Drive & Ride
Smarter with Frugal

Then came the rise of the ride-hailing apps — and in many ways, the problems became even worse. Drivers were now at the mercy of algorithms, receiving jobs with no real consideration for where they would end up. A driver could finish a job 20 miles from home at 2am for little more than a minimum fare after commission had been taken. Meanwhile, some apps were charging drivers commission rates as high as 50%, making it harder than ever for drivers to earn fairly despite working longer hours.

Riders were also facing growing frustrations. Surge pricing lacked transparency, estimated fares often changed by the end of the journey, and customers wanting to pre-book rides were forced to call multiple local firms just to compare prices and find a fair deal. One of the biggest issues with pre-booked journeys was reliability. Customers would book trips in advance expecting peace of mind, only for drivers to arrive late or delayed. Naturally, riders would become frustrated with the driver, without knowing what was actually happening behind the scenes. When customers called the office asking where their driver was, controllers would often blame traffic or the driver directly. However, in many cases, the real issue was poor job management behind the scenes — jobs being allocated too late, workloads being poorly organised, or bookings being given to favourite drivers who were much further away instead of the closest available driver. This created frustration for everyone involved. Riders lost trust in the service, while drivers unfairly received the blame for problems that were often completely outside of their control. Over time, many drivers stopped enjoying the work altogether.

That’s where the idea for Frugal was born. The vision was simple: create a platform where riders could quickly secure competitive prices without wasting time calling countless firms, while also giving drivers more control, fairness, and earning potential. Our founder wanted to build something different — a platform where drivers are empowered to choose their own jobs, plan their schedules in advance, set pricing preferences, and benefit from low commission structures that allow them to remain competitive and profitable.

At the same time, Frugal was designed to solve the reliability issues riders had experienced for years. By giving drivers more ownership and control over their bookings, the chances of delays are dramatically reduced. The platform has been intelligently built to account for traffic, timing, and scheduling, while riders are also able to track their driver’s live location in real time, giving them full visibility and peace of mind before their journey even begins.