Where does the money from your taxi ride really go?

Many people hear taxi drivers complain about the high costs they have to pay to apps. But what exactly is this? What are you actually paying for as a customer, and is the driver right or wrong to complain?

The answer is simple: it depends entirely on the app you use. There are two different ways in which taxi apps work.

Way 1: The app keeps part of your money itself (Margin)

With some well-known taxi apps (such as Sneleentaxi, Dextr/Tripclaimer, Taxiboeken and Qatch) it works like this:

• You book a ride and pay, for example, €50 to the app.
• The app searches for a driver and offers the ride for, for example, €35.
• The driver accepts the ride for €35.

(The amounts mentioned are fictitious example amounts to illustrate the principle. The actual rates of these platforms may differ.)

In this case, the driver does not pay any costs to the app. He knows in advance what he will get and chooses to drive for that amount.

The app pockets the difference (€ 15 in this example) as profit. As a customer, you actually pay extra money to the company behind the app, while that money does not go to the driver who transports you.

Technically, the driver does not pay a commission here, he simply accepts a lower rate than the customer pays. Whether that is fair is another question. In any case, the difference goes to the platform, not to the driver.

Way 2: The driver pays a fixed percentage (Commission)

It works differently with apps such as Uber and Bolt:

• You pay for the ride via the app.
• The app immediately takes a fixed portion of this (on average 30%). This is called commission or mediation costs.
• The driver gets what is left.

Here drivers do have a point if they complain. The prices for the customer are often very low, while the app takes a large share. From the money that remains, the driver also has to pay for fuel, car maintenance and insurance. There is often very little left at the bottom line.

It can also be fairer: Without additional intermediaries

We believe that the money should simply go to the person who does the work: the driver. And that you as a customer do not have to pay too much unnecessarily.

At MatchMyDriver.nl, Cab4Sure.nl and TaxiChatter.nl That's why we do things differently:

• Fair price for you: Requesting a ride is completely free. You pay no hidden extra costs.
• Everything goes to the driver: The amount you pay goes directly to the driver.
• No complicated payments: The driver gets paid fairly for his work.

How does it work?

Cab4Sure & TaxiChatter:You request a ride for a competitive price. Do you agree? The contact details are then exchanged between you and the driver, and your ride is arranged. You pay the fare directly to the driver, not via MatchMyDriver.

MatchMyDriver: You place your ride online. Local drivers offer a price. You choose which driver you want to ride with.

This way you can be sure that your money ends up in the right place: with the driver who takes you safely from A to B!

MatchMyDriver is of course not entirely free of charge for the driver. The driver has a public profile in which reviews can be processed and a link to the driver's website, if applicable. There are direct contact options via WhatsApp and email, in addition to placing ride orders. And the driver has access to the driver app. All that for an annual contribution of € 30.25 incl. 21% VAT.

P.S. Anyway, as long as drivers continue to drive these rides via Uber and Bolt, you as a customer would be crazy not to use them, right? Yet the reality is sad: many of these drivers feel trapped. They drive out of necessity and are afraid that they will not be able to find other work, despite the fact that there is currently a staff shortage almost everywhere. By consciously choosing a fair platform, you help these drivers get out of that spiral.

👉 Try it yourself: matchmydriver.nl, request a ride for free.