What Heetch does

Heetch is a Paris-based ride-hailing platform founded in 2013 that operates a two-sided VTC (Voiture de Transport avec Chauffeur) marketplace connecting passengers with professional, licensed independent drivers across seven countries spanning Western Europe (France, Belgium), North Africa (Algeria), Southern Africa (Angola), and West Africa (Senegal, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire). The company positions itself as a driver-friendly alternative to incumbent global platforms, primarily differentiated by a claimed 18% commission rate—marketed as the lowest in the market versus the 20-25% typical of competitors—and by providing immediate income payments to drivers plus 24/7 customer support. Passenger-facing service is free at point of use with flexible payment via card or cash and pre-announced fares before booking.

The platform's technical foundation consists of native iOS and Android applications providing real-time driver-passenger matching, geolocation services for pickup and drop-off coordination, a dynamic pricing engine that recalculates fares based on demand and traffic conditions, a fraud detection system that monitors cancellation abuse and off-app ride completion via proximity and timing pattern analysis, and an income simulation tool for driver onboarding. Cloud infrastructure runs on AWS with EU-based data residency, payment processing is handled exclusively by Stripe, and authentication supports Facebook Connect and Apple ID. Heetch Pro, a dedicated sub-brand, extends the offering with fleet management tools targeting professional drivers and fleet managers operating multiple vehicles.

The company monetizes primarily through driver commissions (18% per ride) with secondary revenue streams from optional monthly driver subscriptions (Abonnement), cancellation fees (€6 for no-show after five minutes, €24.40 for advance booking cancellations less than 24 hours before pickup), and vehicle damage charges (€100 flat fee plus documented costs). Heetch has raised approximately $75 million across six funding rounds through November 2019, with investors including Alven, Felix Capital, Idinvest Partners, Cathay Innovation, TotalEnergies Ventures, and AfricInvest. The corporate structure places Heetch Europe, S.L. (Barcelona) as the primary European holding entity, with wholly-owned operating subsidiaries Heetch SAS (France) and Heetch Angola, Lda. (Angola). Headcount is reported at 251-500 employees.

Name

Heetch

Legal name

Heetch Europe, S.L.

Website

https://heetch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Heetch is a Paris-based VTC ride-hailing marketplace connecting passengers with licensed professional drivers across seven European and African countries, differentiating through a claimed lowest-in-market 18% commission rate and fleet management tools via Heetch Pro.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online ride-hailing marketplace

NAICS

Taxi and Limousine Service (4853), Taxi and Ridesharing Services (485310)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Ride-Hailing & Taxi Aggregation Platforms (BPAMAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Licensed Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) / Minicab Operators (TLAFAHAC), Premium / Black Car & Executive Ride-Hailing (TLAFAIAB), Chauffeur / Black Car & Executive Car Services (TLAFAHAD)

Keywords

• Ride hailing platform
• VTC chauffeur services
• Driver mobile app
• Urban mobility marketplace
• Professional driver platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commission on rides: Heetch charges drivers a commission on the fare (Prix) of each completed ride. The company prominently advertises an 18% commission rate as the lowest in the market. Payment is automatically deducted from each ride's fare. Drivers can also opt for subscription plans (Abonnement) as an alternative to commission-based billing.
2. Subscription plans (Abonnement): Drivers can choose between commission-based payment or a subscription model (Abonnement) where they pay a fixed periodic fee for access to the platform. The subscription renews monthly by default unless cancelled 7 days before the period ends.
3. Cancellation fees: Fees charged to passengers for late cancellations: €6 for no-show after 5 minutes and one call, €24.40 for advance booking cancellations less than 24h before the trip. Drivers receive €5 from the €6 cancellation fee.
4. Vehicle damage fees: Passengers may be charged €100 flat fee for vehicle damage, with higher amounts based on documented costs submitted by drivers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heetch operates a two-sided mobile marketplace that connects passengers with professional VTC (chauffeur-driven transport) drivers for on-demand and scheduled urban transportation. The platform consists of a passenger app for booking rides with card or cash payment and a driver app for receiving requests and processing fares, supplemented by Heetch Pro for fleet management. Revenue is generated through an 18% commission on each completed ride (marketed as the lowest in the market), optional monthly driver subscriptions, and ancillary fees for cancellations and vehicle damage.

Product overview

Heetch is a ride-hailing platform that operates as a VTC (Voiture de Transport avec Chauffeur) broker, connecting passengers with professional independent drivers through two distinct mobile applications. The core offering consists of the Heetch Passenger App for riders and the Heetch Driver App for drivers, supplemented by Heetch Pro for professional/fleet management. The platform differentiates itself with an 18% commission rate (described as the lowest in the market), immediate income payment for drivers, and 24/7 customer support. Revenue is generated through commissions charged to drivers rather than fees from passengers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heetch Pro: Professional driver portal and fleet management platform for Heetch drivers.

Products and services

• Heetch Passenger App Mobile application for individual consumers to request and book rides with professional VTC drivers. Passengers can view nearby drivers on a map, choose payment by card or cash, receive pre-announced fare estimates, schedule advance bookings, and rate drivers. Free to download and use; payment is made directly to the driver.
• Heetch Driver App Mobile application for licensed VTC drivers and fleet operators to receive ride requests from passengers, navigate to pickup locations, and process fares. Drivers pay an 18% commission per ride (marketed as the lowest in the market) or subscribe to a monthly plan; they receive immediate income payments and access 24/7 support.
• Heetch Pro Sub-brand platform targeting fleet managers and professional drivers. Offers fleet management capabilities, driver management tools, and access to additional features for managing multiple vehicles and drivers on the Heetch network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18% commission rate (lowest in market)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure provider for Heetch's data storage and processing. User personal data is retained and stored on AWS servers located in the European Union. AWS is described as a subcontractor in Heetch's privacy documentation.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment service provider handling card payments between passengers and drivers. Stripe processes payments, stores card information, and manages automatic billing for cancellation fees and damage charges. Described as the exclusive payment service provider retaining card data.
• VTC Training CentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining center partners referenced in Heetch's privacy policy as recipients of driver data, suggesting collaborative relationships for driver certification and professional development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Uber: Global ride-hailing incumbent operating UberX, Uber Black, and Uber Comfort across Heetch's European and African markets. Comparable on consumer ride-hailing experience but operates at a much larger scale and typically charges higher commissions (20–25%).
• Careem: Dubai-based ride-hailing super-app (now Uber-owned) with deep presence across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of West Africa — directly comparable in Algeria, Senegal, and Mali where Heetch also operates.

Direct peers

• FreeNow (myTaxi): European multi-mobility platform (formerly myTaxi) strong in France, Germany, Spain, and Belgium. Direct overlap with Heetch in licensed-taxi/VTC aggregation in France and Belgium, with comparable two-sided marketplace dynamics.
• Bolt: Estonian-founded ride-hailing platform aggressively expanding in Europe and Africa (including francophone markets). Directly competes with Heetch on price-sensitive consumers and driver supply.
• Cabify: Spain/LatAm-headquartered VTC platform with a similar premium-chauffeur positioning and similar regulatory footprint in Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking markets overlapping with Heetch's footprint.
• Gett: London-headquartered ride-hailing and corporate ground-transport platform with strong B2B focus, comparable to Heetch Pro and Heetch's Angola corporate offering.
• Kapten: French VTC platform founded in 2017 (now part of FreeNow) that competed head-to-head with Heetch in the French market on chauffeur-driven professional rides.
• LeCab: French private-hire VTC operator competing directly with Heetch in the licensed-chauffeur segment, headquartered in Paris.

Emerging players

• Via (ride-sharing): Shared-ride technology platform serving cities in Europe (incl. France) with on-demand pooled transit, serving as a partial substitute and alternative for Heetch's consumer offering.
• Yassir: Algeria-founded ride-hailing and super-app operator across North and West Africa. Direct overlap with Heetch's Algerian operations and adjacent francophone/West-African footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heetch
• Facebookfacebook.com/heetch

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heetch