Wheely

Wheely Ltd., commonly known as Wheely, is a multinational vehicle for hire company which allows users to book chauffeur-driven journeys in a luxury vehicle either on-demand or in advance as reservations.[1] Its services are accessed through its mobile apps on the Android[2] and iOS operating systems.[3] The company's headquarters is in London,[4] and it also operates in Moscow, Paris and St. Petersburg.[1]

This article is about the vehicle for hire service. For the vehicle maneuver, see Wheelie.

Wheely Ltd.
Privately held company
IndustryTransportation
Founded2010 (2010)
FounderAnton Chirkunov
Headquarters
London
,
England
Area served
Russia, United Kingdom, France
SubsidiariesWheely Technologies Ltd.
OOO Wheely Holdings
Wheely France SASU
Websitewheely.com

Wheely was founded in 2010 by Anton Chirkunov and was originally based in Zurich, Vienna and Amsterdam. In early 2020, it had US$110 million annually in bookings, as well as a total passenger base of 80,000 customers.[5] In 2014, Wired listed Wheely as one of the "hottest" startups in Moscow;[6] The Financial Times in March 2019 ranked Wheely 835th on the 2019 edition of its annual list of the 1,000 fastest-growing companies in Europe.[7]

History

Anton Chirkunov, who continues to serve as CEO, began working on the app in 2010. Wheely initially launched in Zürich, Vienna, and Amsterdam c. 2011.[8][9] 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.[10][8] However, Wheely struggled to compete with other private hire taxi and courier companies, forcing Chirkunov to change his business model.[11][12][13]

In Russia, the service also launched in 2012, with Chirkunov focusing on the luxury market for on-demand and pre-booked vehicle for hire services.[12] The company launched in Saint Petersburg in 2013, and in Kazan, Perm, Sochi, and Yekaterinburg in 2014.[14][15][16]

Following the business model that had been successful in Russia, Wheely relaunched as a luxury vehicle for hire service in London in 2018,[9][17] starting with a soft launch in February and becoming fully operational in June.[18] In April, Wheely had 150 professional chauffeurs driving E-Class and S-Class Mercedes-Benz vehicles in London, and the company paid £150,000 to renew its license to operate between 101 and 500 driver-owned vehicles until 2023.[11][18]

There were approximately 2,500 Wheely drivers by mid 2018, including 200 in London.[18] The company's headquarters were relocated from Moscow to London in 2019, ahead of Brexit and a planned expansion in Europe.[19] Wheely launched in Paris in September 2019, coinciding with Paris Fashion Week.[20][21]

Business model

The company's business model focuses on the luxury vehicle for hire market.[19] Wheely markets its services to wealthier riders looking for a more personalized, premium service. It has a time and distance based pricing model for journeys and does not use "surge pricing".[11] Drivers are "third-party partners" of Wheely, not employees; the company contracts with individual professional chauffeurs and chauffeur companies. All drivers are required to have at least three years of previous chauffeur experience and must pass driving, geography, and etiquette tests.[22] Wheely requires drivers to use vehicles that are no more than three years old.[11] The company earns 20 percent from each ride.[22]

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.[11]

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.[19][9] There are minimum fees for each class, and final service fees are dependent on distance and time;[22] fixed rates are available for transfers to and from major airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick.[10][11] The vehicle for hire services are available in seven Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as London and Paris.[10][19]

Corporate affairs

Wheely is based in London and has between 3,000 and 3,500 chauffeurs, as of April 2019.[19][22] The company received US$110 million in annualized gross bookings by February 2020.[10] Wheely's office in Mayfair had 12 employees, as of April 2019.[19] The company was previously based in Moscow.[23]

As of 2018, Chirkunov owned 59.6% of the shares in Wheely.[24]

Investments

Chirkunov initially invested US$2.5 million in the company, most of which came from friends and family.[25] Wheely won a US$25,000 grant from Start Fellows initiative, which was established by Pavel Durov and Yuri Milner.[26] Wheely also received a grant of 5,900,000 ₽ (US$101,130) from the Russian governmental non-profitable organization The Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises in Science and Technology.[24] Total investments in Wheely grew to US$13 million in 2018.[24][27] The company raised US$15 million in a Series B round led by the venture capital firm Concentric in 2019.[19][22] Wheely had raised US$28 million from investors, as of 2020.[10]

gollark: - lightweight & customizable- AUR provides a gazillion packages somewhat more conveniently than manual install- pacman is nice I guess- amazing docs
gollark: It would arch.
gollark: .
gollark: Or which is better. Arch is obviously better always
gollark: ë

References
  1. 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.
  2. "Wheely 8.19.1". Google Play. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. "Wheely 8.19.4". App Store (iOS). 9 May 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. "WHEELY TECHNOLOGIES LTD". Companies House. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  5. 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.
  6. Tunfell, Nicholas (1 August 2014). "Europe's hottest startups 2014: Moscow". Wired.
  7. Smith, Ian (1 March 2019). "The FT 1000: third annual list of Europe's fastest-growing companies". The Financial Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  8. 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.
  9. Shead, Sam (10 May 2010). "Uber's Rocky Road to Growth in Europe: Regulators, Rivals and Riots". Forbes. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. Seddon, Max (6 April 2018). "Russian ride-hailing app returns to take on Uber in London". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  13. Care, Scott (25 November 2019). "Alternatives to Uber: The best ride-hailing apps for Uber deserters". TechWorld. International Data Group. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  14. Dombrova, Helen (21 November 2013). "В Петербург через Пермь" [Through Perm to St. Petersburg] (in Russian). Delovoy Peterburg.
  15. Rhyzhkov, Roman (26 January 2018). "Лондон поднимут на Wheely" [London to Be Raised on Wheely] (in Russian). ‘Kommersant’ magazine.
  16. Belyanin, Alexey (1 February 2018). "Экспансия через слияние: на рынок такси Краснодара выходит сервис Wheely" [Expansion via Acquisition: Wheely Enters Krasnodar Market] (in Russian). RBK.
  17. Katwala, Amit (26 November 2019). "From Bolt to Kapten, Uber's London rivals are plotting its downfall". Wired.
  18. Wills, Ella (23 July 2018). "Luxury ride-hailing app Wheely launches in London offering chauffeur service". Evening Standard.
  19. Lanxon, Nate (26 April 2019). "Luxury Ride-Hailing Startup Picks London Over Moscow for New HQ". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  20. Heathman, Amelia (10 February 2020). "From Bolt to Ola: the next-generation of UK taxi apps to know". Evening Standard.
  21. Lelièvre, Adrien (17 September 2019). "Le VTC de luxe Wheely débarque à Paris". Les Echos (in French). Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  22. Dillet, Romain (26 April 2019). "Wheely raises US$15 million for its luxury ride-hailing app". TechCrunch. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  23. Gothard, Peter (10 June 2013). "Russian app-based taxi startup Wheely takes aim at London's Addison Lee". Computing.
  24. "Лондон поднимут на Wheely" [Wheely to launch in London]. Kommersant (in Russian). 14. 26 January 2018. p. 12.
  25. Николаева, Елена (23 April 2019). Делай сегодня! Опыт 64 успешных российских стартапов. Litres. p. 431.
  26. Nikolaeva, Elena (17 January 2013). "Такси online" [Taxis online]. Expert (in Russian). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  27. Seddon, Max (6 April 2018). "Russian ride-hailing app returns to take on Uber in London". Financial Times.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.