Nowadays, people use traditional taxi services less, and use taxi applications more and more. And it’s no wonder because apps are more convenient, faster, and safer. In the applications, users can track the movement of the driver, quickly cancel the trip, send a complaint about the driver, and pay for the trip by card. For clients, traditional taxi service is always some kind of unpredictable adventure. Therefore, aggregators develop mobile applications and enter the online taxi market. But all taxi businesses that want to develop their own application have one main question — how to compete on an equal footing with Uber? I’m a mobile app development expert at Brivian, and I’m going to tell you everything about taxi app development. Let’s go!
It might seem like it’s impossible to get in one line with such giants like Uber — in fact, you don’t need to. You can always compete for your piece of the pie and create a solution that will meet the needs of users which are not satisfied by the giants of the industry. There are many examples of solutions that started off at a local market and sprouted up like mushrooms. One of them is the Estonian Bolt. This is a startup that was launched in 2013 with just 50 drivers. To overtake Uber, Bolt has lowered their transportation costs to make rides cheaper and more accessible to users. The Bolt app also gives users promo codes, so they can periodically get a ride for a very low price.
This is the main function in almost any application. In the case of taxi app development, try to make registration in the app as simple as possible. No one wants to fill out an entire questionnaire when they need to call a taxi urgently and leave. In addition, if the user has already logged into the application, remember them and do not force them to re-enter data every time they open the app.
✔️ GPS and maps
Passengers need GPS to track the driver’s location, and of course it is more convenient to do it with a map. This way, the passenger will know where the driver is, when the car arrives, and will be able to cancel the trip if they see that the driver moves the other way. In addition, the passenger can show their location to the driver, for example, when they are out of town and it is impossible to call the car to a specific point.
✔️ Payments
Passengers don’t like unnecessary problems with payment — make sure that taxi app developers implement card payments into the app and add options to pay in cash and other ways. The more options there are, the greater the loyalty of your audience. The main thing you need to take care of during taxi app development is to make the payments secure and fast.
✔️ Notifications
Notifications are needed so that the passenger can see information about the trip — the car is assigned, the car is waiting, the trip is completed, the trip is canceled, the payment has not passed, etc. Also, don’t forget to give users the ability to adjust notifications and disable some of them so that the application is not too intrusive.
✔️ Unique feature
To take your place in the market among such giants as Uber, you need a unique feature. For example, it can be a different design, gamification, cryptocurrency payments — anything that comes to your mind. First of all, before you start mobile app development, ask yourself the question: what does the user need?
Like passengers, drivers need to register in the app and create their profile. Registration will be different for the driver — they will need to fill in the data about the car, driver’s license, the languages they speak, and other important information.
✔️ GPS
The driver also needs GPS to show their location to the client and see the client’s location as well. It sometimes happens that a user has called a car to one house, and in fact they are standing in front of another one, so with GPS it will be easier to find the user. Drivers also need a built-in navigator that will show them the most convenient way to the client’s location.
✔️ Trip confirmation
The driver needs the opportunity to accept and reject ride requests in order to form a convenient route around the city and plan their working day.
✔️ Notifications
If suddenly a passenger canceled a trip, or changed the destination point, the driver needs a notification; otherwise, they may simply not notice it.
✔️ Tracker of earnings
This feature is needed so that the driver understands how much they earned in a day. It’s a good idea to add gas payments and received cash, so that the driver will be able to calculate the net profit from all trips for the day.
In order for your app to be used by as many customers as possible, you need a lot of drivers. Therefore, they also need to come up with some special offer that would encourage them to work with you. For example, higher payments for night trips, bonuses for long-distance trips, etc.
Now that you have a feature list, it’s time to look at taxi app development services: the process, the tech stack, and the costs.
First, since the taxi application needs an admin panel, and the application is needed for 2 roles, then you will basically need to develop 3 applications. A mobile app for passengers, a mobile app for drivers, and a web app for the admin panel. Therefore, when looking for an app development services contractor, focus on developers who have experience in both mobile app development and web app development.
Then you will need to decide on the platform — iOS or Android. There are several options here: you can develop one cross-platform application for both platforms, develop two native applications, or choose one platform and develop one native application. In our experience, the third option is the most budget-friendly and at the same time reliable: native applications work better due to access to smartphone components, and development will be cheaper, since you choose only one platform. After the launch, it will be possible to consider developing a second application for another platform.
When developing a taxi booking app, you need to remember about integrations. The first is integration with maps. There are APIs that can help you to do that.
On average, building a taxi booking app with Brivian lasts 2 months and costs $30,000 for cross-platform applications on React Native, and 4 months and $45,000 for native applications on Swift and Kotlin. In the case of web applications, it’s 3-4 months, and the price starts at $45,000.
What are the market leaders?
Statista predicts that the annual growth of the taxi services market will reach $126,521 million by 2025. In 2017, Uber and Lyft alone made almost 35 million more trips than regular taxis in New York. Let’s take a look at the top taxi app companies.Uber
Uber is one of the top taxi services that started off in San Francisco and now operates in more than 70 countries. The design of the app is the main reason why users love Uber. The application simplifies the ride-hailing process for both the passenger and the driver. A passenger can order a ride by simply tapping on a button on the app. They don’t need to communicate with an operator and they know exactly when the car will arrive. The driver doesn’t need to manage anything eaither, they can work according to their own schedule and also start the trip by tapping a button. Uber also has a built-in safety feature for both sides, and a rating system for drivers and passengers.Lyft
Lyft is the second largest ride-hailing company in the USA, and was originally founded as a long-distance car transportation business. Much like Uber, the app connects drivers and passengers. Lyft offers taxi services in more than 600 US cities. In terms of functionality, Lyft is almost the same as Uber. The only 2 things that differ are that they have a web version and a different design. Uber seems strict and corporate, while Lyft is more colorful and friendly. Lyft is more suitable for clients who prefer something casual rather than something business-like.Gett
Gett is a taxi hailing app that operates in the USA, UK, Russia, and Israel. The main difference between Gett and Uber is constant prices, which don’t depend on demand during peak hours, and the application also allows users to plan trips in advance. For example, if a user is constantly late for work due to calling a taxi at the last moment and waiting for a car for a long time, they can request a Gett taxi for a certain time.It might seem like it’s impossible to get in one line with such giants like Uber — in fact, you don’t need to. You can always compete for your piece of the pie and create a solution that will meet the needs of users which are not satisfied by the giants of the industry. There are many examples of solutions that started off at a local market and sprouted up like mushrooms. One of them is the Estonian Bolt. This is a startup that was launched in 2013 with just 50 drivers. To overtake Uber, Bolt has lowered their transportation costs to make rides cheaper and more accessible to users. The Bolt app also gives users promo codes, so they can periodically get a ride for a very low price.
Look at how Bolt succeeded in the taxi app development.
Now Bolt is the fastest growing taxi-hailing company in the world: 75 million clients, more than 1.6 million drivers, working in 45 countries in Europe, America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. To do the same, you just need to come up with a feature list that will make your app stand out. And we’re here to help you choose some. 😉Must-have features for a taxi booking app
When it comes to taxi app development, there are 3 types of users — passenger, driver, and admin. It means that taxi app developers should create features for all these roles separately.🔴 Features for passengers
✔️ Sign-up and loginThis is the main function in almost any application. In the case of taxi app development, try to make registration in the app as simple as possible. No one wants to fill out an entire questionnaire when they need to call a taxi urgently and leave. In addition, if the user has already logged into the application, remember them and do not force them to re-enter data every time they open the app.
✔️ GPS and maps
Passengers need GPS to track the driver’s location, and of course it is more convenient to do it with a map. This way, the passenger will know where the driver is, when the car arrives, and will be able to cancel the trip if they see that the driver moves the other way. In addition, the passenger can show their location to the driver, for example, when they are out of town and it is impossible to call the car to a specific point.
✔️ Payments
Passengers don’t like unnecessary problems with payment — make sure that taxi app developers implement card payments into the app and add options to pay in cash and other ways. The more options there are, the greater the loyalty of your audience. The main thing you need to take care of during taxi app development is to make the payments secure and fast.
✔️ Notifications
Notifications are needed so that the passenger can see information about the trip — the car is assigned, the car is waiting, the trip is completed, the trip is canceled, the payment has not passed, etc. Also, don’t forget to give users the ability to adjust notifications and disable some of them so that the application is not too intrusive.
✔️ Unique feature
To take your place in the market among such giants as Uber, you need a unique feature. For example, it can be a different design, gamification, cryptocurrency payments — anything that comes to your mind. First of all, before you start mobile app development, ask yourself the question: what does the user need?
🔴 Features for drivers
✔️ Sign-up and loginLike passengers, drivers need to register in the app and create their profile. Registration will be different for the driver — they will need to fill in the data about the car, driver’s license, the languages they speak, and other important information.
✔️ GPS
The driver also needs GPS to show their location to the client and see the client’s location as well. It sometimes happens that a user has called a car to one house, and in fact they are standing in front of another one, so with GPS it will be easier to find the user. Drivers also need a built-in navigator that will show them the most convenient way to the client’s location.
✔️ Trip confirmation
The driver needs the opportunity to accept and reject ride requests in order to form a convenient route around the city and plan their working day.
✔️ Notifications
If suddenly a passenger canceled a trip, or changed the destination point, the driver needs a notification; otherwise, they may simply not notice it.
✔️ Tracker of earnings
This feature is needed so that the driver understands how much they earned in a day. It’s a good idea to add gas payments and received cash, so that the driver will be able to calculate the net profit from all trips for the day.
For taxi app development, it’s important to add a feature for tracking the driver’s incomes.
✔️ Special offersIn order for your app to be used by as many customers as possible, you need a lot of drivers. Therefore, they also need to come up with some special offer that would encourage them to work with you. For example, higher payments for night trips, bonuses for long-distance trips, etc.
🔴 Admin panel
The admin panel is a web application that stores, views, and manages all data from the ride-hailing application. In addition, it manages drivers’ wages, incomes and collects the passengers’ data, reviews and feedback. Without an administrative panel, it is impossible to manage all processes and operations on the scale of a taxi application.Now that you have a feature list, it’s time to look at taxi app development services: the process, the tech stack, and the costs.
Process of taxi app development: tips and things to consider
The process of taxi app development is almost the same as in the development of any other application. But there are nuances that need to be taken into account.First, since the taxi application needs an admin panel, and the application is needed for 2 roles, then you will basically need to develop 3 applications. A mobile app for passengers, a mobile app for drivers, and a web app for the admin panel. Therefore, when looking for an app development services contractor, focus on developers who have experience in both mobile app development and web app development.
Then you will need to decide on the platform — iOS or Android. There are several options here: you can develop one cross-platform application for both platforms, develop two native applications, or choose one platform and develop one native application. In our experience, the third option is the most budget-friendly and at the same time reliable: native applications work better due to access to smartphone components, and development will be cheaper, since you choose only one platform. After the launch, it will be possible to consider developing a second application for another platform.
When developing a taxi booking app, you need to remember about integrations. The first is integration with maps. There are APIs that can help you to do that.
- OpenStreetMap API for Android and iOS.
- Google Maps and Google Location Services APIs for Android.
- MapKit and CoreLocation frameworks for iOS.
How much does taxi app development cost?
To calculate the exact cost of taxi app development services, you need an individual approach to the customer. Taxi app developers need to understand what kind of platform it will be, if it is an MVP or a large-scale project, what integrations are needed, etc.On average, building a taxi booking app with Brivian lasts 2 months and costs $30,000 for cross-platform applications on React Native, and 4 months and $45,000 for native applications on Swift and Kotlin. In the case of web applications, it’s 3-4 months, and the price starts at $45,000.
If you’re interested in getting a precise estimation for your taxi app development project, fill in the form here, and our managers will contact you soon!
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