Brighton and Hove Streamline Taxis: The Local App Brighton Should Be Using Instead of Uber


Brighton and Hove Streamline Taxis 202020 fleet with the booking app and QR code

Brighton and Hove Streamline Taxis has served the city since 1936


Next Time You Reach for Uber in Brighton, Read This First

It is late, it is raining on the seafront, and you open the app you always open. The price has quietly crept up because the city is busy. Sound familiar? There is another way to get home, and it has been parked right here in Brighton and Hove the whole time.

Brighton and Hove Streamline Taxis has been getting this city where it needs to be since 1936. That is not a typo. Ninety years of pick-ups, drop-offs, last trains missed and caught, festival crowds, school runs and airport dashes. The cars have changed, the app is brand new, but the idea has stayed exactly the same. Local drivers, looking after local people.

Here is the part that matters. When you book a Streamline cab, you are not sending your money off to a head office in another country. Every driver is licensed right here by Brighton and Hove City Council, and every fare helps keep money circulating in the city, supporting local jobs, local businesses and the place you actually live.

1936 Serving Brighton and Hove for 90 years
Same city, same streets, same people who have been doing this for generations. Just a shiny new app to book them with.

So before you default to the usual, here is everything worth knowing about the local firm that has quietly outlasted every trend thrown at it, and why more Brighton locals are making the switch.


Streamline Taxis cabs lined up in front of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton

Local cabs, local streets, ninety years of serving Brighton and Hove


Owned by the Drivers, Run for the City

Streamline started life as two separate firms. Hove Streamline and Brighton Streamline, each a member-owned cooperative looking after its own patch. They ran side by side for more than seventy years before joining forces in 2009 to become Brighton and Hove Streamline Taxis, one team with one job.

The bit that makes it different is still true today. The company is owned by its own driver members, and it is run by five directors elected by the full membership. That means the decisions are made by the people actually behind the wheel, for the benefit of members, customers and the wider city. No distant investors. No outside boardroom. Just local drivers steering their own ship.

250 Licensed vehicles on the road
370 Licensed local drivers

Behind those drivers sits a dedicated office team and a 24-hour local call centre that runs every single day of the year. Not a chatbot. Not a queue in another time zone. A real Brighton team you can actually speak to whenever you need them.

The people making the decisions are the same people picking you up on a Friday night. That is the whole point of a cooperative.

90 years on the road

From two local firms to one city-wide cooperative

1936
Hove and Brighton Streamline founded
2009
The two firms merge into one
2026
90 years serving Brighton and Hove

Owned by its drivers and run by five elected directors from right here in the city


A Proper App, Minus the Nasty Surprises

Here is where Streamline has caught right up. The Brighton and Hove Streamline app is powered by the latest iCabbi booking platform, so you get the fast, easy experience you expect from a modern ride app, all pointed at a taxi firm you can actually trust.

Open it up and you can:

  • Book a cab right now or pre-book one for later
  • Track your driver in real time as they come to you
  • Pay securely by card, no fumbling for cash
  • Get a fixed fare on out-of-town journeys, so you know exactly what you are paying before you set off

And here is the one that wins people over. Streamline does not use dynamic surge pricing. When the city is packed for a festival, a big event or just a normal Saturday night, the price does not suddenly leap because an algorithm decided you were desperate. You get fair, transparent pricing whatever the weather and whatever is on.

No surge pricing. Ever. Whether the city is heaving for a festival or it is a wet Tuesday, the fare is fair.

There is one more thing an app on its own can never give you. Every single booking is backed by that 24-hour local call centre, so if you ever need to speak to a real person, someone is always there to help. Try getting that from a faceless platform.


Surge pricing vs Streamline

Busy night in Brighton. Same trip. Who bumps the price?

APP-BASED OPERATORS
up to
2x
Dynamic surge when it is busy
STREAMLINE TAXIS
always
£0
No surge pricing. Ever.

Brighton and Hove Streamline Taxis. Fair fares, whatever the weather

Streamline Taxis poster showing the app and no surge pricing message

A modern app powered by iCabbi, with fair fares and no surge pricing


Cabs for Everyone, Support for the City

Streamline runs a proper mix of vehicles so there is something for every journey, whether you are nipping across town or loading up the whole family. The fleet covers saloon cars, estates, MPVs and fully wheelchair accessible vehicles, and yes, it is a pet-friendly firm too, so the dog is welcome to come along for the ride.

Accessibility taken seriously

Every Streamline driver is licensed by Brighton and Hove City Council and trained to a high professional standard. Drivers operating wheelchair accessible vehicles receive specialist accessibility training to local authority standards. Those handling school transport or journeys with vulnerable adults receive safeguarding training, and many drivers also complete recognised disability awareness and assistance training. It is the kind of care that only comes from a firm rooted in the community it serves.

Woven into Brighton and Hove

Community has always sat at the heart of Streamline. The firm is a proud supporter of Martlets Hospice, Brighton and Hove Pride, Brighton Fringe and countless other local events, and is always happy to back sporting clubs, schools, dance and drama groups, charities and community organisations across the city. It has also built long-standing relationships with local hotels, restaurants and businesses, many of whom have trusted Streamline as their account provider for decades.

Choosing Streamline means choosing a firm that is rooted in Brighton and Hove, invests in the community and keeps money in the city rather than sending profits elsewhere.
Book by app or by phone, backed by a 24-hour local call centre every day of the year

Brighton and Hove Streamline Taxis fleet, bookable by app or by phone


Brighton and Hove Streamline Taxis, quick questions answered

Is Streamline a good alternative to Uber in Brighton?

Yes. Streamline is a local, driver-owned cooperative that has served Brighton and Hove for 90 years, with fair pricing, no surge charges and a 24-hour local call centre behind every booking.

Does Streamline use surge pricing?

No. Unlike some app-based operators, Streamline does not use dynamic surge pricing, so busy nights and big events do not send your fare shooting up.

Can I book a wheelchair accessible taxi in Brighton?

Yes. Streamline runs fully wheelchair accessible vehicles with drivers trained to local authority accessibility standards. Let the team know your requirements when you book.

How do I book a Streamline taxi?

Download the Brighton and Hove Streamline app to book instantly or pre-book, track your driver and pay by card. You can also call the 24-hour local call centre any day of the year.

Ninety years on, the message is simple. Next time you need a cab in Brighton and Hove, go local, keep it fair and back the drivers who have been looking after this city since 1936.

Download the Streamline app

Book in seconds, track your driver in real time and pay by card, with fair local pricing and no surge charges.

Get the app

Streamline by the numbers

250
licensed vehicles
370
local drivers
24hr
local call centre every day
1936
serving the city since
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