Mobility app Bolt is predicting 90% more taxi rides this Bank Holiday weekend - forecasted to bring the worst traffic the capital has seen since 2016 - after research revealed how Londoners truly feel about their private car.
Research from RAC and transport data experts INRIX glumly predicted it could be a case of ‘double bank holiday traffic trouble’ for drivers over the next two weekends with up to 32m separate leisure trips by car planned.
Bolt has vowed to help keep London moving and can already count 1.5m Londoners as customers of its private-hire offering. Earlier this week Bolt also launched a dedicated ‘Black Cab’ category.
Bolt is taking the opportunity to encourage Londoners to ditch their private car this weekend - or even for good - as its own research reveals the fractured relationship citizens have with the transport mode that was invented hundreds of years ago:
Ignorance might not be bliss after all as 39% of Londoners don’t know how much they spend on their private car per month.
Of those who do know, Londoners are paying £231.61p per month to use and maintain their internal combustion engine car, far more compared to the £182.27p those in Edinburgh pay.
Parking anxiety is real as 54% of Londoners only use their car if they’re sure they have somewhere to easily park at their destination.
Driving anxiety, however, is even more real as 59% of car-owning Londoners strongly or somewhat agree that the prospect of driving in the city centre causes them anxiety.
Bolt’s Country Manager for UK Rides, Josh Ryan, said: “Many Londoners resort to owning a private car because they consider it a rite of passage. Our research reveals this doesn’t play well for their bank balances or stress levels.
“With the next two weekends expected to bring levels of traffic the capital hasn’t seen for many years, this tension is only likely to be exacerbated. Consequently, we thought it was the right time to shine a light not only on the unhappy relationship many have with their private car, but also on the fact that the combination of public transport, shared transport and active travel is more than capable of surpassing the purported convenience and freedom owning a private car supposedly brings.”
