zurich in 2010, seeking to create a data aggregation app similar to Booking.com but for taxis instead of hotels. Lacking a driver's license and frustrated by his taxi experiences, he eventually switched focus to develop a premium ride-hailing platform that connects riders with accredited chauffeurs.[4] The company debuted a prototype taxi aggregator service in London in 2012. Chirkunov signed contracts with private hire companies to provide drivers and Toyota Prius vehicles.[7][8] However, Wheely struggled to compete with other private hire taxi and courier companies.[9] As a result, when the service launched in Russia in 2012, Chirkunov decided to focus on the luxury market.[10][11] Service then expanded to Saint Petersburg in 2013.[12] Following their success in Russia, Wheely relaunched as a luxury vehicle for hire service in London in 2018,[13][14] starting with a soft launch in February.[15] By April, Wheely had 150 professional chauffeurs driving E-Class and S-Class Mercedes-Benz vehicles in London.[9][15] The transition proved successful, and by mid 2018 there were approximately 2,500 chauffeurs on the Wheely platform across all markets.[15] The company's headquarters were relocated from Moscow to London in 2019, ahead of Brexit and a planned expansion in Europe.[16] Wheely launched in Paris in September 2019, coinciding with Paris Fashion Week.[17][18] Seeking to expand into the Middle East, Wheely applied for an e-hailing license in Dubai in 2021;[19] the company launched there in February 2024.[20]
Business model
The company's business model focuses on the luxury
Services
Wheely's mobile app is available for the iOS and Android operating systems.[8] To use the service, an individual must download the app, create a user profile and enter their credit card details. Users can book rides in advance or on-demand by using the app to enter starting location and destination.[9]
The company has three service classes which use Mercedes-Benz's E-Class, S-Class, and V-Class models, respectively; additionally, Maybach models are used in Russia, as of 2019.[16][13] There are minimum fees for each class, and final service fees are dependent on distance and time;[21] fixed rates are available for transfers to and from major airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick.[7][9]
Corporate affairs
As of 2018, Chirkunov owned 59.6% of the shares in Wheely.[24] Wheely is based in London and has between 3,000 and 3,500 chauffeurs as of April 2019.[16][21] The company reached US$110 million in annualized gross bookings by February 2020.[7] Wheely has approximately 200 employees.[25]
Investments
Chirkunov initially invested US$2.5 million in the company, most of which came from friends and family.
Privacy
Due to its pro-
Wheely was the only ride-hail company to not provide this data about customers in Russia, which led to a three-month suspension of their Russian subsidiary.[31] Wheely's website offers a page "debunking" official arguments for why the data should have been handed over.[32]
References
- ^ "Wheely 8.19.1". Google Play. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- App Store (iOS). 9 May 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Milington, Alison (20 January 2020). "I tried Uber's luxurious competitor Wheely, and it made me think it's possible for money to buy happiness". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ a b Browne, Ryan (27 February 2020). "Europe's 'luxury' competitor to Uber plans on raising US$30 million to fuel global expansion". CNBC. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ Tunfell, Nicholas (1 August 2014). "Europe's hottest startups 2014: Moscow". Wired.
- The Financial Times. Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d Browne, Ryan (27 February 2020). "Europe's 'luxury' competitor to Uber plans on raising US$30 million to fuel global expansion". CNBC. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b Laughlin, Andrew (20 June 2012). "Wheely app aims to shake up London cab market with cheap eco trips". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Millington, Alison (20 January 2019). "I tried Uber's luxurious competitor Wheely, and it made me think it's possible for money to buy happiness". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Seddon, Max (6 April 2018). "Russian ride-hailing app returns to take on Uber in London". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Care, Scott (25 November 2019). "Alternatives to Uber: The best ride-hailing apps for Uber deserters". TechWorld. International Data Group. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ Dombrova, Helen (21 November 2013). "В Петербург через Пермь" [Through Perm to St. Petersburg] (in Russian). Delovoy Peterburg.
- ^ a b Shead, Sam (10 May 2010). "Uber's Rocky Road to Growth in Europe: Regulators, Rivals and Riots". Forbes. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Katwala, Amit (26 November 2019). "From Bolt to Kapten, Uber's London rivals are plotting its downfall". Wired.
- ^ a b c Wills, Ella (23 July 2018). "Luxury ride-hailing app Wheely launches in London offering chauffeur service". Evening Standard.
- ^ a b c d e Lanxon, Nate (26 April 2019). "Luxury Ride-Hailing Startup Picks London Over Moscow for New HQ". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Heathman, Amelia (10 February 2020). "From Bolt to Ola: the next-generation of UK taxi apps to know". Evening Standard.
- ^ Lelièvre, Adrien (17 September 2019). "Le VTC de luxe Wheely débarque à Paris". Les Echos (in French). Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ Kolesnikova, Maria (23 February 2021). "Luxury Ride-Hailing App Pivots to Middle East as Lockdowns Bite". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Browne, Ryan (7 February 2024). "Wheely, Uber's luxury competitor, launches in Dubai to take on the UAE's dominant player". CNBC.
- ^ a b c d e Dillet, Romain (26 April 2019). "Wheely raises US$15 million for its luxury ride-hailing app". TechCrunch. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Armed Forces Day: From training soldiers to chauffeurs". BBC News. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ a b Syme, Pete (20 August 2023). "I spent a day training to be a chauffeur for the rich and famous with a luxury ride-hailing app. I learned about the importance of the correct kind of socks, and why to wear a clip-on tie". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "Лондон поднимут на Wheely" London podnimut na Wheely [Wheely to launch in London]. Kommersant (in Russian). Vol. 14. 26 January 2018. p. 12.
- BloombergQuint. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ Nikolaeva, Elena (23 April 2019). Делай сегодня! Опыт 64 успешных российских стартапов Delay̆ segodnya! Opyt 64 uspeshnykh rossiy̆skikh startapov. [Do it today! Experience of 64 successful Russian startups.] (in Russian). Litres. p. 431.
- ^ Nikolaeva, Elena (17 January 2013). "Такси online" [Taxis online]. Expert (in Russian). Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Seddon, Max (6 April 2018). "Russian ride-hailing app returns to take on Uber in London". Financial Times.
- ^ Tsydenova, Nadezhda; Stolyarov, Gleb (1 June 2020). "Ride-hailing service Wheely risks Moscow ban in dispute over geolocation data". Reuters. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Goodley, Simon (8 September 2020). "Wheely ride-hailing app writes to UK privacy watchdog over Moscow data demands". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Tsydenova, Nadezhda; Marrow, Alexander (7 August 2020). Heinrich, Mark (ed.). "Russian court bans ride-hailing service Wheely in Moscow for three months". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ "Debunking MDOT's anti-privacy argument". Wheely. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2022.