- Number of rides soar as London comes out of strict lockdown
- FREE NOW encouraged safe, affordable rides for Londoners in zones 1-6
- Rides up 49% week on week when the pubs opened on Monday
London, 21 April 2021 - FREE NOW has seen a surge of bookings in the UK as lockdown measures in the country were eased. After months of strict lockdown, which continued through the festive season, the relaxing of lockdown rules on Monday 12th April led to a record level of ride-hailing requests this year for leading app FREE NOW while Monday evening saw a 49% uplift in ride-hailing requests week on week.
15:30 on Monday showed the most requests in a minute showing that Londoners were keen to log off early to get their hair cut, or popped for a long awaited pint in the pub. The evening rush to central London (between 5pm and 6pm) highlights that many were keen to go out after a long lockdown.
Soho was the busiest destination for the evening, followed by SW1, Camden and Chelsea showing these popular London hotspots have not lost their shine.
10pm showed a 52% increase in requests vs. the previous Monday and 11pm saw a 53% increase in requests vs. Monday 5th April as Londoner’s headed home after an evening of long awaited normality.
In total, the number of rides rose by 57% week on week, showing that it wasn’t just Monday which sent people to the pubs; consumers have been reaping the benefits of restaurants, outdoor bars as well as hair and beauty therapies.
The week crescendoed on Saturday with a staggering 88% increase in ride requests as people truly embraced the new state of the nation, with plenty of movement around London and surrounding boroughs.
FREE NOW predicts that while this was indeed the first weekend of freedom, consumers will continue to mingle in London in safe and secure locations. As we start to return to normal, it is important to know that the journey is as safe as the destination. FREE NOW is the only ride hailing app to offer an electric booking option throughout the capital, meaning guilt free travel for everyone.
About FREE NOW:
FREE NOW is the multi-service mobility joint venture backed by BMW Group and Daimler AG. Next to ride hailing, FREE NOW also offers micro-mobility services and car sharing. It consists of the services FREE NOW (10 European markets) and Βeat (5 Latin American and 1 European market), Summed up, those services currently attract 50 million users in 15 markets and more than 150 cities and 30,000 corporate clients. FREE NOW is therefore the biggest multi-service mobility provider in Europe and the fastest-growing ride-hailer in Latin America. FREE NOW works with various third party providers to offer their customers an even wider range of options to get from A to B. In total, more than 2,200 employees in around 35 offices work for the services of FREE NOW, which is led by CEO Marc Berg.
Press Contact:
FREE NOW
Lianna McLean
Telephone: 07449923686
E-Mail: lianna.mclean@wcommunications.co.uk
21 April 2021
