The Ultimate Guide to Developing Uber-like Taxi Booking Apps

Why would anyone want to build an app like Uber? Consider a scenario that could help us figure out the general goal of such an application.

Owning a car is a dream come true for many. Once you land your first job you start saving up and counting the days till you sit behind your own four wheels.

Playing your favourite tunes, wind whipping through your tresses, savouring the lights, and the scenic views flashing by, but wait what is that looming ahead? Oh no, a traffic jam and it seems to be quite a long one.

Down goes the enthusiasm and in sets a varying range of emotions fluctuating from irritation to frustration. Sitting motionless behind the steering wheel for hours, blanking into space...well most certainly not what you want to be doing at any time. Not now, never in the future.

Public transport is a saviour in such a situation. It reduces traffic for one thing. But on the downside, public transport isn't aimed at serving the individual needs of a person. Imagine lugging around your shopping bags or luggage on a bus. Not an amusing thought.

Travelling by car has its perks. You are free to go wherever you want. Pick a destination and just keep driving. The financial aspect of car ownership has changed everything. When you consider the cost, the inconvenience, and all the other factors associated with car ownership, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify owning one.

And hence, the popularity of taxi booking services. Taxi services are available in most big cities, and Uber is a dominant player in this field. A ride can be booked from a smartphone, and users need only wait for the taxi or cab to arrive at the pickup point. Adding to the benefits is the resolution of the parking issues that cities often face.

A taxi booking app is on nearly every user's smartphone. The market for on-demand services apps is growing rapidly, and it offers some unique features and interfaces.

To build your own Uber app and other on-demand ride services facilitate the exchange of services between consumers and providers. The greatest advantage of mobile apps is that they offer the most transparency to passengers.

How does Uber work?

Let's take a look at why taxi booking apps like Uber are popular. For one thing, it takes only five steps to finish a ride. It has completely transformed the taxi market. It includes the following 5 steps:

Step 1: User places request

The user opens the app and enters the pickup and destination points. He can then opt to pay before the ride is over or after the ride. Multiple payment options are available to facilitate payment.

Step 2: Matching

The user is matched with an available driver. The driver receives the user’s request and can accept or reject the request. Upon accepting the request, the passenger can view the ride details within the app, such as the car's make and model, and the driver's rating. The app also shows the arrival time and the car’s movement in real-time. If in case the request is rejected, the request is then allocated to the nearest available driver.

Step 3: Track the ride

Once the ride starts, the passenger can track the ride. The ride details can also be shared with passengers' contacts to track the ride in real-time.

Step 4: Make payment

Taxi booking apps like Uber provides multiple payment options. The user can also link payment cards and e-wallets for faster and more convenient payment. Users can either make payments before or after ride completion.

Step 5: Rating

Passengers and drivers can both post reviews after completing the ride. It encourages drivers to take more pride in the service they are providing.

What Are the Different Elements of a Taxi Booking App Like Uber?

Uber and other taxi booking apps have in many ways transformed the way people travel and enhanced their experience. Using Uber, you can book your cab from anywhere and it will arrive within minutes. To enable a highly responsive and user-friendly experience, the taxi booking app comes with two different apps.

• One for the user and,
• The other is for the driver.

Each of these apps is linked to the admin portal.

Now, let's look at some of the key features of each app.

What are the must-have features in the user app?

Registration tab

The first thing that customers need to do is to sign up with a mobile number, email account, or through social media platforms.

Ride tab

Customers can enter details of pick-up and drop-off points on the ride-booking interface page.

Ride selection

Using this feature, the user can choose the type of car they would like to travel in. The price and estimated arrival time of the ride are also given.

Fare calculator

The customer is provided with an estimate of the total fare before booking their cab. Several payment options are available for customers to use when making online payments.

Tracking tools

Cab users like to know exactly where their cab is and how much time it will take for the cab to arrive at their destination when they book a cab.

Review tab

Many people nowadays share their experiences with others, regardless of whether they are good or bad. The reviews and ratings are submitted by users based on their experience with a driver.

Contact driver

Users can contact the driver via the app to know where the cab is or guide the driver to the exact pick-up location to avoid any hassles. This enables a smooth cab booking experience for the user as well as the driver.

Payment tab

Payment options include cash, card, and third-party channels through the booking app's payment tab. Users receive an invoice through their registered accounts.

Ride history

Previous booking histories are available to users. This feature lets them choose one of their previously booked rides to book a cab for the same route more quickly.

What are the features of the driver app?

Driver profile

Like in the user app, the driver app also has a section where the drivers can fill in their full profile information including their updated status. A valid license number must also be entered.

Push message notification

When a passenger makes a booking nearby, this feature alerts the driver immediately. By taking the shortest route possible, he tries to reach the pick-up spot as quickly as possible.

GPS navigation feature

By using a navigation app like Google Maps, the driver can reach the desired location in the minimum amount of time.

Fare calculator tab

A fare calculator is also provided within the driver app. This gives the driver an approximate idea of how much the ride will cost along with any discount coupons opted for by the passenger.

Cab sharing facility

People living in cities are increasingly taking advantage of ride-sharing services. By doing this, they are able to share their total fare with friends and family and save money. This enhanced cab sharing facility feature can be accessed by drivers through their driver app, so they are notified if the cab is being booked as a shared ride. The app will alert the driver of the pick-up and drop-off locations of all passengers.

Earnings and statistics

Each driver has access to a report section where they can track their earnings and payroll earned on each trip.

Driver preference

Customers prefer to travel with the same driver whose service they have used before and were satisfied with.

Additional New Features in A Taxi Booking App

Customer convenience is at the forefront of developing a taxi booking app. Let us consider some of the additional facilities that can be added to your taxi booking app like Uber to increase user convenience and safety.

Hourly rentals

Booking a taxi is great. If you only have one place to be at. But if you have to run a couple of errands and need to travel to different places? With Uber's hourly rentals feature, you can save your time and money booking different rides.

It enables a user to travel to multiple destinations for a duration chosen by them. For a period of 1 hour to 12 hours, the user can reserve the car and the driver. Their commute can now be stress-free without having to worry about parking or driving in traffic.

Reserve a ride

The Uber ride reserving feature lets users reserve a ride when and where they need it. Especially for those living in big cities, this is a very useful feature, as it can be challenging to find an Uber at peak times.

Ride reservations can be scheduled up to 30 days in advance. Upon the user's request, the driver will be dispatched and arrive within the 10-minute window specified. It's one less thing for a person to worry about when they reserve a ride.

Send a package

Why should sending a package to someone be such a hassle? A user can easily get a package delivered to anyone within the same day with the Uber Connect facility. It provides an easy-to-use interface where the user can book a delivery like they would a cab ride. Depending on the delivery destination, the package can be delivered within the hour or sometime within the same day.

With the delivery tracking feature, the user can track the delivery of the package throughout its journey to the recipient and be notified when it has been delivered.

Travel intercity

Destinations are not to be limited to city limits. Uber intercity is an amazing feature that takes a user anywhere they want with no compromise on safety or convenience. Available for service anytime, with the Uber intercity facility you can select from various options based on whether the user is travelling as a group or solo. The Go Intercity, Sedan, or XL options ensure the user is comfortable throughout his journey.

How much does it cost to develop an app like uber?

The development cost of an uber-like app depends on various aspects, for example, the mobile app development company chosen, the preferred platform, the development process, etc. Let us look at some of the factors that affect the cost of developing an app like uber.

Features

The number of features included makes a taxi booking app basic or advanced. More the features, more its efficiency. Since the urban traveller depends on the utmost convenience, the inclusion of APIs becomes essential which increases the overall cost of development.

Techstack

A mobile app's cost is largely determined by the technologies used. To design and build an application, it is recommended to use efficient and advanced technologies.

Development and design

A complex application and project will require more effort. It results in a higher cost of developing the taxi booking app. Designing and developing a taxi booking app takes a great deal of time and effort.

App development company chosen

App development costs are also influenced by the location of the companies hired by clients. Service costs will likely be higher for companies located in the United States or the United Kingdom than those in developing nations.

Staying up-to-date

Any changes made to the application after it is developed and variations in requirements will increase the development cost. After prototype creation, the service providers and clients hold meetings to list all possible needs to facilitate changes if any.

Considering all the different factors, such as payment integration, geolocation features, push message notifications, ride scheduling features, ride cost estimation, etc, the cost of developing an Uber app can vary based on the functionalities included.

The Uber MVP app development cost is estimated at around $30,000.

The cost of developing an Uber app for either iOS or Android platforms may start from $50,000 to $100,000 for one or two user apps.

Do you want to develop a taxi booking mobile app similar to UBER? Get in touch with us to get a customized quote.

FAQs

What is the time taken to develop an app like Uber?

The time to design and develop an app like Uber depends on several factors such as the complexity of the design, expertise of the developer, features required, etc. It could take approximately around 2 to 5 months.

How much taxi app development cost?

The cost of developing an app like Uber depends on various aspects such as the development platform, geographical location of the development team, features to be included, etc. A basic taxi booking app may cost around $30,000.

What is the revenue model of taxi booking apps like Uber and Ola?

The most crucial source of revenue for Uber and Ola are:

• Customer service fee
• Driver transaction fee
• Cancellation fee
• Demand surge fee, etc.

What is an Uber clone app?

An Uber clone model comes with the Uber business model's features, but it can be customized to meet a client's requirements. In contrast to Uber, this clone script is geared toward users' needs and can be customized according to any niche.