Phase 1
Bude & North Cornwall
WhyDrive's home area, where the platform and its dispatch rules are being proven with a trusted group of local drivers before wider onboarding.
For drivers & taxi operators
Your taxi business. Your customers. Our smart technology.
More opportunities. Less empty mileage. Smarter dispatch.
WhyDrive gives independent taxi and private hire operators shared booking technology and access to extra journeys through a growing local network — without giving up your business.
You stay independent
Joining WhyDrive does not mean handing over your taxi business.
WhyDrive provides shared technology and access to booking opportunities through the network. It is designed to complement your existing operation, not replace it.
WhyDrive is not buying, franchising or taking ownership of your business.
You keep:
- Your own registered taxi business
- Your trading name and branding
- Your vehicles and employees
- Your existing customers
- Your taxi and private hire licences
- Your own payment arrangements
- Your responsibility for operating legally
- Your freedom to accept work independently of WhyDrive
Why join WhyDrive?
Smart technology is the future of local taxis. Be part of it.
Customers increasingly expect to book in an app. They don't want to ring numerous taxi companies looking for one with a free vehicle. WhyDrive brings customers and participating independent operators together in one convenient place.
Bookings while you drive
Customers can request journeys at any time in the app. Requests aren't lost because you couldn't answer the phone mid-journey.
Extra enquiries
Instead of relying only on telephone calls, the shared booking system can bring you opportunities you might otherwise never receive.
Smart, automated dispatch
Allocation considers availability, vehicle suitability, pickup position and recent workload — automatically and consistently.
Route-aware pricing
Fares are calculated from road routes and the applicable pricing rules, so customers see a clear price before they book.
Digital records
Bookings, messages and allocation history are recorded digitally, making disputes and admin simpler to resolve.
A network that grows stronger
The more participating operators and customers there are, the more useful the network becomes for everyone in it.
We can't promise a particular volume of bookings. The number of journeys you receive will depend on demand, your availability, your vehicles and where you operate.
Reducing dead mileage
Why drive empty when your next booking could be waiting?
Taxi operators often complete journeys away from their normal operating area and return without a passenger.
WhyDrive is designed to help participating operators access suitable bookings across the network. For example, a driver completes a journey from Bude to Exeter. Another customer may need a journey from Exeter towards North Cornwall.
Where licensing rules, availability, location and other requirements permit, the WhyDrive system can identify a suitable opportunity that may reduce otherwise-empty mileage — improving vehicle utilisation and generating additional revenue.
Matching journeys are not guaranteed. Not every return journey will be available, profitable or legally permissible for your licence — for example, a hackney carriage can only be pre-booked outside its licensed zone, and private hire work must be booked through a licensed operator.
Growing the network
More areas. More bookings. Fewer empty miles.
WhyDrive is rolling out area by area. Every new area adds more places you can receive bookings from — and more chances to turn a drop-off into your next pickup.
Phase 2
Wider Cornwall & North and West Devon
Bringing in operators in neighbouring towns and along key routes such as the A39 and A30, so journeys between areas can be served from both ends.
Phase 3
South West hubs & airports
Connecting operators around regional cities, airports and rail stations, where long-distance drop-offs most often end in an empty journey home.
New areas open as operators join and once the platform meets our internal acceptance tests. Timings depend on operator participation, local licensing and demand, so we don't promise dates. Register your interest now and we'll contact you as your area opens.
Automated fairness module
Fair bookings. Smart allocation. No favourites.
WhyDrive Smart Dispatch is designed around transparent, automated job-allocation principles. Nobody — not an owner, a dispatcher or a driver — hand-picks who gets the next WhyDrive booking.
Designed & in pilot testingThe system considers:
- Online & availableWhether the driver is online and available.
- Licensed & eligibleWhether the driver and vehicle are appropriately licensed and eligible.
- Right vehicleWhether the vehicle has suitable seating and luggage capacity.
- Sensible pickupDistance from the customer and realistic pickup suitability.
- Right timeDriver availability for the requested date and time.
- Right areaRelevant service area and operating restrictions.
- Recent historyRecent allocation history and opportunities already received.
- Fair spreadSuitable allocation across eligible participating operators.
When several drivers are suitable, the system considers proximity and recent job-allocation history to avoid repeatedly favouring the same operator. Long-distance and airport bookings are balanced separately across eligible participating drivers using the same defined fairness rules, so higher-value work is shared fairly too.
A driver who is genuinely unavailable is skipped automatically — that isn't treated as a refusal, and doesn't push them to the back of the queue.
The process is intended to be automated. Legitimate manual intervention may occasionally be needed for exceptional situations such as safety, cancellations or operational failures — and those interventions are recorded too.
The aim: consistent, transparent, non-discriminatory opportunities for every participating operator.
No pay-to-jump-the-queuePaying more never buys priority over other suitable drivers.
No favouritesNo hidden manual favouritism and no fastest-finger race.
Auditable recordsWhyDrive records why each driver was selected or skipped.
Same rules for allThe same technology and rules apply to every participating driver.
The fairness module is currently being proven in an internal pilot. We will not describe allocation as independently verified until it has been tested and audited.
Compliance made easier
Keep on top of your badge, plate and paperwork.
Store each driver's and vehicle's key documents with their expiry dates, and let WhyDrive keep watch.
- Record driver badge, vehicle plate (licence) and insurance details with expiry dates.
- Get reminders 30 days before a document expires, so renewals don't sneak up on you.
- If a required document expires or can't be verified, WhyDrive pauses new allocations to that driver or vehicle until it's updated — protecting passengers and your licence.
- Interim inspection and MOT date reminders are being added.
Compliance reminders help you stay organised. They don't replace your own legal responsibilities or your licensing authority's requirements.
Compliance — Vehicle 1Illustrative example
Driver badgeExpires 14 Mar 2027
CurrentVehicle plateExpires in 21 days
Reminder sentInsuranceExpires 2 Jun 2027
CurrentInterim inspectionDate reminders
Coming soonMOTDate reminders
Coming soonReminders start 30 days before expiry. Expired or unverified required documents pause new allocations.
Tariffs & licensing
Pricing that respects the rules you work under.
WhyDrive must respect the licensing and tariff requirements that apply to each participating operator and each journey. Estimates are determined using the applicable legal and commercial pricing rules.
Hackney carriage
Hackney carriage fares are subject to the maximum fares set by the licensing council. In Cornwall, hackney carriages are licensed in six zones, each with its own maximum table of fares. Day, night, weekend and bank holiday rates and permitted extras apply as set out in the relevant table.
The applicable maximum metered fare for the zone and vehicle must be respected. Charging less than the maximum is allowed.
Private hire
Private hire journeys must be pre-booked through a licensed private hire operator, using a licensed driver and vehicle. Private hire fares are not set by the hackney carriage tariff and should be agreed in advance.
In Cornwall, private hire vehicles aren't restricted to a zone and can work across the county, subject to their licence conditions.
Cornwall Council has been reviewing whether to keep its six hackney carriage zones or merge them into a single county-wide zone with one table of fares. We follow the latest published rules and update pricing when they change. Always check the current position on the Cornwall Council taxi and private hire licensing pages. Operators licensed by other councils must follow their own authority's rules.
We never promise a universally fixed fare where the final lawful charge may differ. Tariff compliance is built into the booking system's pricing rules, not just described here.
Operator pricing
Simple weekly pricing. No commission on your fares.
One flat weekly subscription per vehicle for access to the WhyDrive platform and network booking opportunities.
- The subscription is a fixed weekly fee — it isn't a commission on your journeys.
- You receive your own customer journey payments, subject to the final agreed payment arrangements.
- Paid weekly by standing order.
This is an introductory early adoption offer. Operators who join later may be offered different pricing tiers. The full subscription agreement — including the introductory period, notice of future price changes, pauses and cancellation — will be provided and agreed before any payment is collected. See our operator terms.
Early adoption rate
£39per week
per vehicle
per vehicle
Payment by standing order.
6-month price guarantee. Your £39 early adoption rate is fixed for your first six months — no price rises during that period.
- Access to WhyDrive network booking opportunities
- Driver app with automated fair dispatch
- Compliance document reminders
- Keep your own business, brand and customers
Example return on subscription
How many extra bookings cover £39?
At a £39 weekly subscription, a few additional bookings can exceed the fee in gross fare revenue. But gross revenue isn't profit — so use the calculator to estimate your contribution after journey costs.
Gross fare examples
| Average fare | Bookings | Gross fares vs £39 |
|---|---|---|
| £15 | 3 | £45 ✓ |
| £20 | 2 | £40 ✓ |
| £25 | 2 | £50 ✓ |
| £40 | 1 | £40 ✓ |
| £80 | 1 | £80 ✓ |
Very important: these figures are gross fare revenue, not profit. Fuel, mileage, insurance, labour, tax, vehicle maintenance, empty running and other operating costs still apply.
Operator questions
Questions operators ask us
Do I have to give WhyDrive my existing customers?
No. Your customers remain yours. WhyDrive adds extra booking opportunities from the network; it doesn't take over your existing work.
Can I still take my own bookings?
Yes. You remain free to accept work independently of WhyDrive. Mark yourself unavailable in the driver app when you're busy with your own work and WhyDrive will skip you automatically, without counting it as a refusal.
Does WhyDrive take a commission?
No. You pay a fixed weekly subscription per vehicle — currently the £39 early adoption rate. It isn't a commission on your fares. You receive your own customer journey payments, subject to the final agreed payment arrangements.
How are WhyDrive jobs allocated?
Automatically, using the fairness rules above: availability, licensing and eligibility, vehicle suitability, pickup position, timing, service area and recent allocation history. Only the selected driver receives the offer, and paying more never buys priority.
Who sets the fares?
Customer prices are calculated by the WhyDrive pricing rules, which must comply with the tariff and licensing requirements that apply to the journey and operator — including any council maximum hackney carriage fares.
Which licences do I need?
You must hold the appropriate, valid licences from your licensing authority for your business, drivers and vehicles — hackney carriage, private hire, or both — plus suitable insurance. We'll ask for documents and expiry dates as part of onboarding.
Can my subscription be paused or cancelled?
Yes, in some circumstances — for example if a required document expires, or if you ask to pause or leave. The reasons and notice periods are summarised in our operator terms and will be set out in full in your subscription agreement.
Is WhyDrive available in my area?
WhyDrive is piloting in Bude and North Cornwall and expanding area by area. Send an enquiry wherever you're based — it helps us plan where to open next.
Join WhyDrive
Ready to grow your taxi business with smart technology?
Tell us about your business and vehicles. It takes about five minutes and there's no obligation.