What is Ride-Hailing?┃Available Ride-Hailing Platforms in Romania (2023 Update)

8 MINS READ | RIDE-HAILING BLOG

Romania is currently in a state of transition where modern mobility methods like ride-hailing are slowly overtaking public transportation in the country. Trams, buses, trains, and taxis are the public transportation methods that will most likely be vulnerable to being dispatched by these modern transport systems because they could neither provide a better transport attitude nor stand with the convenience brought by modernization.

This blog will cover the exact definition of ride-hailing, how it affects the local taxis in Romania (especially in Bucharest), and how it will bring a better transportation system in Romania.

In this article we will cover the following subjects:

  1. What is Ride-Hailing?
  2. How do ride-hailing services ‘outstands’ local taxis?
  3. Can ride-hailing bring ease to the transportation demand in Romania?
  4. Available Ride-Hailing Platforms in Romania

Modern mobility methods are often hailed by many as the “future of public transportation” and are known to provide convenience and utilize high technology, such as a book a transport using a smartphone or tracking your route with GPS. Modern mobility methods also promote safe, sustainable, and cheap travel. As a result, they became pleasing to commuters and sustainable to the environment, reducing traffic congestion and environmental carbon footprint

Lastly, we might also realize the fact that the pandemic also contributed largely to the rise of ride-hailing services yet decreased the demand for local Romanian taxis. Therefore, modern mobility methods like car-sharingride-sharing, and ride-hailing are a trend these days since customers tend to hail a ride using their mobile phones rather than waiting for hours on a street corner. And because of this, local taxis are not able to compete with them. Taxi cabs that are once dominant in the local cities and Bucharest are slowly left behind.


What is Ride-Hailing?

Ride-hailing (often termed ride-sharing) is a modern mobility strategy where private car owners allow themselves to pick up passengers to transport them to a location for a fee. When booking a ride, it only takes a phone and the internet for customers to arrange a schedule and a few minutes to be accepted by the rider.

Ride-hailing benefits both the driver and the passenger in the sense that it provides a source of revenue for car maintenance or daily expenses. In contrast, it offers safe and convenient transportation to passengers. Since many companies invested in ride-hailing in Romania, private car owners have many companies they are free to choose to work with. This comes with memberships, benefits, and many more!

How do ride-hailing services ‘outstands’ local taxis?

Most local taxi drivers assume that the reason for the decrease in the number of their passengers is the emergence of ride-hailing services. This is true at some point, yet the explanation is much deeper than what the taxi drivers are stating. Indeed, ride-hailing services are way better at providing convenience that tends to attract many customers. However, local taxis also offer benefits like lower prices and a meter fee system that only costs the distance and duration of travel. So how does ride-hailing seems ‘preferred’ over taxis? 

Source: Schaller’s Report 2018, A graph about the annual ridership in billions of TNC and taxis in the US from 1990-2017.

According to Turp-Balazs in this blog published in Emerging Europe titled “Finally, Romania authorizes ride-sharing services,” there are some cases where taxi drivers in Bucharest tend to go over the line and take advantage of their customers—for example, requesting additional fees beyond what the meter system indicates. Distance preferences of taxi drivers might influence this attitude. If the location seems far from their preferred range, there will always be a top-up. Additionally, there are many cases where most taxi drivers do not follow basic road rules, such as the road speed limit, road signs, and traffic lights.

The situation above is a clear example that ride-hailing services are not always the reason for taxi driver’s problems. Some reasons may find within themselves or with their colleague taxi drivers. Ride-hailing services are the only different mobility strategy that passengers resort to when they are used to typical taxi drivers’ attitudes.

Can ride-hailing bring ease to the transportation demand in Romania?

Discussing ride-hailing services in a public forum or general discussion is often accompanied by two frequently asked questions: (1) Can ride-hailing services provide the expected transportation demand in Romania? and (2) Could it be the solution we have been waiting for in the last decade? Ride-hailing has been convenient and has offered many benefits to Romanians since its launch in 2019. The modern mobility strategy was only introduced in the country in late 2019 due to undefined laws. Thankfully, a green signal was declared by the Romanian government thru an emergency decree and opened an opportunity for the companies to provide meaningful services to the people.

Just like other public transportation, ride-hailing drivers do not operate freely. According to the law, strict measures and guides are required before and during the ride. For example, ride-hailing fees are presented during booking and are recorded online, so drivers cannot self-declare a fee, which ensures the budget of the passenger. One way to measure if ride-hailing is beneficial or not is to compare it to other mobility methods. Take a look at the table given below.

Ride-hailingCar-sharingRide-SharingLocal Taxi
AccessibilityThrough phoneThrough phone or websiteThrough phoneThrough street waiting
AvailabilityWeekdays
Working Hours
24/7Whole Week
Working Hours
24/7
Car OwnershipPrivateCompany-owned or private
(if peer-to-peer)
PrivateCompany-owned
SafetySomeone drives for you. The car is strictly maintained. Completely safe.The car is maintained by the company for every
use. Completely safe.
Someone drives for you. The car is strictly maintained. Completely safe.Someone drives for you. The car is strictly maintained. Completely safe.
Table comparison of different mobility strategies

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Since ride-hailing was predicted to be dominant in the future of mobility, large companies are coming together to take advantage of it. These companies are called Transportation Network Companies, or TNCs. The purpose of TNCs is to provide on-demand transportation services for passengers. However, the catch here is that they do not own vehicles or operate conventional dispatch centres. Instead, they gather car owners signed up for ride-hailing and connect with taxi services in the area. The car is neither shared with any other riders nor makes several stops along a route.

Ride-hailing service is available in major cities, especially in Bucharest, whereas we might find various ride-hailing services in all kinds of areas. But worry no more since we have compiled the best ride-hailing platforms along with their fees, location range, and benefits in this blog.


Available Ride-Hailing Platforms in Romania


1. BOLT

Bolt is another ride-hailing platform that provides excellent service and a wide range of benefits for its users. Yet, Bolt is special in Romania and became the face of ride-hailing. It is the first platform to reach ten of the largest cities in the country, namely: Arad, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Craiova, Galati, Iasi, Oradea, Pitesti, Ploiesti, and Timisoara. 

Bolt is widely known for being operational in most parts of Europe. Founded in Estonia in 2013 and currently has 1 million drivers and 50 million registered users, it only entered the Romanian market in 2016. However, they quickly expanded their service and now are covering 11 major cities as of 2020.

Bolt service in Romania offers four categories of vehicles depending on the wanted feature of the users. In the list below, you can learn more information about the respective categories.

  1. Casual Bolt: A good choice for new users wanted to try the Bolt service. Casual Bolt rides are indeed fast and convenient.
  2. Bolt Protect: If you want to ensure your safety while travelling during the pandemic fully, choose Bolt Protect. The car includes a series of partition screens installed by trusted manufacturers. This separates the driver and the passenger.
  3. Bolt Comfort: A special Bolt feature to promote good quality drivers and comfortable rides to passengers. However, Bolt drivers must meet the following requirements to be eligible for Bolt Comfort. This includes:
  • A vehicle with an engine capacity of 1.5L and above;
  • Passed a vehicle inspection;
  • Maintain an average rating of 4.6 stars and above;
  • Attend training.

4. Bolt Green: Bolt also encourages its users to be sustainable to the environment by offering ‘Bolt Green.‘ This includes eco-friendly cars known to emit less carbon footprint and can travel highways in a greener solution.

Yet aside from the ride-hailing service they offer, Bolt also introduces food delivery. Only a few platforms can provide food delivery services, and Romania is fortunate to have these platforms for the convenience of its people.

The photo was taken from Bolt Romania Website

2. UBER

Uber is a famous ride-hailing service that originated in the United States—serving locals in San Francisco, California, to have convenient rides amid traffic congestion. Uber makes its way to continental Europe, and surprisingly, Romania is one of the selected countries Uber holds its biggest platform in Europe.

Uber Romania launched its platform in the city of Bucharest in February 2015. According to Uber Blog, the ride-hailing company is still operational up to this day and has reached over a million riders and drivers throughout Romania.

Bucharest is essential in the history of Uber as the ride-hailing service in Romania was launched in the capital city. Later on, Bucharest was chosen and became the first city in Eastern Europe to use a sustainable, fully electric ride-sharing service or ‘Uber Green.’ Uber Green now has 70,000 users throughout Europe, a significant step in having a sustainable environment.

Uber is dedicated to continuing to develop its service in the country, work under the law, and coordinate with other transportation providers to modernize the regulatory framework and to improve the mobility issues that all services face in the major cities in Romania, such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and overcrowding of parking spaces.

On the 9th of December 2021, Uber expanded their service in the northern part of the country by including the city of Buzău and Bacău. Uber has now reached 15 cities in Romania, Bucharest, Timișoara, Cluj, Brașov, Iași, Constanța, Craiova, Galați, Pitești, Ploiești, Oradea, Brăila, Sibiu and now Buzău and Bacău.

Aside from Bolt, Uber also launched its food delivery service called ‘Uber Eats,’ which supports hundreds of local restaurants to grow their enterprise conveniently and reach more Romanian customers anywhere in the country.

However, one of the major advantages of Uber users is they can reserve a ride up to 30 days in advance. Any time and any day, as long the users have internet and a smartphone, they can book within a minute. With this, you can plan ahead of your schedule and remove worries about finding a convenient ride in the city.

The photo was taken from the Uber Romania Website

3. BLA BLA CAR

BlaBlaCar is a lesser-known but increasingly popular ride-sharing service operating in Romania. The service is available across the world and allows individuals to offer rides to other users who want to travel to the same destination. By matching drivers with passengers who are willing to pay for a ride, BlaBlaCar helps people save money on travel costs and also helps reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions.

The service is popular with both tourists and locals in Romania and has become an important part of the country’s transport landscape.

The BlaBlaCar app is a convenient way for users to access the ride-sharing service from their mobile devices. The app allows users to easily search for rides, book seats on upcoming trips and communicate with other users. The app also includes features such as ratings and reviews, so users can get an idea of the reliability and trustworthiness of the drivers they are considering riding with.

Overall, the BlaBlaCar app allows users to easily and conveniently access the ride-sharing service and make the most of their travel experiences.

The photo was taken from the Bla Bla Car Website

4. FREE NOW

Free Now is a licensed app for Black Cabs, PHVs and taxis in 10 European countries. It also offers its services in 100 cities across Europe. The only travel app where you can choose a Black Cab, an eco-friendly taxi or an electric PHV every time you take a trip! Same great service, with less environmental impact.

Free Now has unfortunately exited the Romanian market on 30 June 2022. The decision was announced by the company, which cited competitive market conditions as the reason for leaving. Free Now will continue to operate in other European countries, where it has established a strong presence and a loyal customer base. The decision to leave the Romanian market is part of the company’s strategy to focus on markets where it can develop and expand its business.

FREE NOW is available in other European countries and you can use the app when visiting countries such as Germany, Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Greece. Check beforehand the availability of FREE NOW services in your country when you need transport.

During the Pandemic, FREE NOW offered free travel to anyone in Europe, including Romania, for those vaccinated against COVID-19. They also offered free rides to health workers and staff risking their lives on the front line. FREE NOW truly proves its name “Free!” But joking aside, these are all part of the company’s initiatives that deserve to be recognized and placed here on our list.

Using their mobile app allows you to track your driver. If you’re worried about booking your upcoming trip, you can book up to 4 days in advance. FREE NOW has a simple mobile app where you simply enter your location and destination point. Upon entering the location, cars and taxis will appear on the screen, along with estimated travel time, fee, route and availability. Sorting vehicles so you can easily find your preferred vehicle can also be done with the app.

After the departure of Free Now, Bolt and Uber will remain the dominant players in the Romanian ride-sharing market. Both companies have a larger market share compared to Free Now and are expected to continue to provide reliable transportation services to passengers in the country.

The photo was taken from the FREE NOW Website

Take a Ride Now!

Are you now ready to take ride-hailing in Romania? Try these platforms anywhere you are in the country! Tell your friends and colleagues about this blog if you find this read worth reading!


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