You’re not limited to Uber or Taxis if you want to get somewhere specific quickly. Apps like Uber, such as Placie, DiDi and Shebah, operate with fleets of drivers across the country – and could end up saving you money. Here are some rideshare apps you can use in Australia.
Keep in mind that some of these apps might not be available in some parts of the country and that prices can vary depending on high demand, waiting times or fuel price increases.
Uber
Starting off with the most popular option, Uber has dominated the ridesharing space internationally for over a decade now. While it entered the country in a precarious way, Uber’s easily one of the most consistently recognised rideshare apps in Australia.
Using UberX, the standard Uber booking mode, you can expect to pay $2.75 for the base fare, $0.85 for the booking fee, $0.42 per minute and $1.50 per km, with a minimum fare of $9.30. There’s also a cancellation fee of $10.
However, plenty of other Uber options are available, including UberXL (for bigger cars), Uber Pet (for pets) and Uber Comfort (for top-rated driers with new, mid-sized cars).
Ola
Next up we have Ola, an Uber competitor that typically charges less for rides.
According to Finder, Ola’s base fare for the cheapest travel option (Ola Prime Sedan) is $2.50, with a $0.55 booking fee, a per minute cost of $0.40 and $1.45 per km, with a minimum fare of $9. Finder lists the cars available at this tier as the Toyota Camry, Mazda 3 and Holden Cruze.
If you’re interested in getting an SUV or a ‘premium’ luxury vehicle, these options are also available, but of course, cost a little more. A fee of up to $10 can apply if a trip is cancelled.
DiDi
Next is DiDi, another rideshare app operating in Australia.
DiDi’s mostly more of the same, with $2.75 as a base fare, a $0.10 per km compulsory third-party fee, a fare of $1.36 per km travelled (or $1.43 per km between 5 am and 9 am) and a fee of $0.37 per minute during normal hours, or $0.39 per minute in hours between 5 am and 9 am. These costs are explained in the app when you make a booking.
Those time-based cost changes also have an impact on weekend pricing. On the weekend, 1 am to 11 am costs $1.36 per km, plus $0.37 per minute. However, between 11 am and 11 pm, the price goes up to $1.43 per km and $0.39 per minute.
Multiple ride types are also available. Express is the cheapest option as outlined above, while ‘Max’ includes bigger cars. Additionally, ‘Travel’ offers long-distance journeys for up to four people. Cancellation fees range from $7 to $12.
Shebah
Shebah is a rideshare app predominantly available to women, with a focus on customer safety. According to the app’s App Store listing, all drivers undergo rigorous background checks, with baby or booster seats available to book. You can also prefer a driver to be paired with them again.
When you set up an account on Shebah, you’ll be asked which gender you identify with – male or female. If you go male, it’ll specify that you can only ride with Shebah if you are accompanying an adult female with a child or if the male is a child.
Shebah includes a $2 booking fee, or a $3 fee if you’ve requested a preferred driver (and an extra $11 per baby seats needed). It costs $1.21 per km travelled, plus $0.44 per minute travelled.
A base rate applies, though it varies from state to state and depends on peak times. In NSW, it costs $4.13 in off-peak times, or $4.54 in peak times.
The minimum fare is $11.66, and there’s a cancellation fee of $19.16.
InDrive
InDrive is a bit different from the other apps on this list, mostly because it lets the customer pick the price they are willing to spend.
However, once you set up an account in the app, it’ll tell you that ‘InDrive is for longer rides’ – with a minimum fare of $20.
Upon booking a ride with InDrive, you can choose from a list of responding drivers, picking from the driver’s put-forward price (as in, the driver also gets to offer a price), car, ETA and rating. A cancellation fee hasn’t been listed, but we’ve reached out to InDrive to find out.
It’s a novel idea, but at the moment, there are no alternative ride options (for larger cars or pet options).
You might be interested in some other options
In case you want to compare prices or you just want more options, you’re not limited to the five above rideshare apps in Australia. Placie, Bolt, GoCatch and a host of others are free to download and could get you from A to B.