Business Diversification

We introduced this category in 2021, initially to reward initiatives to develop new lines of business during the pandemic. We’re glad to see that the industry has kept on innovating and it’s those radical moves and new ideas that win the Business Diversification Awards.

For more than 60 years, there has been conflict in London between the private hire sector and the Black Cabs. But what if the biggest taxi fleet and the biggest private hire fleet were to come together, and offer a combination of their services? That’s what has now happened, with Comcab, the biggest London taxi fleet, becoming part of Gold-winning Addison Lee.

The Silver Award goes to Blacklane, a very large business that is changing how business travellers can get to where they want to go. By launching a longdistance chauffeur service between major cities, with fixed fares, corporate clients can have a convenient alternative to short-haul flights, trains, and selfdrive options. It’s now being rolled out globally, and its great news for chauffeurs who might otherwise have to travel hundreds of miles home empty.

Our Bronze winner is Camberley’s Your Local Car, which has diversified not through what it does, but how it goes about doing it. Rather than competing with local rivals for a growing customer base in the towns it serves, it works together with other local independent private hire companies, sharing technology and office space. This provides a better service, a major reduction in dead miles, and a 20% increase in business.