Arrow Cars

What Arrow Cars does

Arrow Cars is a UK private hire taxi and airport transfer company established in the 1980s in Leeds and now operating across eight geographies with exclusive concessions at five major UK airports: Leeds Bradford, Bristol, Newcastle, Birmingham, and East Midlands. The business is operated through the privately held DG Group (parent: D.G. Private Hire Limited), with trading entities Nova Rides Limited and Nova Car Hire Ltd. It deploys a workforce of approximately 900 personnel — 750 drivers plus 150 management and administrative staff — across five operational locations. Beyond consumer private hire, it holds long-tenured enterprise accounts with CMAC (9+ years), GroundScope (8+ years), Into (6+ years), NHS Nottingham University Hospitals, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines crew transport at Birmingham.

The core service portfolio comprises fixed-price airport transfers, corporate travel with dedicated account management, and general private hire. Distribution is multi-channel: a mobile app for iOS/Android (launched October 2019), an SSL-encrypted responsive web booking portal (launched June 2019), a 24/7 call centre, self-service kiosks at airport terminals, and in-person booking desks. Proprietary operational features include Driver Connect (withheld-number two-way communication with driver details shared pre-journey), Track My Taxi (real-time vehicle tracking via web, app, and SMS with live-location sharing), Flight Monitoring (automatic pickup rescheduling against live flight data with no waiting-time surcharges for delays), and an "I've Arrived" notification that lets passengers signal readiness without visiting a desk. The fleet includes Mercedes E-Class, Jaguar XF Estate, Toyota hybrid saloons, and Mercedes Vito minibuses, with a £10m+ committed transition to 250 Tesla electric vehicles for an all-electric fleet by 2024.

Arrow Cars generates revenue primarily through transaction-based fees on airport transfers and private hire journeys (cash, card, or account), supplemented by recurring corporate accounts with monthly invoicing on 30-day payment terms and an administration fee of up to 12.5%. Pricing is fixed and pre-paid for airport transfers with no surge, parking, or waiting-time supplements; private hire is metered or fixed-quoted depending on the operating region. Strategic differentiation rests on the regulatory exclusivity of the airport concessions, the all-electric fleet commitment, enhanced driver background screening, and integrated technology for flight-aware, real-time-tracked service delivery.

Name

Arrow Cars

Legal name

Nova Rides Limited

Website

https://arrowcars.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Arrow Cars is a UK private hire taxi and airport transfer company operating exclusive contracts at five major UK airports, serving individual consumers and corporate clients through mobile app, web, phone, kiosks, and airport-based channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Hire Taxi and Airport Transfer Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

App-Based Taxi Operators (E-Hailing Taxi Fleets) (THADAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

E-Hail Taxi Operators (Taxi via Apps) (TLAFAHAB), Airport Taxi & Ground Transportation Operators (TLAFAHAE)

Keywords

• Airport transfer services
• Private hire taxis
• Corporate travel services
• Executive transportation
• Minibus group travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Airport Transfers: Fixed-price airport transfer services to/from 5 UK airports. Pre-paid pricing model with no additional supplements for airport journeys. Core revenue stream for the business.
2. Corporate Account Services: Monthly invoiced account services for corporate clients with 30-day payment terms. Includes account management fees, booking fees, and waiting time charges. Corporate accounts have access to online portal with full booking visibility.
3. Private Hire Journeys: Metered or fixed-price private hire taxi services across operating regions. Payment via cash, card, or account. Distance-based and time-based pricing with waiting time charges.
4. Special Events Transportation: Executive fleet services for corporate events, weddings, theatre trips, and conferences. Includes luxury vehicles (Mercedes-Benz E-class, Jaguar XF Estate, Mercedes Vito) for premium occasions.
5. Group Travel: 5-8 passenger Mercedes-Benz Vito minibus hire for executive travel, events, and group transportation. Fixed price with straightforward waiting time options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arrow Cars provides UK private hire taxi and airport transfer services with fixed-price airport transfers to and from five major UK airports (Leeds Bradford, Bristol, Newcastle, Birmingham, East Midlands), corporate account travel with dedicated account management and monthly invoicing, and local private hire journeys including executive and group minibus transport. Customers can book via mobile app, website, phone, self-service airport kiosks, or in-person airport desks, with nationwide fleet access exceeding 750 vehicles through the CMAC partnership.

Product overview

Arrow Cars is a private hire taxi and airport transfer company operating a multi-service portfolio across the UK. The core offering consists of Airport Transfers (with exclusive partnerships at five UK airports: Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, East Midlands, Bristol, and Birmingham), Corporate Travel (with dedicated account management and online portals), and Private Hire services. The company offers multiple booking channels including a Mobile App (iOS/Android) and Online Booking Portal. The vehicle fleet includes Mercedes E-Class, Jaguar XF Estate, Toyota Auris/Corolla hybrids, and Mercedes Vito minibuses, with an ongoing transition to Tesla electric vehicles. Additional services include Self-Service Kiosks at airports, Group Travel packages, Special Events transportation, Driver Connect communication features, and Track My Taxi real-time tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero-emission fleet goal by 2024 with 250 Tesla vehicles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, subsidiary and parent.

• KLM Royal Dutch AirlinescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Official KLM crew transport partner at Birmingham Airport from January 1st 2020. Arrow provides corporate transport for KLM airline crew, ensuring on-time arrival using journey planning systems and experienced operations personnel. Joins long list of airline contracts managed by Arrow across five airport locations.
• CMACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMAC has worked with Arrow across the UK for over 9 years providing professional high quality, pre-planned and on demand transport solution. With nationwide fleet in excess of 750 vehicles, Arrow provides ultimate flexibility for CMAC customers.
• GroundScopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundScope has worked in partnership with Arrow across UK operations for over 8 years, delivering professional high quality transport solution. Arrow's 24/7 call centre staff consistently deliver demanding requirements.
• NHS NottinghamcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNottingham University Hospitals NHS has worked with Arrow for 2 years as an exceptionally reliable and flexible partner delivering excellent service at realistic cost.
• IntocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInto has worked with Arrow for over 6 years as official taxi company at the airport, delivering superb passenger experience for students with professional and smart drivers who welcome students in a friendly manner.
• Nova Car Hire LtdsubsidiaryOthersNova Car Hire Ltd (Company Number 10852399) is a subsidiary company trading as Arrow Cars for East Midlands Airport operations. Registered address at 6 Little Tennis Street, Nottingham NG2 4EL.
• D.G. Private Hire Limited (DG Group)parentOthersArrow Cars is part of the DG Group, operated by D.G. Private Hire Limited (Company No. 01114927). Nova Rides Limited and Nova Car Hire Ltd operate as part of the DG Group with shared licensing and operational infrastructure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Uber: Global app-based ride-hailing incumbent operating across all of Arrow's cities (Leeds, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, Birmingham). Competes with Arrow for both on-demand urban rides and, increasingly, pre-booked airport and corporate work.

Direct peers

• FreeNow: Multi-European app-based taxi and private-hail platform (backed by BMW and Mercedes-Benz mobility funds) that competes for the same UK consumers and corporate accounts via licensed taxi and private-hire fleets. Direct overlap with Arrow's app-driven airport and private hire proposition.
• Green Tomato Cars: London premium private hire operator with a hybrid/electric fleet focus and corporate account book. Comparable to Arrow's executive and EV-led positioning, although concentrated in Greater London.
• Addison Lee: UK private hire and corporate account operator with a multi-channel booking platform (app, web, phone) and executive fleet. Closely comparable to Arrow's app-based private hire + corporate account model, although focused on London rather than regional airports.
• ComCab: Birmingham-headquartered private hire and black-cab operator with app, corporate accounts and airside access via Birmingham Airport. Strongest direct regional overlap with Arrow's Birmingham and East Midlands operations.

Emerging players

• Bolt: Fast-growing app-based ride-hailing and scooter platform expanding across UK regional cities including Bristol, Newcastle and Nottingham. Direct competitor for Arrow's urban private-hire volumes.
• Wheely: Premium chauffeur-driven private hire operator with operations in London and other UK cities. Direct overlap with Arrow's executive Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Jaguar XF offering for corporate and special-event use cases.
• Gett: App-based black cab and private hire platform focused on London and select UK cities, with a strong corporate account book. Comparable corporate-channel overlap to Arrow's NHS/KLM/Indo/CMAC relationships.
• Sixt Ride: Premium chauffeur and airport transfer service from the Sixt mobility group; competes for the same corporate-account and airport-transfer wallet that Arrow addresses, particularly with German airline and enterprise clients.

Others

• Travel Master: UK coach and private hire operator referenced on Arrow's own website as a partner for larger group bookings. Thematically adjacent (UK ground transport / coach hire) and indicative of the wider regional private hire ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arrowcarsuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/arrowcarsuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arrow-cars
• Instagraminstagram.com/arrow_cars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Arrow Cars