Did you know that in 2017 taxi apps like Uber and Lyft beat the regular taxi service in New York City by number of trips?
We’ve taken a look at this possibility from the standpoint of a software developer and learned the secrets of developing a taxi booking app . In this article we discuss the most important characteristics of a taxi app and the potential development hurdles, and the Business Model Canvas for an app similar to Uber.
What is a taxi app?
The idea behind taxi apps is very simple. The user enters the place of destination and confirms the place of residence. The application matches the rider with drivers in the vicinity. These apps offer payment options, GPS tracking, and support for customers in addition.
Let’s look at the key players in the world’s taxi market.
In addition, with 75 million users as well as 3 million drivers, Uber is one of the most popular ridesharing services. Uber is available in over 600 cities in more than 65 countries.
The main rival of Uber is Lyft available across both the United States and Canada. As per the Second Measure in October of 2018, Uber and Lyft combined held 98 percent of the US market for ridesharing. While Uber was the market leader by the market’s share of profits, Lyft showed faster growth.
Here are some more taxi apps that you may have seen or heard about:
- Curb is now available within the US. Contrary to Uber and Lyft that let riders take a ride together in an individual vehicle, Curb allows riders to hire insured and professional drivers.
- Grab serves various countries within Southeast Asia. Grab Services include Grab Car and Grab Taxi which means that users can travel in a taxi licensed by the government as well as a personal vehicle. Grab also provides food delivery as well as pet transportation.
- Taxify is available in more than thirty countries, and boasts over 15 million active users. Taxify has managed to gain the most active customers in Africa as compared to Uber.
- Mytaxi operates in nine European countries. More than 100,000 certified taxi operators and 10 million passengers utilize the app.
- Ola is an Indian ride-sharing service. In the year 2018, Ola expanded to Australia and New Zealand.
Important features to consider for the taxi delivery app development
In general, a taxi booking app development is a service that has three kinds of customers that are drivers, administrators and riders. We will look at the basic attributes that each user needs. These are the essential features required to create a minimum viable product (MVP).
Do you know the necessary features for a navigation app like Waze? Find the answer here.
Admin:
Administrators have access to features to manage moderation, monitor, and control riders and drivers.
Dashboard lets an administrator see statistics on the number of users, rides, as well as income.
Analytics and reports. Administrators should be able look over various reports, like payments and driver reports.
God’s view. This feature allows an administrator to see all vehicles on the map, and also manage the driver, vehicle type reviews, riders locations, and fares.
Driver:
Drivers are given the capability of managing their own profiles, their rides, and payments.
Map. Drivers can view the route of the trip along with the location of pickup and the destination from the Map.
Notifications. Drivers receive notifications regarding requests for pickups or a canceled ride, as well as new messages.
Riders can be called. To reach riders, drivers must be able to call riders.
System for rating allows drivers to give riders ratings after a ride has finished.
Calculator for fare lets drivers determine how much a ride costs.
Rider:
Riders must be equipped with the capability to control their personal profile and payment methods.
Map. Riders can select a location or set a pickup spot or track a driver’s live position, and then view the route taken by the trip in the maps.
Take a taxi. After a driver has selected a destination and verified their location, they can make a reservation for a taxi.
Make a call to a driver. Riders should be able to call drivers.
Time of arrival estimated. This feature lets riders determine when a driver is expected to arrive.
Notifications. Riders receive notifications regarding the arrival time, canceled rides and any new messages.
Fare calculation. Riders can view an estimated cost of fares prior to taking a taxi.
Rating system lets riders rate drivers.
Reviews. Riders should be able to provide feedback on the driver and ride.
What are the difficulties of creating an app for taxis?
If you’re planning to build an app for taxis, bear your eyes on the fact that taxi apps have certain issues to overcome.
Safety
Safety is our first priority and our mission is to ensure that every ride is secure, comfortable as well as reliable.Logan Green, Lyft’s CEO Co-Founder of Lyft
Safety is a major concern for taxi app development but it’s a requirement. The main goal is to ensure that the ride is safe for both passengers and drivers.
Uber and Lyft will require drivers who are interested to undergo background checks and driving records. Drivers also need to provide an auto insurance policy and driver’s license.
To ensure the safety of riders and their comfort to ensure their safety and comfort, Uber and Lyft have specific vehicle requirements (which vary depending on the city). For example, Uber requires a vehicle to have four doors and at least 15 model years older. They can’t be damaged or missing parts. Additionally, Uber allows drivers to hire cars from rental agencies that have been approved by Uber.
To ensure safety, Uber has added an emergency button in the app. This feature is a safety measure users can contact 911 right from the Uber app by pressing one button.
Competition
If you develop an app for taxis such as Uber or Lyft ensure that you are prepared to compete with major market players. To stay out of the midst of huge competitors, you might think about choosing the right niche. Selecting a specific niche and focusing on certain users will improve your odds of success.
Here are some taxi companies that have specialized in a certain segment:
- She bah. An Australian ridesharing service specifically for women, with only female drivers.
- Hop Skip Drive. It was created by three mothers, Hop Skip Drive is a service that provides cars for children. It allows parents to plan and track their children.
- Taxi Electric. The taxi electric is a premium electric taxi company which operates in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Egg and chicken problem
Taxi platforms are a marketplace that is two-sided. It means that there are two kinds of users : drivers and passengers who both benefit from one another. Riders will not make use of taxi apps in the absence of drivers. So, here’s the issue: which one should you try to attract first? This is an issue that’s similar to the Chicken and Egg dilemma that most marketplaces have to deal with. Let’s look at how Uber can solve it.
When Uber begins operations in a new city, it begins by reaching out to professionals who drive. To draw drivers in, Uber offers a minimum earnings guarantee. Therefore, drivers are the money even though they do not transport passengers. To draw passengers, the company gives coupon codes and discount rates. Customers can also get free rides by inviting friends to join.
Offering bonuses is a great method to draw new drivers as well as to gamify the process. Each Uber and Lyft provide driver incentives to complete a set number of rides.
Localization
If you’re looking to expand your business to a variety of countries and cities You may encounter some difficulties with localization. Be aware that localization isn’t restricted to translating taxi apps to a different language.
First you will find different currencies. Estimates of fares must be presented with the local currency for a specific country.
The second is that the options for rides could differ. For instance, Uber offers an auto-rickshaw service in India and Uber BOAT in Croatia. This means you must take into consideration the needs of the audience and issues whenever you decide to expand into the country of your choice.
In taking all this into consideration, you may have to make changes to the interface of the app to accommodate the country or city you’re in. If you check out Uber’s interface across various cities, you’ll see that it’s somewhat different. These changes are mostly due to different ride options. Although even when the options for rides are similar the ride options are sometimes changed.
Uber’s interface in different cities. Source: Around the World with Uber
Our experts can easily deal with the localization problem and any other issues related to your taxi app. Learn the full range of our mobile app development services.
