Sherlock Taxi alternative for UK taxi and private hire operators
Sherlock Taxi is an enterprise dispatch system from Haulmont Technology in London, first live in 2012 and built by the team behind Addison Lee's dispatch, sold on a per-driver monthly licence with an implementation charge and figures on request.
CabZen is taxi booking and dispatch software for UK private hire and airport transfer operators, sold as a flat monthly fee from £35 with no commission on fares. This page sets the two side by side: who owns Sherlock Taxi, what it costs where that is published, a feature-by-feature table, who is better served staying on Sherlock Taxi, and what changes if you move.
Last reviewed November 7, 2026 by the CabZen product team.
CabZen in numbers
The cost and commitment questions operators ask first, answered before you read any further.
| Starting price | £35 per month |
|---|---|
| Plans | Starter £35 (5 drivers) · Business £70 (20 drivers) |
| Commission per ride | None. Flat monthly fee only |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card required |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime |
| Extra drivers | £4 per driver, per month, up to 50 vehicles |
| 50+ vehicles | Quoted individually on dedicated infrastructure |
| Dispatch modes | Manual, auto-dispatch and job auction |
| Driver app | Native iOS and Android, included free |
| Included emails | 1,000 per month |
| Setup | Self-serve, or done-for-you for £30 one-off |
What Sherlock Taxi is, and who owns it
From Sherlock Taxi's own website and public announcements, checked 7 November 2026. Sources are listed at the foot of the page.
Bloomsbury, London, UK
Founded 2011.
A Haulmont Technology product. Haulmont is privately owned by seven shareholders, with Addison Lee holding a minority stake.
Not published. Sherlock describes a per-driver, per-month licence on a sliding scale by fleet size, with modules that can be dropped to lower the rate, plus a one-off project management and implementation charge. Support and updates are included.
Fleets of any size up to several thousand vehicles, including Addison Lee, Comcab and LeCab
Auto-allocator aiming at 100% automated dispatch with AI-assisted best-driver selection, bids and offers
CabZen vs Sherlock Taxi, feature by feature
CabZen column from our pricing page. Sherlock Taxi column from its own site, checked 7 November 2026. "Not published" means no figure on their site; "Not listed" means their site does not mention it.
| Category | CabZen | Sherlock Taxi |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing published | Yes, on the pricing page | No, quote on request |
| Price | £35 a month with 5 drivers, or £70 with 20; £4 per extra driver | Not published. Per-driver licence plus implementation fee |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly fee by drivers included | Per driver, per month, plus a one-off implementation fee |
| Commission on fares | None, ever | Not listed on their site |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | Not published |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | Not published |
| Setup fee | None. Done-for-you setup is an optional £30 | Yes, a one-off implementation charge (amount not published) |
| Driver app | Native iOS and Android, free for every driver | Yes, iOS and Android |
| Passenger app | Web booking and passenger accounts included; branded app £500 one-off | Yes, white-label iOS and Android, plus web portal, kiosks and account portal |
| Dispatch | Manual, auto-dispatch and job auction, switchable per vehicle type | Auto-allocator aiming at 100% automated dispatch with AI-assisted best-driver selection, bids and offers |
| Auction or bidding | Yes. Job auction with a reserve price, plus the bid bucket | Bids and offers listed |
| Phone bookings | Caller ID from your own SIP handsets included; hosted call routing with CabZen X | Yes. IVR self-service booking |
| Marketplace or job sharing | None. Every booking and customer stays yours | Not listed |
| Website builder | Yes, templates, custom domain and embeddable widget included | Not listed |
| Partner portal | Yes. Hotels and venues book with their own margin, included | Account and corporate portal listed |
| Built for | Owner-run and mid-sized UK private hire, airport and chauffeur operators; CabZen X for 50+ vehicles | Fleets of any size up to several thousand vehicles, including Addison Lee, Comcab and LeCab |
Where Sherlock Taxi is the better fit, and what changes if you switch
A comparison that only flatters us would not be worth reading. These are the cases where we would tell you to stay.
Stay on Sherlock Taxi if
Switching from Sherlock Taxi to CabZen
Sherlock Taxi pricing vs CabZen at three fleet sizes
Monthly software cost only, before VAT, add-ons and any volume discount. CabZen figures are the same ones on our pricing page.
| Drivers | CabZen | Sherlock Taxi |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Starter £35 a month | Not published |
| 20 | Business £70 a month | Not published |
| 50 | Business £70 plus 30 extra drivers at £4: £190 a month | Not published |
Sherlock Taxi does not publish prices, so there is nothing to put in its column without guessing. Ask them for a written quote at your driver count and compare it with the CabZen figure on the same line.
Putting it in place, and what to ask
A realistic order to set things up in, and the questions worth putting to any supplier before you commit.
Implementation playbook
Vendor decision checklist
What it costs
Every feature on both plans. The only difference is how many drivers you need. No commission on any ride, on either plan.
5 drivers included. Extra drivers £4 each per month, up to 50 vehicles.
20 drivers included. Same features, more capacity.
Optional add-ons: extra booking platforms £15/month, branded driver app £350 one-off, CabZen X priced to your fleet. See the full pricing page.
Is CabZen a good Sherlock Taxi alternative?
For owner-run and mid-sized UK operators, yes. Sherlock Taxi is an enterprise dispatch system from Haulmont Technology in London, first live in 2012 and built by the team behind Addison Lee's dispatch, sold on a per-driver monthly licence with an implementation charge and figures on request. CabZen covers online booking, three dispatch modes, a free driver app, payments, a website builder and a partner portal on a flat monthly fee from £35. The honest exceptions are listed under "Where Sherlock Taxi is the better fit" above.
How does CabZen pricing compare with Sherlock Taxi?
Sherlock Taxi does not publish its pricing. Not published. Sherlock describes a per-driver, per-month licence on a sliding scale by fleet size, with modules that can be dropped to lower the rate, plus a one-off project management and implementation charge. Support and updates are included. CabZen publishes everything: £35 a month with 5 drivers or £70 with 20, plus £4 per extra driver, with no setup fee and no commission on fares.
Who owns Sherlock Taxi?
A Haulmont Technology product. Haulmont is privately owned by seven shareholders, with Addison Lee holding a minority stake. CabZen is built and owned by Nyxano Ltd in Scotland, with no operator, manufacturer or ride-hailing company holding a stake.
Who should stay on Sherlock Taxi?
You run thousands of vehicles or a corporate account business that needs kiosks, account portals and a formal implementation. You want a vendor with a direct line to Addison Lee's way of working. You have paid an implementation fee and are mid-way through a rollout.
What changes when you switch from Sherlock Taxi to CabZen?
No implementation fee and no per-driver licence. One published monthly price, set up by you in about an hour. Job auction and the bid bucket are standard, and the CabZen Driver app is free for every driver. Account customers, corporate invoicing and a hotel partner portal are included rather than modules. Phone bookings use caller ID from your own handsets; hosted call routing is a CabZen X add-on.
How long does switching from Sherlock Taxi take?
Most operators are taking live bookings within about an hour of starting, once vehicle types, pricing and a driver are set up. The parts that take longer are migrating account customers and agreeing a cutover date with your team. Export your customer list from Sherlock Taxi first, and check the exit terms of any fixed contract.
Can I trial CabZen while still running Sherlock Taxi?
Yes, and it is the sensible way to do it. The 14-day trial needs no credit card, so you can run a handful of real jobs through CabZen in parallel before moving anything. Nothing on Sherlock Taxi needs switching off to evaluate it.
Is there a contract or minimum term with CabZen?
No. CabZen is month to month with no minimum term and no cancellation fee. If it is not right for your operation you can stop, and your data is retained for a period afterwards so you can export it.
Is this comparison independent?
No, and we would rather say so. CabZen wrote this page. What we say about ourselves comes from our own product and pricing. What we say about Sherlock Taxi comes from its own website and public announcements, each listed with a source and the date we checked it, and where a figure is not public we say "not published" rather than guess.
Sources for the Sherlock Taxi facts on this page
- Sherlock Taxi pricing: per-driver licence, implementation charge · checked 7 Nov 2026
- Sherlock Taxi about: Haulmont, shareholders, history · checked 7 Nov 2026
- Sherlock Taxi dispatch software · checked 7 Nov 2026
- Sherlock Taxi case studies · checked 7 Nov 2026
Sherlock Taxi and its product names are trademarks of their owners. CabZen is not affiliated with Sherlock Taxi. If you work for Sherlock Taxi and a fact here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
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