Bolt: Uber rival’s profit almost wiped out as legal battles drag on September 18, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of Uber rival Bolt was almost wiped out during its latest financial year as it diverted considerable resources to its on-going legal battles. The online taxi firm has reported a pre-tax profit of £133,355 for 2024, down from the £8.2m it achieved in 2023. The business had previously made a [...]
Uber’s UK arm warns on profit amid rising costs September 5, 2025 Uber has warned it may not remain profitable in the UK because of rising costs despite its revenue surging by more than £1bn during its latest financial year. The US giant has said it will need to generate and sustain increased revenue levels while lowering proportionate expenses in the coming years “to achieve profitability in [...]
Uber rivals handed major VAT boost by Supreme Court July 29, 2025 Rival taxi operators to Uber will not have to pay 20 per cent VAT on their profits outside London following a landmark Supreme Court ruling. The court has decided that private-hire operators do not enter into a contract with passengers and therefore are except from the tax. The ruling comes after US giant Uber brought [...]
Uber, AA and Royal Mail urge Khan to scrap EV congestion charge plans July 3, 2025 A host of businesses including Uber, the AA and Royal Mail have urged Sadiq Khan to re-think rolling back the exemption for electric vehicles in London’s congestion charge. Some 28 business and green groups published an open letter to the Mayor arguing that changing the discount would threaten London’s clean air ambitions, while prompting a [...]
Driverless taxis will make black cabs extinct – and that’s no bad thing June 25, 2025 The imminent advent of ‘robo taxis’ may well be the final nail in the coffin of the London cab trade, suggests James Ford By all accounts, a London cabbie’s lot is not a happy one. You may get to drive around the capital in one of the great transport icons (the black cab is up [...]
Bolt vs Lime: Uber rival to launch e-bikes in London June 18, 2025 Bolt has unveiled plans to introduce electric bikes in London this summer, challenging Lime’s near-monopoly in the capital. The Estonian ride-hailer, which is the largest e-scooter and bike provider in Europe, will launch its London service in August under close supervision from Transport for London (TfL) and local councils. The move makes Bolt the first [...]
Uber unveils tie-up with Eurostar challenger May 21, 2025 Uber is planning a partnership deal with one of the firms seeking to oust Eurostar as the sole operator of the Channel Tunnel. Gemini Trains, spearheaded by the Labour peer Lord Berkeley, is one of several competitors looking to break Eurostar’s 30-year monopoly on cross-channel services. Passengers will be able to book tickets via the [...]
Can Airbnb become an everything app? May 20, 2025 Airbnb is undergoing a bold transformation from a travel platform to a daily-use “superapp” offering local services and experiences, but its success hinges on whether users adopt new habits outside of their holidays, says Paul Armstrong Airbnb is having a busy 2025. The company reported $2.27bn in revenue for Q1, a six per cent year-over-year [...]
Uber Boats by Thames Clippers nets £59m from Natwest and Santander May 19, 2025 Uber Boats by Thames Clippers has secured £59m in funding from Natwest and Santander after experiencing a surge in passenger numbers since the Covid-19 pandemic. The London river transport provider said the joint funding package would support plans for new vessels, pier upgrades and improvements to dry docking facilities. “It’s vital that we have funding [...]
Uber ready to go driverless in the UK May 19, 2025 Uber has declared itself “ready to go” with driverless taxi services in the UK, saying it could roll out the technology immediately if regulators give the green light. Andrew Macdonald, the taxi giant’s senior vice president of mobility, told the BBC the company is prepared to deploy robotaxis as soon as the “regulatory environment is [...]