Carlton Cars

What Carlton Cars does

Carlton Cars (legally Carlton Motors Ltd) is a privately held private hire minicab company founded in 1965 and headquartered in Welling, South East London. The company operates one of the largest private hire fleets in South East London with over 200 self-employed drivers, serving both individual consumers and corporate clients. Its service portfolio includes airport transfers to all major London airports, courier services, corporate account facilities, and a driver vehicle rental program. Vehicles range from saloon and estate cars to executive and 6/7/8-seater MPVs.

The company's technology stack comprises a GPS-tracked fleet, mobile apps for iOS and Android (built on Cordic Ltd's platform), an online web booker, SMS booking integration, and traditional phone dispatch across multiple local numbers. The mobile app enables booking within three screen taps with push notifications for dispatch and a two-minute arrival alert. The company holds Public Carriage Office Licence 0000165 and is a five-star Licensed Private Hire Car Association member, with all drivers criminal record-checked.

Carlton Cars generates revenue through two primary streams: per-journey fares (cash and account-based) and corporate account services with monthly invoicing, fixed pricing, and 30-day credit terms. Drivers are self-employed contractors who pay weekly rental fees to Carlton Cars for vehicle use. The company sells its services through self-serve digital channels (mobile apps, web), assisted phone booking, and a dedicated corporate account team targeting small private companies through Blue Chip and government organisations.

Name

Carlton Cars

Legal name

Carlton Motors Ltd

Website

https://carltoncars.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carlton Cars is a privately held South East London private hire minicab company with 200+ self-employed drivers, operating since 1965. It serves individual consumers and corporate clients with airport transfers, courier services, and fixed-price account facilities via mobile apps, web booking, and phone dispatch.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Hire Transportation

NAICS

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

SIC

Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Taxi Fleet Owners & Medallion/Permit Operators (TLAFAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Airport Taxi & Ground Transportation Operators (TLAFAHAE), Street-Hail Taxi & Taxi Fleet Operators (THAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Private hire taxi
• Airport transfer
• Executive car service
• Courier transport
• Corporate ground transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Welling

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fare/Transaction Revenue: Revenue generated from per-journey fares for both cash and account bookings. Cash bookings paid directly to drivers; account bookings invoiced monthly with 30-day credit terms.
2. Corporate Account Services: Monthly invoiced account services for business clients including fixed price journeys, priority service, and dedicated account management. Revenue recognised monthly through credit facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carlton Cars operates a private hire taxi and courier service based in Welling, South East London, providing pre-booked passenger transport including airport transfers, executive cars, and MPVs. The company operates via a fleet of 200+ self-employed drivers using its own mobile apps, web booking platform, and GPS-tracked fleet under PCO Licence 0000165.

Product overview

Carlton Cars operates a technology-driven private hire car service across South East London, offering a unified booking ecosystem comprising mobile applications for Android and iPhone, an online web booking platform, and traditional phone-based dispatch. The core product is the mini cab transportation service, supplemented by airport transfer services, corporate account facilities with priority booking and invoicing, courier services, and a driver vehicle rental program. The company manages a fleet of Saloon, Estate, Executive, and MPV vehicles, and has integrated SMS booking and GPS tracking across its operations. With over 200 drivers, the company positions itself as one of the largest private hire operators in South East London.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Hire Taxi Service Pre-booked passenger transportation service operating across Greater London with a fleet of saloons, estates, executive cars, and MPVs driven by 200+ self-employed drivers.
• Airport Transfer Service Pre-booked transfer service to and from London's major airports including Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, and London City.
• Corporate Account Service Business account offering with 30-day credit terms, dedicated account management, and consolidated billing for organizations needing regular ground transport.
• Courier Service Document and package courier service using the same fleet infrastructure as the passenger transport service.
• Driver Vehicle Rental Vehicle rental program allowing self-employed drivers to rent cars from Carlton Cars for use on its private hire platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 drivers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cordic LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware provider supplying the mobile booking app technology and backend systems. Progress House Rowles way Swavesey, Cambridge CB24 4UG. Responsible for encrypted server management and daily data purge for the mobile booking system.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bolt: App-based ride-hail platform operating in London with aggressive pricing and driver acquisition. Directly competes with Carlton Cars for urban on-demand trips in overlapping service areas.
• Gett: London-focused black cab and private hire app with strong corporate account penetration. Comparable business model targeting executive and business travel riders in the same London geography.
• FreeNow (formerly mytaxi): Multi-city app-based taxi and private hire platform operating across London. Competes for both individual riders and corporate accounts with similar hailing and pre-booking functionality.
• Green Tomato Cars: London private hire operator focused on corporate accounts and pre-booked journeys. Competes for similar corporate clients and pre-booked airport / event transfer demand in Greater London.
• Wheely: Premium London chauffeur service offering app-based booking of executive vehicles. Overlaps with Carlton's executive vehicle offering and corporate account focus in the premium London segment.
• ComCab: London private hire operator with app-based booking, corporate accounts, and airport transfer services. Operates in overlapping South London / Greater London geography with a similar business model to Carlton Cars.
• Radio Taxis (London): Long-established London private hire cooperative offering app and phone booking across Greater London. Comparable regional private hire model with corporate account services and multi-channel booking.
• Addison Lee: Long-established London private hire and courier company with comparable fleet operations, corporate accounts, app-based booking, and airport transfer focus. Directly competes for the same South East London / Greater London rider and corporate customer base as Carlton Cars.

Broad incumbents

• Uber: Global ride-hail platform with material London market share in on-demand and pre-booked trips. Competes with Carlton Cars for individual and corporate riders, though at vastly larger scale and broader geographic scope.

Others

• Cordic Ltd: Software vendor supplying the mobile booking app, dispatch system, and backend infrastructure for Carlton Cars and many other UK private hire operators. Not a direct competitor but a strategic technology supplier whose other customers represent comparable private hire peers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carlton-cars

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Carlton Cars