Our History

In the early 2000s, Londoner Justin Peters was beginning to think that there had to be a better solution for cab customers than phoning a local fleet. His vision was to consolidate and improve the minicab sector through technology. In 2008 Justin left his job in the City and gained two years of valuable experience working as a controller in a local minicab office. By 2011, with GPS-based dispatch technologies fixing many of the supply issues and smartphones putting power in the hands of passengers, the time was right for a cab app and with a great team and the support of some well-known angel investors, Kabbee was launched.

The Opportunity

Since licensing in the late 1990s, the minicab sector grew steadily but standards and car availability were often low. In London 62,000 cars are spread across 3000 fleets (http://bit.ly/1M9TFYs). In the rest of England & Wales, fragmentation is even more severe with 108,000 cars spread across 11,800 fleets. Fragmentation means small fleets are unable to invest in marketing and technology and thereby grow their business and coverage. Drivers sent on long journeys almost always return empty. For customers, market fragmentation meant awareness of local cab companies was often restricted to locals. Aggregation provides the opportunity for fleets to benefit from marketplace dynamics, drivers to reduce dead mileage and customers to get good service and value wherever they are. Price comparison has revolutionised other fragmented industries like hotels or insurance, and Kabbee brings these benefits to minicabs.

Our Motivation

Justin and the co-Founders knew they could solve the problems with technology. GPS based mobile apps provide an effortless booking experience, price comparison ensures value for customers, and the scale of Kabbee’s aggregated fleet means any driver can pick up jobs wherever they drop off. There’s no longer a need for local brand awareness. Kabbee’s mission is to improve the efficiency and quality of the cab sector by empowering both passengers & fleets. This fits with Kabbee’s longer term vision which is to change the way the UK moves, one journey at a time.

Our Impact

Kabbee’s strategy is to provide the best pre-booked mobile experience to minicab users and to be the lead UK wide minicab aggregator by the end of 2016. Kabbee’s innovation of working with incumbent dispatch systems has been honed in London and Kabbee is poised to take this approach to the rest of the UK, meaning Kabbee will be the first fully integrated national minicab app. Kabbee’s growth will channel demand towards partner fleets and accelerate consolidation that is necessary to ensure better fleets grow. Kabbee intends to become the first “all in one” proposition for cab users in the UK, as well as enabling digital partners to add cab bookings to their existing propositions.