If you live in a metropolitan city, you might have used apps like Uber, Lyft, and Gett, for booking taxi rides. According to Business of Apps, around 4.98 billion trips were made using Uber in 2020. This is not a low number, in fact, it is the reason behind companies investing in taxi app development.
If you too are thinking about developing a taxi app, this blog can help you get a better understanding of how an app like Uber works and what technologies are required to develop it
Let’s start!
Why develop an app like Uber?
According to Statista, revenue in the ride-hailing & taxi segment is projected to reach US$31,094m in 2021. Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2021–2025) of 15.81%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$55,924m by 2025.
These stats indicate changes in people’s moving behavior. Today, people look for options that can help them avoid parking and traffic stress. This is where apps like Uber come in.
Founded back in 2009, Uber now has operations in over 900 metropolitan areas in 80 countries. Uber gained much success in just a few years by providing customers with an economical and efficient conveyance method. Because of apps like Uber, the taxi market is growing every day and because of the increasing demand for apps like Uber, it surely is a good time to invest in it.
How does Uber work?
Uber has divided its services into four parts, which are:
- UberX — It is the most cost-efficient option.
- UberBLACK — It is more costly than UberX and offers luxury cars.
- UberSUV — For people looking for bigger cars.
- UberLUX — It is Uber’s premium car service that provides top-of-line luxury cars.
Now let’s understand how to book the above services:
If you want to develop an app like Uber, it’s important to know how the app operates. From booking to payment, there are five steps involved, which are:
Step 1 — Request:
The customer enters the destination address and the pickup location and requests a car instantly or on schedule via the app. This request is then sent to the nearby drivers.
Step 2 — Match:
Once the driver accepts the request, the customer gets a notification regarding the estimated arrival time. If a driver rejects the request, then it is forwarded to another driver.
Step 3 — Ride:
Once the car arrives, both the customer and driver need to verify each other’s names, before starting the ride.
Step 4 — Payment:
Uber gives a price estimation beforehand, to make the experience smoother, for both the driver and the customer. The customer can choose the payment method according to his preferences.
Step 5 — Rate:
Once the payment is done, the customer can rate the services from 1 to 5 stars.
How to build an app like Uber
Time to create the app
Follow these steps to build an app just like Uber:
Step 1 — Requirement analysis:
In this step, you should analyze your targeted customer base and know what they look for in a taxi app.
Step 2 — App design:
Once you know what your customer needs, start laying the foundation of the app, starting from app blueprints to scope documentation, timelines, milestones, wireframes creation, initial system designs, etc.
Step 3 — App development:
This is the development phase of the app. You must tell the app development company whether you need a cross-platform app or a native app as well as which framework or tools to use.
Step 4 — Testing:
Test the app to make sure it meets the requirements.
Step 5 — App deployment:
Now that your app is developed, it’s time to deploy it to the iOS and Android app stores.
Step 6 — Maintenance:
Keep track of the customers’ feedback and make changes accordingly.
Features your Uber-like app should have
Now that you know how to build your taxi app, it’s time to learn about the features that are essential for building an Uber-like app
Essential passenger features in Uber-like app:
- Registration: For the passengers to register and log in to the app via email, mobile number, or social media account.
- Choosing ride: For choosing the type of car and entering pick up and drop location.
- Fare calculator: For providing the estimated trip fare, based on total kilometers, type of car, and traffic condition.
- Payment: For providing different payment options to the passengers, such as credit/debit card, net banking, PayPal, among others.
- Tracking: This feature acts as a security feature. It provides all-time location information to the rider or to the person with whom the location is shared.
- Calling: Feature for the passenger that allows them to call the driver.
- Ride rating: This feature will allow passengers to rate the ride according to their experience or register complaints if any.
- Travel history: For passengers to keep a track of their rides.
- Ride cancellation: This feature allows the rider to cancel the ride before the trip starts.
- Split payment: This feature allows passengers to split the total fares between them before making payments.
- Schedule the ride: For passengers looking to schedule their rides beforehand.
- Book for others: This feature allows the user to book rides for their family members or friends.
- Emergency button: If the passenger feels any kind of safety threats, then this feature allows him to send an emergency alert to the company’s control room through the app.
Essential driver features in Uber-like app:
- Trip alert: This feature notifies the driver about an upcoming trip, passenger location, and passenger details.
- Push notifications: Using this feature, the driver notifies the passenger that the car is on its way and the estimated arrival time.
- Navigation and route optimization: Using apps like Google Maps, the driver can opt for the fastest route and avoid heavy traffic.
- Waiting time: This feature allows the driver to charge the passenger if the waiting period exceeds 5 minutes.
- Next ride alert: The driver is notified about the upcoming trip while completing the current trip.
- Reports: This feature allows the driver to keep track of the daily rides and the total amount earned.
- Free cancellation: This feature allows the driver to cancel ride requests made by passengers.
Essential admin features in Uber-like app:
- Customer and Driver Details Management (CRM)
- Booking Management
- Vehicle Detail Management
- Communication
- Ratings and Reviews
- Promotions and Discounts
- Payroll Management
- Content Management
- Customer Support and Help
- Location and Fares Management
Tech Stack required to build an Uber-like app:
- Kotlin for Android app
- PayPal / Stripe
- Twilio
- Swift for iOS app
- Node.js for back-end
- Amazon EC2
- Amazon S3
- Elastic email
- Firebase
- Facebook SDK
- Google Maps
- Google Directions
Wrapping Up
According to Business of Apps, Uber had 93 million users in 2020. This figure indicates the growth of the taxi businesses in most developed countries. Building an app like Uber is surely a good investment at this point in time.
So, if you are ready to build your Uber-like app, then one of the leading app development companies, Jellyfish Technologies, can help you get one step closer to your dream.
Jellyfish Technologies is a reliable mobile app development company . It provides both native and hybrid mobile app development services for Android and iOS.
The JFT team is composed of highly experienced native and hybrid mobile app developers and has delivered numerous mobile apps so far.
