Luxury ride-hailing app Wheely launches in London offering chauffeur service

Wheely offers luxury cars driven by chauffeurs via a ride-hailing app
Ella Wills23 July 2018

A premium ride-hailing app offering chauffeur-driven cars has relaunched in London, with a license to operate until 2023.

Wheely, an on-demand online service for ordering luxury and executive rides, was forced to pull out of the capital's private transport market five years ago after launching as an Uber-style Prius operator.

Now the app, founded by 29-year-old Anton Chirkunov, is exclusively targeting the chauffeur market, with a fleet of executive (Mercedes E-class) and luxury (S-class) driver-owned cars.

Wheely chauffeurs are smartly dressed, will have an umbrella to shield passengers from the weather, and provide a service including holding the door open for customers and helping them with their luggage.

Following a soft launch in February 2018, the app began operating a full service in the capital in June.

The app was founded by 29-year-old Anton Chirkunov
Wheely

The service, also available in Russia, employs licensed drivers who are selected through a strict screening procedure, including a city geography test, and who have several years' executive driving experience.

They are required to own only the newest premium cars - no older than three years.

Drivers are banned from operating if their rating drops lower than 4.85, a spokeswoman told the Standard. At Uber, drivers risk deactivation if they fall below 4.6.

There are currently 200 Wheely drivers in London, and around 2,500 internationally.

But Wheely does not own any cars: in London some 90 per cent are owned by self-employed chauffeurs and 10 per cent by small chauffeur companies.

In April, the firm secured its license to operate a fleet of between 101 and 500 executive driver-owned cars until 2023.

Requesting a car from the premium ride-hailing service is done through the mobile app.

Rides are paid for with a credit or debit card linked to the user's account.

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