If you've been to New York City, you're probably familiar with the city's labyrinthine subways and our iconic yellow taxi cabs. But most are probably unfamiliar with livery cabs or black cars. These are like taxis, except that they generally offer more of a luxury experience and require prearranging with a dispatcher. But with the iPhone app Gett, you can call a black car to your location and pay from your phone.
Gett is available as a free download from the App Store. I had no trouble installing it on my iPhone 6 ( at Amazon) , although the app is also compatible with iPads. One thing you quickly notice about the Gett app is that while it has a very clean design, it doesn't look particularly modern. A design update is overdue.
Start Your Engines
Like Way2ride, an app for hailing and paying for NYC yellow cabs, Gett requires that you create an account. Arro ($0.00 at Apple.com) , a similar e-hailing app, lets you sign up using Facebook, which I prefer. That said, Gett does not require that you create a password for an account. It also makes it easy to input your credit card information by using your iPhone's camera. Unfortunately, Gett does not support PayPal. I guess it's not luxurious enough!
While Editors' Choice Uber ($0.00 at Apple.com) doesn't let you tip, Gett is a more city-friendly app. As with Arro and Way2ride, you can select your Gett default tip amount during setup. Don't worry; you can change it during the ride. The excellent Lyft ($0.00 at Apple.com) has a tipping option, and it also offers Lyft Plus for a roomier, comfier experience that competes with Gett's.
Similar Products
Uber (for iPhone)
Lyft (for iPhone)
Way2ride (for iPhone)
Arro (for iPhone)
Waze (for iPhone)
Transit (for Android)
Like every other taxi app, Gett lets you move a marker on the screen to select your starting location, or you can enter the address manually. What's different is what happens when you tap the Set Pickup button. When you do, Gett lets you choose your destination and spits out an estimated fare. Uber provides this as an option, but I really like how Gett gives me the chance to plan the whole trip all at once. Best of all, you can select a pickup time up to four hours in the future. That's a unique feature! I wish Gett would let me select an option even further out.
I filed my pickup request and was quickly connected with a driver. While he was en route, I could see his picture, the make and model of his car, and his license plate number. I could also call my driver, though I prefer to text, a feature available in both Arro and Way2ride. Gett also provides an estimated time of arrival for your driver, though in my testing the app seemed to have a harder time than other services when it came to displaying my driver's current location. I doubt that my driver's SUV was really spinning around Park Avenue. At least, I hope not.
When my car arrived, Gett handled the rest. Upon arriving, my driver tapped a few buttons and my ride was paid for automatically—tip included. I hopped out of the car, and a receipt was delivered to my email inbox.
On the Road
Gett's website boasts 35,000 taxis across 52 cities. That sounds impressive, but remember that there are 20,000 yellow cabs in NYC alone. Gett is available not only in New York, but also in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Moscow, St Petersburg, and all over Israel, so those cabs are spread more thinly than you might realize. And, while that's a decent number of cities, Uber is available in 61 countries and numerous cities in North America.
While Gett focuses on livery cabs, it also offers some remarkably cheap rides. According to the company, all rides south of 110th street in Manhattan are $10 for a limited time. The app also promises flat rates to New York airports. That said, your average taxi also has flat rates for rides starting from Manhattan to the city's airports.
When I test taxi apps, I make sure to ride with each service. But individual rides don't have much influence over my final score. However, my ride with Gett was the only time a driver was completely unable to navigate to my upper Manhattan home. In fact, he insisted that I use Google Maps on my phone and give him directions. If I were a business person traveling with a boss or a client (keep in mind Gett is supposed to be a luxury service), I would have been mortified. As it is, I wasn't impressed, and this particular ride was dismal enough to affect the score.
The Limits of Luxury
NYC's yellow cabs have improved a lot over the years, but they're still often short on legroom and they're always short on style. If luxury and comfort top your list of transportation requirements, Gett can provide. It sweetens the deal with cheap rides within Manhattan, fare estimations, and the ability to book a ride up to four hours in advance.
That said, Gett's design leaves much to be desired. But more importantly, it doesn't work with yellow cabs available on the streets of New York or through the screens of Arro and Way2ride users. Furthermore, Editors' Choice winner Uber can also call a luxurious black car to you, and Lyft offers a similar luxury feature as well, and both can do far more besides. Compared with any of of these services, Gett just can't compete.
Gett is an iPhone app for summoning a fancy car to whisk you away, but it's a bit too limited for a luxury service.
Apple Fan?
Sign up for our Weekly Apple Brief for the latest news, reviews, tips, and more delivered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Sign up for other newsletters
