It has been a while since on-demand taxi booking app services surpassed traditional taxi companies’ income-earning potential. However, there is no reason to stop this change because app-based ride-hailing services provide more than traditional taxi services in terms of convenience, security, transparency, affordable pricing, sharing, and various offers.
Companies that provide on-demand app development services have also started using the most advanced technologies to offer unique features and benefits to their users. One such example is Uber. In the third quarter of 2024, around 161 million people used the Uber app, clearly showing a sharp 13% growth rise compared to the previous year, 2023. Moreover, the global net revenue of the on-demand taxi app service market was 37.28 billion US dollars.
Founded in 2009, Uber was the first company to disrupt the passenger transportation sector and revolutionize taxi journeys. According to S-1 SEC filings, it has established itself in more than 700 cities across six continents in just over ten years. Although competition is coming up, Uber still holds a 65–70% market share in the US. On average, it travels 14 million miles a day worldwide!
Are you interested in the costs of creating a taxi app like Uber? You may also have questions about the resources and planning involved in building such an app. The blog discusses the cost breakdown of taxi booking app development. We break down the process of creating a similar taxi booking app and execute it using simple steps. So, let’s understand more about it.
What is the Cost of Building a Taxi Booking App Like Uber?
Statista reveals by 2028, taxi app market revenue will be $217.5 billion
as compared to $154 billion in 2023. China leads the global revenue generation market because of its majority of user penetration. Numerous transportation service providers have expanded and added layers to the taxi app concept as people move into cities. In the competitive transportation sector, apps that offer scooter rentals, bike taxis, and self-driving automobiles have established a niche. These media are considered sustainable, eco-friendly solutions in addition to being reasonably priced and reducing urban traffic and pollution.
We provide a comprehensive path here that lets you estimate the cost of developing a taxi app. The application’s complexity, feature count, and development rate all have a significant impact. The time required to create the following fundamental taxi app functionalities is listed. Assuming an hourly rate of $50, we computed their development costs.
| Features | Time Needed in Hours | Cost in $ |
|---|---|---|
|
Profiling and registration |
110-150 |
5500-7500 |
|
Booking system |
50-70 |
2500-3500 |
|
Mapping and geolocation |
50-70 |
2500-3500 |
|
Search and booking history |
20-30 |
1000-1500 |
|
Payment integration |
100-130 |
5000-6500 |
|
Listings and ratings |
20-40 |
1000-2000 |
|
Notifications |
30-50 |
1500-2500 |
Based on the above details, please note that these rates are based on the app’s requirements with basic features. If your app needs something more unique, it will require more development time, and the cost will differ. Every programmer must spend at least 150 to 200 hours creating a user-friendly and unique taxi booking application for multiple platforms, such as iOS, Android, and more.
Hence, creating a single-platform basic taxi booking app will cost around $20000 to 50000. If you want to make a comprehensive Uber-like app, the cost may increase to $50000 – 100000. The above taxi booking app development rates are $50 per hour. These rates usually apply to Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. However, the total amount will remain higher if you hire a development company from the USA or Western Europe.
What Are The Main Features of Taxi Booking App Like Uber
If you want to know how to create an app like Uber, you must contact a reputed company that provides taxi booking app development services. They can help you estimate the exact cost and timeline to create such an app. Also, you need to clearly understand the features you want in your app to make it unique.
Using a taxi app, a digital engagement platform, users can access various services beyond cab reservations. Uber’s most valuable online taxi booking service has set the standard by creating and incorporating cutting-edge features that set it apart.
Some of the basic features found in taxi booking apps are:
Ride Booking
You must consider all user groups while framing UI/UX design because this feature called ride booking is used most of the time. You need to establish an immediate connection with the elderly and make sure they won’t be intimidated by technology, even though digital natives will figure out your app on their own.
Booking should be as simple as possible. Users should only need to enter their from and to destinations. It would be much better if your program used its current location as the default departure point.
Find a Driver
The request is given to the closest available driver after the client approves the trip specifics and verifies the prerequisites. However, it operates differently in certain areas, as the request is sent to every motorist until one agrees. Either way, the goal is to connect the passenger to a driver. It’s crucial to keep the user interested and provide a real-time map of the local taxis so they know what’s happening as the app locates a driver in their area.
Trip Confirmation
The driver is unaware of the trip specifics unless they are given a new order. After being allocated, they can choose not to go; in that case, the ride will be given to the next available driver. Adopt a reasonable strategy and implement business logic to deter drivers from rejecting too many requests quickly.
Connecting Passenger to Driver
Only when they accept a new order does the driver know the specifics of the route. The driver’s information (taxi number, vehicle make, expected arrival time, driver rating, and current location) is sent to the passenger, and vice versa. At this point, they learn each other’s whereabouts so that the driver can begin traveling to the pickup place and the passenger is aware of the vehicle’s estimated time of arrival.
Finding Routes and Passenger via GPS
A driver doesn’t need to speak with the user personally because GPS monitoring displays their precise location on the map. Additionally, using Google Maps or comparable apps will assist drivers in navigating all highways and determining the quickest path to their destination.This function enables drivers to make more trips during business hours and boosts passenger loyalty.
Payment Processes
There are several ways to accomplish this. Since digital payments are becoming more common, including them in your taxi app development must be a significant part of the overall cost. Your app should accept payments via QR codes, bank cards, mobile wallets, net banking, and traditional cash.
Rating
When the trip is over, the driver and passenger can rate one another. Maintaining the system’s transparency is beneficial. A driver’s rating, whether consistently high or low, will impact future travel. Drivers with the highest ratings may receive more rides and larger commissions. Conversely, drivers who receive low ratings may receive warnings and retraining. This aids the business in keeping talented drivers, developing those who require improvement, and firing those who don’t exhibit the required standards of professionalism.
Technology Integrations To Build a Taxi Booking App
An entrepreneur should keep in mind that apps for iOS, Android require distinct stacks of technology while formulating a plan for developing a taxi app similar to Uber. Push notifications, payment integration, and geolocation are the three essential features of a custom taxi app. The following technologies are necessary for their adoption:
| Aspects | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|
|
Geolocation |
Apple MapKit, CoreLocation |
Google Maps Platform, Mapbox |
|
Push Notifications |
Apple Push Notification Services, Firebase Cloud Messaging, Twilio, Plivo, Nexto, Sinch |
Firebase Cloud Messaging, Google Cloud Messaging (GCM), Amazon Simple Notification Service, Plivo, Twilio, Nexto, Sinch |
|
Payment |
PayPal, Apple Pay, Stripe |
PayPal, Google Pay, Stripe |
Taxi App Development Stages: A Step-by-Step Process
We’re discussing how to create a taxi app here. Considering Uber’s intricate yet effective process, this idea may seem daunting. Your work will be easier if you divide it into phases, plan each part or module independently, and then hire a mobile app development company to employ taxi app development services to carry out your strategy.
Market Research
Research is the initial stage in developing a taxi app similar to Uber, as each market has unique dynamics that evolve. Understanding customer preferences, demographics, travel trends, and current solutions in your target market will be easier with your study’s aid. After that, you will learn about the problems, which may help you identify the market you need to reach.
Develop a Business Model
A business model canvas provides a quick overview of your partners, core competencies, value offer, cost structure, revenue stream, customer segmentation, marketing medium, and value proposition for each stakeholder. To advance your app, you must balance all of its parameters and examine it from a 360-degree perspective. A revenue model determines the pricing structure for each possible revenue stream.
Taxi App Development
It is the most crucial phase in the creation of your taxi app. Instead of using prefabricated templates, we advise contacting a reputable taxi booking app development business and creating native apps from the ground up by using robust cross-platform frameworks. It will guarantee that your application is compatible with every operating system and has settings tailored to each one. You need to create three interrelated components: Passenger App, Driver App, and Admin App. Each of these apps will have some standard features, and the rest of them will be related to the kind of user base.
Deploy Your Taxi Booking App
It’s time to release your taxi app, such as Uber, to users and put it live in places like the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and other well-known repositories. Before organizing a go-live, make sure you do a full security audit and extensive penetration testing. This will need to be adjusted further to adhere to the rules of the relevant directories.
Maintenance and Technical Support
Bugs will inevitably appear despite testers’ best efforts. Users may encounter difficulties utilizing the program due to compatibility concerns with more recent operating system versions. To protect your app from malicious attacks, you must apply the most recent security patches. For this reason, a group of technical assistance specialists ought to be established.iency by automating workflows and procedures.
Conclusion
The market for shared transportation is expanding. Since more than half the world has yet to be reached, now is a fantastic opportunity to develop your own Uber app that gives users options. At the same time, they search for economical and environmentally friendly transportation in congested areas.
Now that you know how much it costs to develop a ridesharing app, you can identify your target market and add useful features. Instead of choosing sophistication, we suggest concentrating on simplicity and developing a value proposition for the end user.
Please reach out to us if you want to work on your software project with the Whitelotus Corporation team.
