Star Cars & Coaches

What Star Cars & Coaches does

Star Cars & Coaches is a family-owned taxi and private hire operator headquartered at 718 Chester Road, Erdington, Birmingham, serving Birmingham and the wider Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The company runs a fleet of 200+ vehicles spanning saloons, minibuses, wheelchair accessible vehicles, people carriers, and hybrid and electric cars, and claims to operate the largest green taxi fleet in the Midlands. It is currently run by Jackie and Emma Markham following succession from founder Graham Markham, who took over the business in the 1980s; the company traces its origins to 1950 (per its tagline), though its own website also references a 1960s founding date.

The core technology stack consists of a white-labeled mobile booking application (iOS and Android) powered by Autocab's Taxibooker platform, supplemented by telephone booking and street-hail channels. The app supports direct booking and in-app payment, GPS-based real-time vehicle tracking, and ETA transparency. Drivers are DBS-checked as a safety baseline. Revenue is generated on a per-trip transaction basis with no subscription component, accepting cash, card, and in-app payments; pricing is quote-based and varies by distance, time, vehicle type, and time of day.

Customer segments span elderly passengers and pensioners (medical appointments, hospital visits), corporate and business travelers (airport transfers, client meetings), healthcare workers (NHS staff shifts at Queen Elizabeth Hospital), and special occasion customers (weddings, events). Named enterprise/government customers include the NHS (20+ year partner), Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Jaguar, Land Rover, Dunlop, Goodyear, and Claires, served through a dedicated business account program. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via app, phone, walk-up hail, and corporate accounts, supported by organic social media presence (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram) and word-of-mouth referrals.

Name

Star Cars & Coaches

Legal name

Star Cars & Coaches Ltd

Website

https://starcarsbirmingham.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Family-owned Birmingham taxi and private hire operator running 200+ vehicles, including the claimed largest hybrid/electric fleet in the Midlands, serving elderly, corporate, NHS, and event customers via an Autocab-powered mobile app, phone booking, and street hail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Taxi and Private Hire Ground Transportation

NAICS

Taxi and Ridesharing Services (485310), Taxi and Ridesharing Services (48531)

akta.pro primary industry

Chauffeur / Black Car & Executive Car Services (TLAFAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Premium Black Car Services (THADAEAL), Ride-Hailing for Corporate & Business Accounts (THADADAE)

Keywords

• Taxi services
• Private hire transportation
• Corporate transport accounts
• Wheelchair accessible transport
• Airport transfer services

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Taxi and Transport Services: Core revenue from providing taxi transportation services on a per-trip basis. Customers pay per journey based on distance and time. Revenue is transaction-based with no subscription requirement. Multiple payment methods accepted including cash, card, and in-app payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Star Cars & Coaches provides a 24/7 taxi and private hire transportation service across Birmingham and the wider Midlands, using a fleet of 200+ vehicles that includes saloon cars, minibuses, wheelchair accessible vehicles, people carriers, and hybrid/electric cars. Customers can book and pay through a branded iOS/Android mobile app (built on Autocab Taxibooker), by telephone, or by walk-up hail, with corporate business accounts available for enterprise and NHS clients. The company also operates a dedicated corporate account program for clients including Jaguar, Land Rover, Dunlop, Goodyear, Claires, and the NHS.

Product overview

Star Cars & Coaches is a family-run taxi company offering a unified transportation service across Birmingham. The core offering is their taxi service operating 24/7 with over 200 vehicles, supported by a mobile app for booking and payment. The product portfolio includes specialized vehicle types (saloon cars, minibuses, wheelchair accessible vehicles, people carriers) and their green fleet of hybrid/electric vehicles. Business account services provide corporate clients with dedicated account management. The company serves diverse customer segments including individual passengers, corporate clients, NHS staff, and wedding parties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Star Cars Taxi Service 24/7 taxi and private hire transportation service operating across Birmingham and the wider Midlands with over 200 vehicles (saloons, minibuses, wheelchair accessible vehicles, people carriers, and hybrid/electric cars) and an average 7-minute pickup time; offered to individual passengers, corporate accounts, and NHS/healthcare clients.
• Star Cars Mobile App
• Business Account Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 availability with average 7-minute pickup time

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Autocab (Taxi Booking Technology)coreTechnology or IntegrationAutocab provides the taxi booking technology platform powering Star Cars' mobile application. The company white-labels Autocab's taxi booking technology for their Birmingham operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Uber (UK): Global ride-hailing incumbent operating across Birmingham and the Midlands; competes for the same individual and corporate riders and pressures traditional taxi economics.
• Addison Lee: London-headquartered private hire and black-car operator with a strong corporate account base across the UK; comparable to Star Cars' chauffeured corporate services but at significantly larger national scale.
• FreeNow (UK): Multi-city UK ride-hailing and taxi-hailing platform aggregating licensed taxi and private hire fleets; overlaps directly with Star Cars in taxi booking technology and multi-channel dispatch.

Others

• Autocab: UK taxi booking and dispatch software provider whose Taxibooker platform powers Star Cars' mobile app; an ecosystem/technology peer rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Bolt (UK): Aggressive emerging ride-hailing platform expanding across UK regional cities including Birmingham; competes on price and driver supply rather than brand legacy.

Regional players

• Dragon Taxis: Family-owned regional taxi operator in Cardiff with a multi-hundred-vehicle fleet and corporate accounts; comparable UK regional private taxi franchise model to Star Cars.
• ComCab (Computer Cab): London-focused licensed taxi and corporate account operator with strong enterprise customer base; similar B2B-heavy taxi model in another UK metro.
• Amber Cars: UK regional private hire and taxi operator with significant fleet scale and corporate account programs; analogous to Star Cars in operating model and customer mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StarCarsCoaches
• Facebookfacebook.com/starcarsandcoaches
• Instagraminstagram.com/starcarscoaches
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starcarsandcoachesltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Star Cars & Coaches