Wheely Ltd., commonly known as Wheely, is a Swiss-founded British vehicle for hire company based in London that allows users to book chauffeur-driven journeys in a luxury vehicle either on-demand or in advance. Its services are accessed through its mobile apps on the Android and iOS operating systems, and are available in London, Paris, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. In 2021, Wheely announced plans to expand into Dubai. Wheely was founded by Anton Chirkunov in 2010. As of early 2020, Wheely had 110 million annually in bookings and a total passenger base of 80,000 customers. In 2014, Wired listed Wheely as one of the "hottest" European startups; In 2019, The Financial Times included Wheely in a list of the 1,000 fastest-growing companies in Europe. History Swiss-Russian founder Anton Chirkunov launched Wheely in Zurich in 2010, seeking to create a data aggregation app similar to Booking.com but for taxis instead of hotels. Lacking a driver's license and frustrated by his taxi experiences, he eventually switched focus to develop a premium ride-hailing platform that connects riders with accredited chauffeurs. The company debuted a prototype taxi aggregator service in London in 2012. Chirkunov signed contracts with private hire companies to provide drivers and Toyota Prius vehicles. However, Wheely struggled to compete with other private hire taxi and courier companies. As a result, when the service launched in Russia in 2012, Chirkunov decided to focus on the luxury market. Service then expanded to Saint Petersburg in 2013. Following their success in Russia, Wheely relaunched as a luxury vehicle for hire service in London in 2018, starting with a soft launch in February. By April, Wheely had 150 professional chauffeurs driving E-Class and S-Class Mercedes-Benz vehicles in London. The transition proved successful, and by mid 2018 there were approximately 2,500 chauffeurs on the Wheely platform across all markets. The company's headquarters were relocated from Moscow to London in 2019, ahead of Brexit and a planned expansion in Europe. Wheely launched in Paris in September 2019, coinciding with Paris Fashion Week. Seeking to expand into the Middle East, Wheely applied for an e-hailing license in Dubai in 2021. Business model The company's business model focuses on the luxury vehicle for hire market. Wheely markets its services to wealthier riders looking for a more personalized, premium service. It has a time and distance pricing model for journeys and does not use "surge pricing". Drivers are "third-party partners" of