Work with us
Drive with a company that values the person behind the wheel.
Fair commission. Clear payments. Freedom to choose your work. And real people when you need support.
Built by people who understand the job.
RideWise was founded by people who've worked in passenger transport and private hire since 2011 — 15 years between them by now, on both sides of the industry. Not just running journeys. Managing them, and sometimes driving them.
That means this business wasn't designed by someone looking at private hire from the outside. We've seen good, professional drivers squeezed by rising commissions, left waiting on money they'd already earned, and treated like a resource rather than the person actually doing the job — while the passenger experience suffered right alongside it.
RideWise exists because we think there's a fairer way to do this. Not by claiming everyone else gets it wrong — by building something we'd have wanted to drive for ourselves.
Look after the people who look after our passengers.
A respected, fairly treated driver takes more pride in representing RideWise — and that shows up in the passenger experience we're trying to build.
One straightforward commission. 20%.
You should know what a job is worth before you accept it.
Illustrative example — a £100 fare
Customer fare
£100
RideWise
£20
Driver
£80
An illustrative example of the standard 20% commission split, not an earnings guarantee. Your actual take doesn't account for fuel, vehicle costs, or other expenses of running your own business.
£0
Joining fee
100%
Of tips to you
100%
Of waiting charges to you
Weekly
Standard settlement
Fair should be simple.
No complicated tiers to decode. No fine print that works against you.
- No complicated commission tiers
- No joining fee
- No exclusivity requirement
- No penalty for declining offered work
- No commission on tips
- No commission on additional waiting charges
- Clear payment arrangements, explained upfront
Your time has value.
Chargeable waiting time
If a passenger's journey results in chargeable additional waiting time under RideWise's terms, the waiting charge goes to you — 20% isn't taken from it. 100%.
Cancellations & no-shows
Committing your time to a booking shouldn't mean losing everything if it falls through late. Where RideWise successfully collects an applicable cancellation or no-show charge for a job you'd been allocated, you receive your normal share after the standard commission — subject to the booking terms and circumstances. We can't promise a share of a charge we haven't collected, and not every cancellation results in one.
Your vehicle. Your time. Your choice.
RideWise drivers are self-employed. Working with us doesn't mean giving up everything else — you can keep working with other operators and taking on your own lawful work, subject to your licensing requirements.
When suitable work becomes available, we can offer it to you. If it works for you, accept it. If it doesn't, decline it. No drama, and no punishment for saying no. Once you've accepted a job, though, we're relying on you to see it through professionally.
Good drivers deserve good support.
An app can't solve everything. Sometimes you need a person.
Technology helps us run the operation efficiently — booking, dispatch, flight and sailing tracking, all working quietly in the background. It shouldn't mean leaving you on your own when something genuinely needs sorting out.
When it does, there's a real person at RideWise you can reach.
More than just another trip across town.
We're building a specialist reputation around airport, cruise, and long-distance transfer work. These customers value professionalism, clean vehicles, communication, and a calm, comfortable journey — so we're looking for drivers who take genuine pride in delivering that.
Airports
Heathrow, Gatwick, and every major UK airport. Customers with flights to catch and connections that matter.
Cruise terminals
Every Southampton cruise terminal, plus Portsmouth, Tilbury, and Dover. Often families, often heavy luggage.
Long distance
Southampton to hotels and destinations across the country — the kind of journey worth doing properly.
Local work may be introduced or expanded later. We don't promise a specific quantity of work — what's available varies.
We're not looking for the cheapest driver.
We're looking for the right drivers.
Professional private hire drivers who
- Take pride in their vehicle
- Arrive professionally presented
- Communicate clearly and courteously
- Treat passengers with respect
- Help with luggage where appropriate
- Drive safely and dependably
- Show up for jobs they've accepted
- Understand that a cruise or airport passenger might be travelling with a family, a schedule, and a lot of luggage
And in return, they should expect to be treated professionally too.
What you'll need to apply
- A valid Southampton City Council private hire driver licence
- An appropriately licensed private hire vehicle
- Appropriate private hire / hire-and-reward insurance
- A valid DVLA driving licence
- A smartphone that can run the systems RideWise work requires
- The legal right to work in the UK
- A clean, well-presented, roadworthy vehicle
Any Southampton City Council-licensed private hire vehicle can apply — we're not restricted to executive cars. What matters most is that it's correctly licensed, insured, safe, clean, and suited to the passengers and luggage it'll carry.
Standards work both ways
The two-way promise.
What passengers can expect from you
- Professionalism
- Courtesy
- Reliability, once a job is accepted
- A clean vehicle
- Safe driving
- Good communication
- Helpfulness with luggage
What you can expect from RideWise
- Respect
- Transparency
- A fixed 20% commission
- Clear payment arrangements
- Freedom to choose the work that suits you
- Real support from real people
- No joining fee
Starting at home. Building something bigger.
We're currently building our Southampton driver network, so applications are aimed at Southampton City Council-licensed drivers and vehicles. As RideWise grows and secures the right operator licensing and arrangements for other areas, we intend to expand the driver network too.
Licensed somewhere else? You can still apply — tell us in the application, and we'll keep your details on file for when that changes.
Interested? Let's talk.
Applications are reviewed by a real person, and successful applicants are contacted about next steps. Submitting this doesn't create a contractual relationship on its own.
Step 1 of 6
About you
Driver FAQ
A fixed 20% on RideWise fares. No sliding scale, and no higher rate because a job happens to be worth more.
No.
Where RideWise has collected money due to you, it's normally settled weekly, and sometimes sooner. We'll never leave you chasing us for money you've already earned.
Yes. You're self-employed, and RideWise doesn't require exclusivity.
No. You decide whether offered work suits you. Once you've accepted a job, though, we expect it to be carried out professionally, subject to the driver agreement and genuinely exceptional circumstances.
You do. 100%, always.
You do. RideWise doesn't take its commission from chargeable waiting time — 100% goes to the driver.
Where an applicable cancellation or no-show charge is successfully collected for a job you were allocated, you receive your normal share after RideWise's standard commission, subject to the booking terms and circumstances. We can't pay out a charge we haven't collected.
We're currently onboarding drivers licensed by Southampton City Council, with an appropriately licensed vehicle. If you're licensed elsewhere, you can still apply and register your interest for when that changes.
Initially, our focus is airport, cruise, and long-distance transfer work. How much work is available varies and isn't guaranteed.
No. We don't guarantee a minimum number or value of bookings.
Good drivers have choices.
Give RideWise a chance to earn yours.
If you're a professional Southampton private hire driver who takes pride in looking after passengers, and wants to work with an operator that believes fairness should work both ways, we'd like to hear from you.