A Royal Dutch Shell owned start-up has denied that it will operate in direct competition with existing ride hailing apps, such as Uber.
FarePilot, a creation of Shell’s digital ventures arm, is a free data app that allows taxi drivers to find passenger hotspots.
The free app is also designed to alert drivers to areas where large numbers of drivers are congregating.
While some news sources have suggested that Shell subsidiary, FarePilot, is planning to unleash a new app which would operate in direct competition to Uber, both Shell and FarePilot deny the claims.
Suspicions were raised about the new app when it became known that FarePilot applied for a private hire licence with Transport for London.
The oil giant currently own 70% of FarePilot, with private shareholders making up the remaining percentage.
A FarePilot spokesperson said: “FarePilot is not a ride-hailing business, but does help any private hire and taxi driver in other ways. Our customer hotspot recommendations use a variety of data sources to predict customer demand in a city, helping drivers save time, petrol and earn more.
“Our algorithm also takes traffic and driver supply into account, guiding drivers away from areas of dense supply (lots of drivers) and heavy congestion. It was created to help private hire & taxi drivers make more money and spend less time on the road.
“We hope drivers will consider FarePilot as a daily co-pilot or travelling companion, something to improve their working life by giving them the right tools to do their job.”