Online Ride Hailing Business Ideas – FATbit Blog https://www.fatbit.com/fab Results-Driven Web Design & Online Marketing Agency- Blog. FATbit Blog offers everything going on in the world of web design, web development, digital marketing and ecommerce. Read well-researched articles and get expert insights. Every blog sparks an idea, are you curious enough to know? Thu, 11 Jul 2024 06:42:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.9 How to Create a Ridesharing App – A Complete Guide https://www.fatbit.com/fab/how-to-create-a-rideshare-app/ https://www.fatbit.com/fab/how-to-create-a-rideshare-app/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 09:34:42 +0000 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/?p=31163

Last Updated: 29th February, 2024

The global ride-sharing industry has been undergoing transformation, disrupting the traditional business model that was in place for centuries. Earlier, in the 17th century, horse-drawn ride-for-hires were available in London and Paris. Then in 1653, horse-drawn hackney carriages did business and in the late nineteenth century motorized streetcars became popular. Moving forward, in 1891 a taximeter was invented from where the word taxicab was taken. This fare calculating device made the cab drivers adapt their business model as per societal and legislative demands.

In 1897, the world’s first dedicated taxi encompassing a taximeter was built in London. Since then, the taxi industry has come a long way. Moreover, with technological advancements, real-time ride-sharing industry gained ground and companies like Lyft and Uber began to experience phenomenal growth, as they offered services that helped passengers in finding a one-way ride in a short period.

In this blog, we talk about technological innovations, leading players, market trends, and then we’ll move on to understanding the business model of a ride-sharing app. We’ll also take a look at the key features of a ride-sharing app and as an entrepreneur, if you are looking to launch your own app, we discuss in detail the efficacies of custom vs readymade ride-sharing apps and the methods of scaling them to gain better wallet share.

Table of Contents

Surge in Demand and Global Market Overview

The key factor driving the adoption of ride-sharing globally is the increase in demand for cost and time-saving transportation. Additionally, the high cost of vehicle ownership, increasing need to reduce traffic and CO2 emissions for environmental concerns, and government regulations have been promoting ridesharing. As per stats, the global ride-sharing business has grown by 50% between 2019 to 2021 and is expected to reach USD 61.24 billion by 2026.

Ride-sharing Market Overview – Regional Insights

• According to Statista, revenue in ride-hailing and taxi segment in the US is projected to reach USD 78,140 Million in 2022.
• Uber and Lyft make up 90% of the ride-sharing market in the US.
• Americans between the age of 18-29, use ride-sharing apps more often than any other age group.
• In Europe, many cities are adopting low emission zones in line with the Paris agreement as an attempt to reduce carbon emissions.
• The projected revenue for 2022 in Europe for ride-hailing and taxi segment is USD 50,891 Million.
• The projected revenue for 2022 in Asia for ride-hailing and taxi segment is USD 177,414 Million. Overall, Asia is estimated to have the largest market share in 2022.

Top Dominant Players in the Ride-sharing Industry

The ride-sharing market is highly fragmented and competitive in nature and the primary reason is the operators’ ability to use independent drivers. Technically these companies do not provide rides to customers, instead, they connect passengers with drivers and charge for the service provided. Hence, ride-sharing services are arranged on very short notice, usually through a mobile app. And, these applications are impressive as with just a click, any individual can turn into a passenger or a driver. Top players dominating the ride-sharing market are:

Apps Revenue Founded Year
Uber 17.4 Billion 2009
Ola Cabs $110 M 2010
Lyft $3.21B 2012
Grab $687M 2012
BlaBlaCar $85.7M 2006

 

As the landscape of mobility continues to change, abundant innovation and emerging technologies have provided the ride-sharing industry a front-row seat for expansion. Besides, individuals who wish to stay safe from the threat of COVID-19 eventually viewed ride-sharing as a better alternative to more congested forms of mobility (public transportation) – that made physical distancing difficult. In this section, we talk about the popular trends and the future outlook of ride-sharing. 

Emphasis on Health, Safety, and Reliability

The Covid-19 outbreak has caused operational disruption in the framework of the ride-sharing industry. There is a paradigm shift in the travel and psychological behavior of customers. So ride-sharing companies need to assess the behavioral change in customers’ emotions and sentiments regarding hygiene, safety, security, and more.

To reduce the risk of catching the infection, ride-sharing companies have deepened their ties with healthcare organizations to provide reliable, comfortable, and sanitized transportation. Features of enhanced ventilation, plexiglass divider to separate passengers are also being added. While wearing masks at all times is mandatory, the frequency of an already robust cleaning schedule has also been increased. 

Transition Leading to a Sustainable Transportation

Ride-hailing companies have avidly embraced shared trips. Even passengers are booking taxis as a faster and more convenient way to commute. There is mounting evidence that in densely populated areas passengers are choosing relatively nimble, shared trips. This significantly helps in reducing traffic congestion and offers a city-friendly and sustainable product. Also, many ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft are using shared mobility principles that are developed by leading international NGOs for livable cities.

Electrification of Ride-sharing Fleet

Electrification of vehicles is most likely going to be a trend for ride-sharing fleets in the coming time. As electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, companies like Uber have started to explore the EV segment. Furthermore, electrification of ride-sharing will help reduce pollution, decrease vehicle maintenance costs, and, above all, lessen dependency on fossil fuels.

Self-driving Cars

We are also likely to witness an increase in self-driving cars as ride-sharing services will soon operate autonomously (entirely); especially considering the number of self-driving cars currently in development. Joining the fleet of Waymo, Uber and Lyft are also said to operate without drivers in the future. This will not only decrease the costs for companies but will also help drivers earn more revenue per hour.

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

As per reports, in 2022, approximately 54 million new connected vehicles will be on road. This means that these cars have internet services, are connected to each other, and will soon be able to communicate with the infrastructure like traffic lights, stop signs, and more, leading to increased safety on the road.

Navigate the Shifting Mobility Landscape With Your Ride – Share App

Target Audience of Ride-sharing Apps

Ride-sharing industry is rapidly expanding and gaining traction in the market. However, the adoption figures continue to vary by age, income level, and educational attainment. For example:

• Millennials, i.e. the people born between 1980-2000 have used a ride-hailing service, compared with 24% of those who were 50 or older. Likewise, people born in mid-1990s to mid-2000s (generation Z) are tech-savvy and have smartphones with the internet. As a result, they have better access to app-based ridesharing mobility services. So the younger generation understands the benefits of ride-sharing. Hence, they are expected to continue availing these services even when they grow old.
• Similarly, on closer inspection, it was also observed that 70% of people who live in cities and have a yearly salary of $75,000 or more were more likely to choose ride-sharing services over potentially slower or congested modes of transportation. Furthermore, in the USA, individuals who are more educated use ride-sharing services.
• As per stats, 55% of post-university graduates use Uber or Lyft as compared to those with lesser qualifications. Moreover, substantial urban-rural differences have also been observed. This is because many of the individuals with higher education live in urban areas where access to this type of ride-sharing service is available.

Key Benefits of Ride-sharing Apps

The convenience offered by taxi booking apps has made users more comfortable while providing businesses with a vantage point to deliver more value to customers by staying sustainable. Here, we share the benefits of ride-sharing apps. 

Building a Brand

Brand awareness is the most pivotal ingredient towards the success of a ride-sharing business. Companies like Uber, Lyft, and Ola have already established a strong reputation and goodwill for themselves in the market today, and thus, have become brands. Emphasizing credibility, unmatched customer services, and trust via ride-sharing apps can also help in increasing brand awareness. This helps in staying afloat in an era of cut-throat competition. Further, customizing a ride-sharing app with features that riders might like can also make the application more attractive. 

Gathering Valuable Data of Riders

Providing customers with quality services requires you to know them – their preferences and needs. When riders download ride-sharing apps, they log in using their email address or mobile numbers. Therefore, these apps help in gathering valuable data like contact information, location, and more. Additionally, when a ride is booked, other aspects like the choice of a cab, how often it is booked, time and distance traveled, and more can be monitored. All of these details help in sending personalized notifications to riders with lucrative offers like discounts, coupons, and so on, which can help in building a loyal customer base.

Getting Feedback from Riders

Rider feedback and review greatly influence the identity of a ride-sharing app. Ratings and reviews by users help in identifying the areas of improvement and the ones doing well. Subsequently, ride-sharing services are improved further, and as a result, a competitive advantage is gained.

Increased Visibility

In the age of digitalization where most people have smartphones, booking a cab via ride-sharing apps is both easy and convenient. Apps like Uber, Lyft, Grab, have already outclassed the traditional taxi services as they not only provide riders the comfort of transportation at their fingertips but also help businesses to get higher visibility, thereby, increasing the user base. 

Real-time Location Tracking

Real-time tracking is one of the biggest perks of ride-sharing services. By tracking the location in real-time the driver, as well as the passenger, can determine the exact location of each other. In other words, the passenger knows in how many minutes the cab will arrive and the driver is aware of the customer’s pickup and drop-off location. This also results in benefitting the business with reduced operating costs, improved customer satisfaction, and increased efficiency. 

Monitoring Driver’s Efficiency

Ride-sharing apps can help in monitoring the efficiency and productivity of a cab’s driver. Sometimes a driver’s behavior can affect fuel expenditure, vehicle utilization, and customer satisfaction. For example, the driver did not go to pick up the passenger, the ride was canceled, or a longer route was followed, then the needed action can be taken by monitoring the driver.

However, in cases where the driver was rude or unprofessional, then it would largely depend on the customer’s feedback. That said, close monitoring of drivers (which is absent in the conventional type of taxi booking) can greatly help improve the efficiency and success of the ride-sharing business.

Ride-sharing Business Growth with Improved ROI 

The traditional way of taxi booking has been an arduous task. But with the emergence of ride-sharing apps, the cab booking industry went into autopilot mode. Now, customers seamlessly book the cab through a ride-sharing app, get driver and payment details in advance, and upon trip completion make a hassle-free payment. This helps in improving the ROI and leads to the growth of the ride-sharing business.

Provide Unique Benefits to Customers with your Ride-sharing App

Ride-sharing Business Model – A Platform for Change

Bypassing the traditional methods of taxi booking, ride-sharing applications have been gaining popularity. The underlying reason is – digital “ride-sharing” platforms are improving efficiency and providing better transportation facilities while matching supply with demand in a cost-effective way.

Ride-sharing applications have also brought the concept of aggregator business model to fore. Its uniqueness involves building partnerships with individuals who work under the brand of the ride-sharing company instead of building or developing an offering on their own. Being tech-driven, peer to peer, ride-sharing companies also have conventional corporate governance.

In effect, companies like Uber, Lyft have a business model that uses a special algorithm to put ride-seekers in touch with ride-providers. The fares are adjusted as per market conditions. Furthermore, features like trip-tracking and driver rating enhance the transparency offered making it a win-win situation for customers, drivers, and the ride-sharing company itself.

The ride-sharing business model also facilitates vehicle owners to become public service providers, as it gives them the flexibility to drive their own vehicles in areas they choose to work. Features like trip-tracking and driver rating enhance the transparency offered. It also functions without overburdening the service providers with exorbitant registration fees, tariffs, and licensing.

Essential Features in a Ride-sharing App

A ride-sharing app has three panels – passenger, driver, and admin. Listed below are the features for every segment.

Features for Passengers Features for Drivers Features for Admin Other Features
User-friendly sign up portal Driver-friendly registration Heat Maps Analysis ( where the demand for rides is more) Support for various locations
Integration of real-time tracking (to track driver’s movements) Accept or reject a ride request Driver and fleet management Rating system based on user feedback
Electronic payment gateway Built-in navigation for optimized directions Real-time analytics and reports Internet messages (SOS in case of emergencies)
Pop-up notifications to keep users updated Integrated system for receiving payments Rental package management (basic, luxurious, moto, and more) Ability to schedule rides in advance
Hassle-free facility to cancel a ride Every rider’s trip information Promo-code management Regional price monitoring

Custom vs Readymade Ride-sharing Apps

The success of ride-sharing businesses like Uber, Lyft, and Grab has made numerous entrepreneurs interested in the ride-sharing business. In a bid to meet these requirements, ride-sharing app development companies are offering two types of solutions. These are:

  • Custom Built Ride-sharing Apps
  • Readymade Ride-sharing Apps 

Custom Built Ride-sharing Apps 

Custom apps allow the building of a ride-sharing app as per tailored requirements of a business or an entrepreneur and at a suitable pace. These apps are built from scratch providing the flexibility of:

  • Customization- Features and functionality can be customized; offers the choice of having a unique design as per business requirements.
  • Scalability- Custom ride-sharing apps are scalable.
  • Added Security- Developers in these applications can use encryption to protect sensitive data in terms of drivers’ and passengers’ personal information. 
  • Cost- Custom ride-sharing apps can cost more money (as per requirements) but the level of UX and functionality incorporated will be more refined.
  • Time- The time-to-market of a custom ride-sharing app depends on the app’s functionality and complexity. 

Readymade Ride-sharing Apps

Pre-built software can aid in bringing the best results for your ride-sharing business without taxing your patience. You do not need to do anything – just buy, install and start using your app. A few factors contributing to the success of readymade ridesharing apps are:

  • Time- Pre-built ride-sharing apps are built for those who consider time as their priority. No development is required so the time-to-market is less. 
  • Cost-Efficient- If budget is a constraint, no solution is better than a pre-built one. These apps are built with the purpose of catering to multiple clients so the number of complex features and functionalities is limited. This reduces the development time and the cost.
  • Hassle-free: A readymade ride-sharing app saves the company/entrepreneur from the hassles of project management and development. 
  • Customization: Not all ride-sharing apps are fully customizable as they might lack the technical capabilities needed to customize.
  • Scalability: Not all pre-built apps are scalable for the same reason as covered in the above point.

Our Recommendation

As mentioned above, ready-made ride sharing apps are cost-effective and the time-to-market is less. Hence, a ready-made ride sharing solution like VivoCabs is perfect to start your online ridesharing business. Designed and developed by FATbit Technologies, VivoCabs is a white-label taxi booking solution that comes equipped with a wide array of features such as fare estimator, multiple payment gateways, geo-fencing, SOS for users, and much more. Rider and driver mobile apps (Android and iOS) are also available. 

Key Highlights of VivoCabs 

  • Fully Customizable and Scalable 
  • Rider and Driver Apps (Android and iOS)
  • Multiple-Payment Gateways 
  • 12 Months of Free Technical Support 
  • GDPR Compliant

Kickstart your Ride-sharing Business with VivoCabss

Scaling a Ride-sharing Business – The Techniques

It is known that startups gain a lot of attention, however, with evolving customer needs and demands, it is important for ride-sharing businesses to scale up. While the focus should always be to enhance the passenger’s ride-sharing experience, expansion through adjacencies, cross-industry collaboration, and in-app mobile marketing can efficiently scale the ride-sharing businesses to gain a competitive edge.

Expansion Through Adjacencies

To remain sustainable and profitable, ridesharing companies should chart a course to expand into adjacent markets. For example, Uber leveraged the in-market (core market) with existing customers by delivering food through UberEats. The company has also incorporated a pickup and go feature into its app, that allows passengers to order and pick groceries or meals while en route to the destination.

Cross-industry Collaboration

The global market is made up of several independent industries, each having its own supply and demand. However, this method is outdated in many ways as new collaborations are straddling the boundaries. As Uber and Lyft have been the premier in the space of ride-sharing industry, they already have a huge user base that makes them attractive to bigger brands who are looking for partnerships as a part of their marketing strategy.

In the past, Uber has partnered with Hilton, Spotify, Pepsi, BMW, and so on. The passengers of Uber were also treated to free trips in BMW 7 series to promote the new car before it arrived in the U.S. showrooms.

In-app Mobile Marketing – Promotion and Referrals

With numerous ride-sharing apps getting introduced to the stores every other day, promotions and referrals offer a new vantage point that empowers businesses to outmaneuver their competitors. Hence, most ride-sharing apps use referral marketing and promotions to deliver more value and boost app downloads.

Looking to Scale your Ride-sharing business?

Final Words

Ride-sharing is quickly gaining momentum by harnessing the power of digitalization. Entrepreneurs, startups, or companies can benefit greatly from the changing ride-sharing dynamics. Further, innovation will drive the future of mobility. So if you are looking to start or scale a ride-sharing business, get in touch with us. We at FATbit Technologies comprise a multidisciplinary team, that blends their deep domain expertise with emerging trends, to deliver innovative ride-sharing applications.

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Challenges and Opportunities in Ride-Hailing Industry Amidst Covid-19 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/challenges-opportunities-ride-hailing-industry-admist-covid19/ https://www.fatbit.com/fab/challenges-opportunities-ride-hailing-industry-admist-covid19/#respond Mon, 03 Aug 2020 06:11:22 +0000 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/?p=24186

If likened to a car, the global economy at the beginning of 2020 looked all set to go up a few gears. But then it ran into a gridlock that we’ve come to know by the name of Coronavirus. So on came the brakes, a total standstill and then a turning off of ignition; and the story continues. The analogy of a car is quite felicitous since it’s the taxi or ride-hailing industry that has borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Silver Lining For the Ride-Sharing Market

While the current situation of the ride-hailing industry isn’t the most promising, it’s not all doom and gloom. A recent survey estimates that post COVID-19, the global sharing market size will see a Y-O-Y growth of 55.6% from 2020 to 2021. The major drivers of this growth will be increased need for mobility in the midst of rising urbanization and decline in car ownership. Additionally, increasing internet and smartphone usage coupled with tough CO2 reduction targets will continue to drive the growth of the ride-sharing market.

Covid 19 Impact on Ride Sharing Market

General Guidelines Issued By Uber & Lyft To Combat COVID-19

As many regions start to ease the restriction, people are still bound to have their qualms about using a ride-hailing app. To that end, Uber and Lyft have implemented a set of safety guidelines by working in close association with the CDC and the World Health Organization(WHO). The most significant of these guidelines are as follows:

1. Drivers Will be Wearing a Mask

Both Uber and Lyft have made wearing a face or some form of face-covering mandatory for the drivers. While Lyft simply asks its drivers to self-certify within the app that they’re wearing a mask, Uber uses a new app technology that requires drivers to take a selfie before they could log into their accounts. If the technology detects that the driver isn’t wearing a mask, then the app will restrict them from picking up riders.

GIF VivoCabs

2. Riders Will Be Asked to Wear a Mask

Both Lyft and Uber will require drivers and riders to complete a checklist before booking a ride. This checklist will prompt riders and drivers to confirm things like if they’re wearing a mask, and whether they’re currently experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. Both the companies are encouraging drivers and riders to cancel their trips if they find the other user isn’t wearing a mask or not practicing other safety protocols.

3. Riders Will Be Required to Wash Their Hands

While it’s a bit unclear as to how this particular guideline will be implemented, both Uber and Lyft are asking riders to wash or sanitize their hands before getting inside a car. It’s a good move since proper hand hygiene is one of the key steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

4. Riders Will Sit in The Backseat

As per the new guidelines, riders will only be allowed to sit in the backseats. It’s true that the ideal 2 meters social distancing guideline isn’t practical in most cabs but driver and rider can still maintain a reasonably safe distance between each other if the rider sat in the backseat as opposed to the seat next to the driver.

5. Windows To Stay Partially/Fully Open

Both riders and drivers are encouraged to keep the car windows open as much as possible. This is scientific advice since if Coronavirus particles are already present in the vehicle, they can keep on circulating for as long as windows remain shut. Whereas, increased air-flow caused by open-windows will minimize that risk.

6. No More Pooled or Shared Cabs

This one’s a no-brainer. Pooled or shared cabs in which riders going to the same destination travel together have been suspended in view of the social distancing guidelines.

Going an Extra Mile To Win Customers’ Trust

The aforementioned safety features are definitely a step in the right direction and enforcing them successfully would be crucial for the ride-hailing businesses to get through the pandemic. Additionally, however, businesses can offer a contact tracing feature in their app. Contact tracing is incredibly useful to curb the spread of COVID-19. It can help state and district authorities trace an infected patient’s recent movement, and track down people with whom he/she might have come in contact with before testing positive.

Any ride-hailing business offering this kind of feature sends a clear message that it’s prepared to go an extra mile to ensure customer-safety. There’s no better way to earn customer’s goodwill and trust.

Why New Ride-Hailing Startups Will Emerge Stronger At The Back End of COVID19 Pandemic?

On the face of it, pandemic doesn’t look a great time to kickstart a ride-hailing startup. But if we scratch beneath the surface, there are definite signs suggesting why it might be the ideal time to get a headstart in the ride-hailing industry.

1. No Weight of Expectations

First off, business owners can get underway without any weight of expectations. This might not sound that much of a game-changer but lowered expectations have their merits. When a business owner isn’t worrying about the possibilities of success and failure, he/she is focusing more on the actual business processes and how to best serve the end-user. Such a mindset is primed to conceive innovative ideas and there’s no telling what new and superior class of ride-hailing startups we may witness in this pandemic that completely revolutionizes the industry.

2. Economy Will Eventually Get Back on Track

Masks and social distancing may be the new norm for the time being but there’s no reason to believe it will stay that way indefinitely. There have been pandemics in the past and yes they certainly brought everything to a halt for a certain time but eventually life did get back to normal. In a way, starting a ride-hailing business in the middle of a pandemic can introduce business-owners to a whole new set of challenges. Tackling these challenges can spur innovation and serve a great lesson on how to get through the worst case scenario, very early in their entrepreneurial journey.

3. Ideal Testing Ground

As highlighted earlier, the pandemic has taken away the weight of expectations off startup’s shoulders. The status quo also offers a host of opportunities for businesses to apply their new-fangled ideas and strategies into action and see the response they generate. It’s hard to think of this approach in the pre-COVID phase, when businesses like Uber, Lyft and Grab had an almost iron-grip on the ride-hailing market. But things are very different now. By introducing a new technology that addresses customer’s health and safety concerns or special offers that reward people for following safety guidelines could go a long way in earning customer loyalty and trust.

4. Grow as Your Learn Approach

While the grow as you learn approach is suitable even under normal circumstances, it becomes a whole lot better when the world’s battling a pandemic. Following this approach, ride-hailing startups can kickstart their venture by first building a lightweight solution aimed at delivering the basic needs of riders. It goes without saying that safety measures should remain at the core of even such a lightweight solution. As this solution gains traction and customer feedback begins to roll in, vital improvements, be they design, utility or service-oriented, should be introduced to increase customer acquisition and retention.

Final Thoughts

It’s quite clear that the ride-hailing industry has taken a massive blow from the outbreak of COVID-19. What kind of response both new and existing ride-hailing companies come up with will depend a great deal on the scientific advice of leading virologists and medical experts. All things considered, it’s a safe bet to say that ride-hailing, not long ago, the most popular mobility service, will see a resurgence sooner rather than later.

Looking For a Custom Ride-Hailing Solution

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An In Depth Review & Startup’s Guide To Launch a Bike Taxi App Business https://www.fatbit.com/fab/startup-guide-launch-bike-taxi-app-business/ https://www.fatbit.com/fab/startup-guide-launch-bike-taxi-app-business/#respond Fri, 26 Jun 2020 12:22:39 +0000 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/?p=23726

Last Updated: 31st March, 2022

Bike-taxi services, often seen as an off-shoot of the popular on-demand ride-hailing services, have received an exceptional response in many parts of the world where last mile connectivity still remains a major challenge.

This was evident in the $1.17 billion funding raised by Mobility startups in India across 56 rounds in the first nine months of 2019. The two largest players, Ola and Uber acknowledge this shifting trend, where riders are turning to cheaper and quicker means of travel. As such, we can expect these companies to bank more on bike taxis to shore up the falling ride numbers in recent years.

Due to the uptrend, the bike-taxi business is gaining traction as a lucrative opportunity for startups to start with a new venture and existing taxi businesses to scale and include this service. Read ahead to find the factors fueling this business and the phases in bike-taxi app development.

Table of Contents

What’s Fueling The Demand For Bike-taxi Services?

In many developing and highly populated countries, people have been migrating from rural regions to urban cities that offer lucrative employment opportunities. Many of these opportunities lie in the transportation sector, which is dedicated to meet the demand for everyday services. But transportation from nodal points to the final destination remains a major challenge. Following are some of the ways in which Bike Taxis address this problem:

1. Ideal in Traffic Congestion & Rush Hours

We’ve talked about the growing population of urban cities and one of its most notable consequences is traffic congestion on the roads. To beat the traffic, commuters in countries like Indonesia and Nigeria make use of bike-taxis, which proves to be a convenient and affordable means of travel. Since two-wheelers take less space on the road than cars, they don’t contribute to existing traffic congestion woes.

2. Affordable Alternative to Cabs

Bike Taxis or two-wheelers consume far less fuel than cars and as such, they’re an affordable way to travel. In India, it’s estimated that a bike taxi ride costs around Rs. 60-70, compared to a cab ride which costs Rs. 200 for the same distance. So for the cost & time-conscious rider, the bike-taxis make an obvious choice.

3. Last Mile Connectivity

We know the bike-taxis’ effectiveness to zip through the busy, traffic-congested city roads but they are almost tailor-made for the rural stretches and narrow lanes, where the last mile connectivity always remains the biggest issue.

4. Abundant Resources

Most of the south-Asian countries form the base of the bike-taxi market. India is currently the world’s largest two-wheeler market with an estimated 2 crore plus vehicles sale in 2018, which translates into 60,000 two-wheelers every day. Bike taxis are the preferred mode of transport in these countries and the success of startups like Ola and Rapido is a clear indication of that fact.

5. Employment Opportunities

In areas where there’s a lack of public transport, bike-taxi services help generate employment opportunities and support the livelihood of thousands of people. This eventually contributes to the growth of mobility and builds an inclusive mobility ecosystem.

Top Players in The Bike Taxi Industry

Bike taxi businesses have been around for over a decade now. Initially concentrated mostly in Southeast Asia, they’re beginning to acquire new markets in India, Africa & even Latin America. Following is a list of the most notable bike-taxi businesses:

Top players_Bike_Taxi_App

Bike-taxi as a Contemporary Ride-hailing Solution

While the top players are conducting business in the South-East Asian countries, the efficiency of these services to navigate through the traffic, especially in congested cities, presents an opportunity for a flourishing business in countries apart from the above-mentioned ones.

Limobike, a bike-taxi service in London, presents a strong case of the viability of this business in countries other than South-East Asia. The service provides a fast way to navigate through the traffic and reach destinations faster.

Uber-moto has extended its service in cities in Brazil. They too leverage bike-taxi services’ capability to wade through traffic congestion in the busy streets of cities like São Paulo.

Bike-taxi services can prove to be a contemporary solution in countries other than the ones they are already operating in.

Phases in Bike-taxi App Development

As evident from the facts stated above, the bike-taxi business can be a lucrative option for startups. Let us delve into the process of bike-taxi app development by analyzing the phases in launching a bike-taxi business. Let’s start from the beginning.

Key Considerations Before Starting a Bike-taxi Business

The first step would be to perform a thorough market analysis. A successful bike-taxi business has the potential to churn out millions of every imaginable currency in the world.

The business looks simple on paper – it revolves around conveying passengers across different locations of their choice. It’s different from public transport since the pick-up and drop-off locations are selected by the rider. The choice factor is what makes this business model so popular among people.

Before starting a bike-taxi business, it’s vital to properly understand and research the industry. The great thing about a bike-taxi business is that it can generate sales effortlessly so long as the vehicles are well equipped to carry out their services. But this knowledge alone isn’t enough; it has to be backed by key insights for maximum output. Following are some of the ways in which you can give your bike-taxi business the perfect start to become successful:

1. SWOT Analysis

swot

Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, Threat (SWOT) analysis is a perfect way to kickstart your business planning.

Strength

When entering any market, you have to know the core strength that you will be counting on from time to time to tackle new challenges or establish your identity. In a bike-taxi market, it could be your innovative mindset or simply the location of your business.

Weakness 

It’s better to know from the outset what might be the drawback of your service. For most startups, effecting change remains the biggest challenge. For instance, in your area, people might be overly reluctant to switch to bike-taxis. Another weakness could be a lack of trust and confidence if you’re new to the scene. Whatever the challenge might be, look for innovative ways to find solutions and move to the next step.

Opportunities

You might have seen an idea blast its way to success in a foreign market. Now you’re confident that with little tweaks and adjustments it can be successfully applied in your target market. In a bike-taxi market, much like any other sphere of business, it’s better to act quickly before you lose the first-mover advantage to an unknown competitor.

Threat

It’s crucial to take stock of the unfavorable government policies, economic downturn, and the competitive business scenario. Threats are inherent in any business activity but that shouldn’t deter you from creating more opportunities for your success and popularity.

2. Analyzing Market Trends

Understanding market trends is crucial to successfully launch your bike-taxi business. For instance, currently, we’re seeing the taxi industry grappling to regulate ridesharing services. But sound business knowledge would suggest that’s a bad idea since more competition leads to deregulation.

The way prices are calculated is also quite important. At present riders input their current location and destination to receive a customized fare, which takes into account the profitability derived from long distances (discounted prices for longer trips).

Finally, it should be quite clear that people enjoy their smartphones and if you can’t offer them convenience, then you may well lose their goodwill. Uber is a perfect example of how to win customer trust through innovation, flawless execution, and rapid response.

3. Determining the Target market

Identifying who your target audience is and then proving the various benefits your service offerings would bring to them is vital to establish a successful business. You may find that in your target market, most families own cars; but your job would be to explain why cars may not always fulfill the mobility needs of every family member all at the same time. It may also be a good idea to distribute questionnaires to find out how many adults and teenagers with cars in their houses have actually boarded taxis in their lifetime to get from one place to another. Furthermore, it’s better to categorize the target audience across the following profiles:

  • Households
  • Tourists
  • Students
  • Commuters

Once market analysis has been conducted, you will have the data to proceed with the next step in bike-taxi app development. An outline of key features necessary in the app can be drawn. Some popular features are mentioned below, that can assist this process.

Key Features to be Considered in Bike Taxi App Development

Bike taxi apps work much like their forerunners i.e. taxi booking apps. Everything is geared towards helping the rider get an affordable and convenient experience at the tap of a button using the mobile app. To make that possible following features can be considered during the bike-taxi app development.

Bike taxi app_key_features

1. Geolocation & Routing

Geolocation is the basis to operate all on-demand ride-booking services. It works exactly the same way in bike-taxi apps as it does in the taxi-booking apps. The riders turn on the GPS on their smartphones and enter their destination. The app finds the nearby drivers, after which the rider can book a ride.

2. Two-way Feedback

Both the rider and driver should be allowed to share each other’s feedback. This is vital to maintain a safe platform, gather crucial user insights, and understand users’ pain points.

3. Share Ride Details

Ride details sharing is seen as a standard feature in all on-demand bike taxi apps. Using this feature, the riders can share their ride details with friends and family. The details are usually shared via many of the IM apps already installed on the user’s smartphone.

4. Multiple Payment Methods

Along with cash payments, a bike-taxi app should offer online payment options using internet banking, debit/credit cards, or e-wallets. Since these payment methods transmit vast amounts of financial data, they should meet the PCI compliance guidelines.

5. View Driver Details

For safety purposes, the rider should be able to view the basic information such as name, address, photo, driving license, and details of the motorbike. This proves useful to perform an identity-check, driving experience, and also to have some background information about the driver so as he/she doesn’t strike as an altogether total stranger at the start of the ride.

6. Estimated Arrival & Destination Time

Thanks to the GPS technology, it’s now possible to get minute details about someone’s exact location, and based on the traffic conditions they’re in, how long it will take them to reach a certain point. This has been a highly popular feature in taxi-booking apps. Usually, riders require an estimated arrival time before booking a ride, so they can be sure of how long they’ll have to wait before their driver arrives. The ‘reach destination’ time proves useful to know beforehand, how long the ride would take to reach the destination. Since if the time estimate is unfavorable to the rider, he/she may decide against booking a ride.

7. Fare Estimate

Very similar to the estimated arrival time, riders like to know the approximate fare before booking a ride. The fare is usually calculated using a different set of algorithms that take a lot of factors such as locality, distance, timing into consideration. Prices can also go up during peak hours when there’s a sudden increase in demand for bike-taxis.

8. Ride Match/Verification

Ride match or verification acts as an additional safety check for both the rider and the driver before starting a ride. After booking a ride, both rider and driver receive an OTP on their apps. Once the driver reaches the rider’s location, both are required to verify the ride using that same OTP.

9. My Rides

My ride feature is useful for drives to keep tabs on all their completed and upcoming rides. They can quickly browse through their past rides to gain insights about their earnings and ride experience. The upcoming rides menu can help them plan their schedule effectively.

10. Real-time Push Notifications

To keep the rider updated about the whole process, bike-taxi apps send out real-time push notifications at every major event. Major ride notifications include booking confirmation, driver’s name, vehicle & estimated arrival update, driver’s actual arrival update, and ride completion update, and so on.

11. FAQs & Report Issues

A dedicated FAQ section for most common queries related to the bike-taxi service is provided within the app. This answers most of the concerns/issues that users might have related to the service without the assistance of help & support staff. In case the users have to report something, they can be directed to a Report Issues screen to describe their concerns in detail and submit them for a review.

Bike Taxi App Development – The Process

Once, the planning stage provides a draft of what the bike-taxi app would be like, the next step would be to identify the development process. While there is more than one way to approach app development, Agile development has gained traction for some time as a preferred development practice. 

Agile follows iterative and incremental development, prioritizing a constant feedback loop bringing multiple benefits to the table. Some of these are listed below: 

  • Dynamism and Versatility: Each iteration is a milestone, making navigating the complexities in bike-taxi app development easier. 
  •  Faster and Cost-effective: With the sight of clear priorities and agility in the development process, Agile helps filter the essentials from the redundant. Sprints further, fasten the process.  
  • Option to Pivot: Each iteration within the development process provides the option to pivot. 
  • Collaboration and Transparency further facilitate robust development and encourage innovation by maximizing individual capabilities. 

Considering the distinct advantages, Agile development can power your project with a competitive advantage towards accomplishing the identified objectives from the planning stage. 

Timing the Launch

“The goal of every startup is to discover how to build a sustainable vision around that vision” – Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup. 

The benefits of Agile development extend beyond just developing the bike-taxi app and can help you time the launch of the business with a well-planned strategy. 

One can consider launching a minimum viable product or MVP version of the app. Iterative development will help in launching the business with minimum requisite features and test the waters. 

The business has the capability to pivot 一  if required. This gives greater control over timing the launch. 

Introducing the product that fits customer requirements and at the right time to tap the market opportunity, will help in gaining early market traction.

Get a Price Estimate for your Bike-taxi App

Wrap Up

Bike taxi apps have a huge potential in the on-demand mobility services, particularly in the densely populated regions around the world such as Asia and Africa. The fact that these countries already have enormous two-wheeler markets and a population highly attuned to the ways of traveling on such vehicles makes them ideal for business undertakings.

If you’re planning to launch a bike-taxi startup, FATbit experts can provide the necessary technical guidance and further help build a custom bike-taxi app for your business.

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Key Attributes For Startups To Enable Traction & Growth In The Ride Hailing Industry https://www.fatbit.com/fab/key-attributes-for-startups-to-grow-in-ride-hailing-industry/ https://www.fatbit.com/fab/key-attributes-for-startups-to-grow-in-ride-hailing-industry/#respond Thu, 28 May 2020 12:04:43 +0000 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/?p=23257

In 2007, Uber wrote a new chapter on the landscape of taxi-industry. It brought forth the concept of ride-hailing using smartphone technology. The idea would be a monumental success and in its wake it would spell doom for the erstwhile taxi services. The world has never looked back; instead there’s been a proliferation in the number of businesses offering Uber like ride-hailing services. In 2018, the ride-hailing industry was valued at $50.4 billion and by 2024 it’s estimated to reach $120.2 billion. While the recent outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic might have stalled the growth of the market as a whole, there’s strong reason to believe that once normality prevails, so will the market-growth.
Stat Source

Customer Psychology – The Focal Point of All Ride-Hailing Businesses

In the meantime, if you find yourself planning to create a taxi booking solution, you’d be advised to pursue the idea all the way to its completion. The tempo in the ride-hailing market, much like most other markets, is set by the customers; all the service features and processes are geared to offer maximum customer satisfaction. As such understanding the customers’ needs inside out is crucial for startups. In any ride-hailing service, customer satisfaction largely depends on the following five factors:

Pricing

uber vs lyft vs taxi_stats1

It should be no surprise that a majority of customers turn to/away from a ride-hailing service based on its pricing. Roughly 40% of US ride-hailers use both Lyft and Uber and price is the primary factor that determines their choice between the two platforms. Slashed or discounted prices with a combination of offers and reward points rarely fail to attract new customers. This is particularly true in under-developed countries and among frequent ride-hailers. Therefore, it’s crucial for ride-hailing companies to come up with a pricing strategy that’s both affordable and offers optimum utility to the customers.

Professionalism

professionalism_VivoCabs-min

Professionalism is a broad term to define a number of aspects of ride-hailing services. It includes the driver’s attire, manner of talking, assistance in handling baggage, attentiveness to customer’s needs, for instance in terms of playing radio, turning the AC on/off, and so on. Companies like Uber and Lyft have made their reputation by adhering to the highest standards of professionalism in their service. This is a motivating factor for customers who value a good company and a pleasant ride-experience.

Ease of Booking

ease-of-booking

Ease of booking was the trump card that made the first ride-hailing services a success very quickly. In a way, a ride-hailing platform gives a voice to the customer to request a ride by specifying the current location and destination. This is far better than standing in the middle of the road, shouting out to a bunch of taxis that may or may not be headed to your destination. But ride-hailing platforms go a few steps further; they help you book a ride, get the price estimate, and then track the driver’s real-time location and also get an estimated arrival time. Ease of booking is a vital link in making a ride-booking platform successful. The simpler the process, the better for customers.

Car Quality

How well a car is maintained speaks a lot about its ride-hailing service provider. No reputable company would allow cars that are in bad shape to be associated with its brand. This is simply because customers like to travel in neat cars that enable a comfortable ride. We mentioned how price can affect brand-loyalty; car quality can be just as vital a factor to make customers switch their choice of a ride-hailing platform.

Safety

Nothing could be more important to a ride-hailer than his/her personal safety. In any taxi service, there’s always an element of risk and even companies like Uber aren’t immune to that. Safety is one such area that’s always under scrutiny and that customers are bound to take seriously. Instead of approving registration requests as they come, a pre-screening check should be performed that takes into account the driver’s background details, driving skills, and education. That way you have more driver details to share with your customers, which can make them feel slightly more secure than otherwise.

VivoCabs, a white-label solution to launch a taxi booking app offers a safety feature called SOS, wherein both drivers and riders can send a text message to their pre-saved emergency contacts at the tap of a button.

VivoCabs_SOS feature

Some other secondary factors that impact customer satisfaction include the type of payment options, the response rate to ride-requests, and availability of advanced features like scheduled booking and fare splitting.

Marketing – The Anchor For Customer Acquisition & Retention

Startup ride-hailing companies face an uphill task to gain a foothold in what is already a fiercely competitive industry. From what we’ve seen, success in this industry depends mainly on a combination of two things – a dynamic taxi booking solution backed by a robust marketing strategy. The first aspect has been discussed quite extensively in this blog, so we’ll be focusing on the second – marketing. Some of the most effective marketing techniques applied to good effect by companies like Uber are as follows:

1. Early Adopter Advocacy

Early adopters are an important group of people who are open to trying new products/services and voicing their opinion about the same. During its early days, Uber reached out to Silicon Valley movers and shakers to further its brand advocacy. Later on, it looked to sponsor events and gave away free trials to first-time riders. What Uber was doing was leveraging word of mouth marketing to acquire new customers for its service. Suffice to say the efforts bore the fruit and made Uber a global success. New startups must realize that Uber’s strategy for every new market it enters is unique in some way. In some places, free trials get the job done while in others it takes some kind of sponsoring to get the word around.

2. Referral Marketing

After the service has the goodwill of its early adopters, it can present them with referral marketing, which has perks both for the existing and the referred user. The perks are usually in the form of discounts, redeemable reward points or free rides; in other words, enough motivation to continue using the service and inviting new users. Moreover, referral marketing has the power to reach customers that are inaccessible or less exposed to other popular modes of marketing. If implemented correctly, it can allow ride-hailing companies to scale their marketing and pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses.

3. Customer Loyalty Program

customer_loyalty_programSource – businessinsider.com

Loyalty programs are a way to show gratitude and appreciation to the frequent and long-time users of the services. Uber has something called Uber VIP, which is exclusive to customers who have completed 100 rides. These VIP users have special access to the highest-rated drivers on the platform. A special status along with some tangible benefits are a great combination to make the customer feel proud for being loyal to the service.

4. Partnerships

PartnershipsSource – Spotify

Partnerships are a great way to incentivize service usage. Ride-hailing services can partner with major banks, hotels and credit-card institutions to reward their customers for every trip they take. Uber partnered with Capital One to give its credit card holders special discounted rides. But rewards don’t always have to be in the form of money-back or discounts. Uber also allows Spotify users to link their profiles to their Uber account and play their favorite music when taking a ride. On the whole, it underlines the company’s commitment to make the customer feel privileged for every service usage.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned earlier, ride-hailing is a fiercely competitive industry where startups can disappear without even seeing the daylight. That’s why proper planning is indispensable to success. By understanding the crucial factors that impact customer satisfaction and formulating a marketing strategy with a combination of new and proven methods, it’s possible to launch a successful ride-hailing solution.

In case, you’re looking for a white-label solution to start an online ride-hailing service, then we’d like to request you to check VivoCabs– a product of FATbit technologies. For any other details or queries related to this blog, please feel free to reply in the comment section below.

Want to build a customer-centric ride-hailing mobile app?

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Why Launch a Taxi Booking Mobile App With White Label Taxi Booking Software? https://www.fatbit.com/fab/white-label-taxi-booking-software/ https://www.fatbit.com/fab/white-label-taxi-booking-software/#respond Fri, 20 Mar 2020 11:00:29 +0000 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/?p=22738

Last Updated: 23rd Feb, 2024

Despite Uber owning the lion’s share of the online taxi-booking app market, there’s no shortage of new businesses vying to get their name slotted somewhere in the list of notable online taxi booking companies. The reasons for this gold-rush-like scenario in the online taxi booking industry range from growing internet usage, millennials’ changing lifestyle, and the hassle-free booking done through modern mobile apps.

But gaining a firm footing in the online taxi booking industry isn’t all that simple. You need to offer something among the likes of Uber, Lyft, or Grab to gain visibility and even with that, it’s not certain that your mobile apps will sell. Why? The online taxi booking market has already undergone a paradigm shift with the advent of Uber and disruptions even in today’s time are like a flash in the pan. Moreover, building an Uber-like app from scratch isn’t all that easy considering the time and monetary investment that goes into it. So, what should be the approach for aspiring entrepreneurs to build their own taxi-booking mobile app?

White-Label Taxi Booking Software – A Sensible Approach

Whenever you’re building a mobile app to be used by masses, time is of the essence. A slackened pace in finishing the development or arriving late to the launch date can prove costly if your competitors get their mobile apps rolling out in the nick of time. It’s a known fact that custom development is complex and often a lengthy process and it’s not in every businesses’ interest to go down this route.

That’s where white-label or off-the-shelf solutions come in handy. But what really is a white-label solution? Well, in simple terms it’s a software developed by one company, rebranded and then sold to another company. When it comes to software, it’s basically a redesigned and slightly customized build to incorporate the purchasing businesses’ branding.

How Are White Label Solutions Built?

  • One common way to build a white-label solution is by using the backend codebase but with visible changes in the frontend of the app, giving a much different look and feel to match the buyer’s branding. 
  • The other way is by creating a multi-tenant app; in this way, each app instance remains the same but each tenant can experience a different set of features. It’s a mechanism applied in software as a service(SAAS) platforms, which are a lot more complex to build and maintain.

Key Elements of a White Label Taxi Booking Software

A white label taxi booking software consists of the following three key elements:

Passenger/Rider App

A white label passenger app offers enough functionality to facilitate ride-booking for riders with utmost convenience. Users simply install the app on their device and register on the taxi-booking platform using their phone number. With registration complete, riders can search for cabs by specifying their pick up and destination points. Riders are shown an estimated fare before creating a request. The request is populated to nearby drivers and riders have to wait until some driver accepts their request.

Riders are kept informed about the process via on-screen notifications. Upon a ride-booking, riders receive an update with the driver’s name, vehicle number, address, contact, and rating. Moreover, riders can start tracking the real-time location of the driver as he/she makes their way to the pick-up point. Riders can call the driver to get any other updates. Before starting the ride, the rider has to share an OTP to validate the booking. Any of the in-app payment methods or cash can be used to make the payment. Finally, when the trip ends, riders can share their rating of the driver based on their experience.

Driver App

A white label driver app allows drivers to register themselves on the platform using their driver’s license and other identity documents. The app works on the opposite end of the passenger app for receiving ride requests. Drivers get real-time notifications for ride requests, which they can accept/reject. In case of a rejection, the request is routed to the next driver in the queue. The app contains GPS functionality to facilitate navigation for drivers. Drivers are shown multiple routes with traffic/distance/estimated time to reach the pick-up point.

The drivers can easily set their availability from online to offline or vice-versa from within the app. Once the drivers complete a trip, the fare details are displayed on both the passenger and driver app. Drivers also get to leave a rating or review of the passenger, which helps the platform keep track of the people that use the platform. Finally, the app also lets the drivers see their overall earnings.

Admin Panel

An admin panel is the ‘main controller’ from where the admin can manage all sorts of fleet-operations in real-time. It allows the admin to monitor all the driver’s activities in real-time, respond and resolve customer queries, and more. An admin panel also provides crucial reports and analytics data related to the number of bookings and earning. The reports or data derived is vital when making important business decisions or policies.

Key Features to Have in a White-Label Taxi Booking Solution?

As highlighted earlier, white-label taxi booking software is usually offered in packages consisting of separate driver, rider apps along with an Admin panel. Following are some of the key features that one should look for:

White-Label Taxi Booking- Key Features1

Google Maps Integration

Google Maps integration is quite the most reliable way to offer an improved customer and driver experience on a ride-sharing platform. From turn-by-turn navigation, lane level guidance, route overviews, voice support, and real-time traffic updates, Google Maps covers everything.

Web Admin Panel

An admin panel, which is usually a desktop web application, helps keep tabs on every passenger or driver’s activities in the app. It offers a brief summary of all processes and helps the owner manage routes and finances. It Includes a dashboard, driver and passenger management, payment management and reports, and analytics.

Support for Major Payment Gateways

Payment gateways are used by merchants to accept electronic payments and process debit or credit cards. It’s a good idea to have support for multiple and secure payment gateways that are Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant, which a security standard created in 2004 by the world’s four biggest card associations – Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

Booking History

This feature keeps a record of all the users registered on the ride-sharing platform and displays their feedback and booking history. It’s certainly useful in helping users find their past trips and know how long they’ve been using the platform.

Digital Wallet

As well as supporting credit/debit card payment methods, a ride-sharing app should offer its own digital wallet for ultra-quick payments. The wallet can be set to require one-time user authentication, after which users should be able to recharge via Credit/Debit and Net Banking.

SOS For Driver/Rider Safety

An SOS feature as one offered by VivoCabs – a white label taxi booking software is vitally important from the viewpoint of driver/rider’s safety. It allows users to send an SMS to their pre-saved emergency contacts with a single tap.

Front-end Customization

A white label taxi booking software should enable front-end design customization. This way the owner can brand the software in his business’ image, and make the much-needed thematic and logo changes.

Scalability For Growing Demands

It’s crucial that a white-label taxi booking software is highly scalable to meet a business’ growing demands. This way, the business owner can continue to use the same platform for his extensive operations without the need to migrate to a different platform.

Most Common Business Models For White-Label Taxi Software

Subscription-based business models are most common among developers of Saas products. Under this model, the fee is charged in two stages – initially as a set-up fee and then a recurring monthly fee which is calculated on the basis of drivers registered with the app.

But not all white-label software have recurring monthly fees. VivoCabs – white-label taxi booking software can be purchased for just $999 for a lifetime license.

Revenue Generation Model

A basic white label taxi booking software should support the following two channels of revenue generation:

Commission

The platform owner can deduct commission for every confirmed booking. Drivers are charged when they accept a ride and riders pay a flat booking fee when making a payment. The commission rates tend to vary but anything between 20-25% of the total ride cost is quite standard in the taxi booking services. There can further be a cancellation fee charged from the riders if they happen to cancel their booked rides.

Surge Pricing

Surge pricing is a type of dynamic pricing where the cost of a ride increases based on demand. Peak hours or rainy days tend to create an increased demand for cabs and this is when the ride-cost can go up for the riders.

Major Benefits of White-label Taxi Booking Software?

Speed to Market

Right off the bat, the main advantage that white-label solutions offer is speed to market. The classic example would be an existing offline taxi business with a sizable fleet that wants to start offering mobile apps to gain a competitive edge in the market. With on-demand services becoming all the rage, it’s a reasonable supposition that taxi drivers and users would both benefit from the availability of mobile apps. But between the app idea and the app reality, there’s a huge gulf(planning, designing, development, testing & deployment)that can take months to even out. Not every business is prepared to wait this long to get their mobile apps ready and that’s where white-label taxi booking software proves useful.

Low Upfront Investment

Building an online taxi booking mobile app off scratch involves major capital investment. Initially, you’d hire the services of a business analyst to understand how your service can/would work. After that, you’ll have to work with a professional designer to capture your business’ identity in the product. Not every entrepreneur has the necessary funds to carry out these operations.

It’s not a surprise then to see many companies opt for a white-label software which gives speed to market at a much lower upfront investment. Furthermore, white-label apps are highly customizable so the business doesn’t lose out on maintaining its brand image.

Post-launch Support

Custom app development of a taxi booking mobile app is a costly affair. From selecting a server, adding support for the application once it’s deployed, optimizing the code, and ensuring the operations run smoothly, a dedicated team of developers or system administrators is needed. For most startup ride-hailing businesses with limited budgets, this approach isn’t always viable. On the other hand, white-label Taxi booking software comes with a minimum of one-year post-development support for any technical issues. This is both an affordable and convenient way to gain entry and sustain an online taxi booking business.

Risk Mitigation

As mentioned earlier, white-label solutions don’t involve huge capital investment. They’re ready to be used with minimum customization and rebranding. Compare that with custom taxi booking app development which can take months and 10x or more development cost. On top of that, there’s no guarantee of how mobile apps would fare in the real world. In contrast, a white-label software is already deployed in the real world by one or the other taxi app business.

Questions To Ask The White-Label Service Provider

There are plenty of taxi booking app development companies but not all of them are built the same way. Businesses should look to perform their own research about the solution-provider to minimize their risk of making a bad purchase. Initially, this could be done through online forums, communities, existing user’s reviews and testimonials, and so on. Moving on, it’s crucial to understand the solution provider’s policies with regards to the maintenance, data recovery, security, and updates. Some of the questions based on these two chief aspects of white-label software could be:

Maintenance & Data Recovery

  • How will the developer export/import data to/from the server or database? 
  • Does the developer guarantee data backup. If yes, what’s the process behind it? 
  • What kind of disaster recovery support is offered by the developer in the event of a hardware failure?

Security & Maintenance

  • Is the white-label software compliant with the critical security requirements of the transport industry? 
  • What kind of software tests are performed by the developer and their frequency? 
  • What updates are offered by the developer and their frequency?

Conclusion

With exciting benefits in the form of affordable prices, speed to market, and post-development support, it’s fair to say that white-label solutions are an ideal way to kick-start an online taxi booking app business. Since these solutions are both customizable and scalable, they allow businesses to progress at their own pace and meet their growing demands with relative ease. If you’re interested in a white-label software to build a taxi booking app for your business, do check VivoCabs – a FATbit owned taxi booking app solution.

Invest In a customizable and scalable solution like VivoCabs

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Current State of the Ride-Hailing Market & Business Opportunities https://www.fatbit.com/fab/ride-hailing-market-business-opportunities/ https://www.fatbit.com/fab/ride-hailing-market-business-opportunities/#respond Wed, 22 Jan 2020 12:29:43 +0000 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/?p=22308

The online ride-hailing market is on an upward slope of growth. With promising success in all the popular countries around the world, it’s evident that this segment will witness more innovation in the time to come.

As a result, it’s hardly any surprise to see so many entrepreneurs eager to build their own version of an Uber-like ride-hailing app. But as in any other market, success here is rarely guaranteed. Business owners must do their homework before jumping on the ride-hailing bandwagon. That includes analysis of both audience and competitors in a target market, identifying the key differentiators to gain traction and major streams of revenue to sustain the business.

The infographic below offers useful insights into the current state of the ride-hailing market, the dominant players, their business model and the essential features necessary to launch a successful ride-hailing mobile app.

Ride_Hailing_Infographic

This comprehensive guide on how to build an app like Uber is a rich resource of information for entrepreneurs keen to get a start in the online ride-hailing industry.

Get VivoCabs To Build a Scalable Ride-Hailing Mobile App

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How To Build an App Like Uber https://www.fatbit.com/fab/how-to-build-an-app-like-uber/ https://www.fatbit.com/fab/how-to-build-an-app-like-uber/#comments Mon, 23 Dec 2019 12:13:39 +0000 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/?p=22004

Last Updated: 29th Feb, 2024

The revenue in the ride-hailing segment is projected to reach US$260,159M in 2021. Revenue is further expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2021-2025) of 10.4%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$385,942M by 2025. The user penetration, which stands at 19.6% in 2021 is expected to hit 20.8% by 2025.

In a nutshell, what these stats indicate is a shift in the way people are moving around places. The rising population continues to eat away the open spaces in urban cities. With worsening traffic conditions and parking spaces going full in no time, more and more car owners are turning to on-demand taxi services for convenient travel. In light of this scenario, it’s fair to say that the future of the ride-hailing industry looks bright and promising.

While for the existing players this means improving their services and solving maximum customer pain points, for the aspiring entrepreneurs, this is an opportunity to put their unique ideas to test, and probe into the less explored areas of the ride-hailing segment to cause a market shift. But before attempting anything groundbreaking, it’s always advisable to perform due market research and analysis in advance.

If you’re wondering how to kickstart your online taxi-booking business in the right way then this blog is for you. Before we proceed to the success of Uber and the different revenue models, it’s vital to understand what a uber-like app development process entails. So let’s take a look at that first:

Key Steps Involved in Uber-Like App Development Process

The development process of a taxi booking app can be broken down into 4 steps. Here’s what it looks like:

Technical Audit & Research

First off, you have to make a list of the requirements for your uber-like app development. In case you have an existing taxi booking service you’ll only need to build an app in line with your current operations. But if you’re starting from scratch then everything will need to be planned as per your vision. In both scenarios business owners should take the opportunity to research and identify the improvements that they could offer over existing taxi booking apps.

App Documentation

Before moving on to app documentation, you’ll have decided the type of apps – native or hybrid and the platform for which they’ll be built – iOS and Android. These are questions of significant importance as they determine the absolute course of app development. Once these questions are answered and requirements have been finalized, the next step involves listing down the technical specifications of the app, the architecture and the tech stack that would be used.

Building a taxi-booking mobile app

Development can be pursued either from scratch or using a ready-made solution. In either case, the project involves a series of operations which are further divided into smaller individual tasks. These tasks are then completed based on their priority. Further unit testing is performed throughout the process to identify & resolve any logical errors.

Deploying The App

Once an app is built, it is deployed to live environments for a functionality check and performance testing on various devices. Any issues are quickly resolved to get the app ready for a market launch.

So, those are the key stages of a taxi booking app development process. Now, to put things into perspective, it’s worth looking at how the pioneering on-demand ride-booking service Uber operates and how it’s been able to disrupt the taxi industry upside down.

Looking To Launch Your Own Taxi Booking App

Lessons From Uber’s Road to Success

As per recent stats, Uber has nearly 95 million active monthly users. This easily makes it the most successful and popular player in the cab/Taxi-Booking arena. To say that startups face an uphill task when aiming to emulate Uber’s success would be an understatement. Uber’s success is derived through sustained compliance with DMAIC processes and designs. The following image gives an overview of Uber’s journey through the years.

Uber Timeline_2020_Final_1

Those are the key milestones that map out Uber’s journey to success but to get a better understanding of its internal operations, we need to dive in deeper. The technology that powers Uber’s operations is encapsulated in its user-friendly duo of rider and driver mobile apps, available both on the Android and iOS platforms. The use of geolocation enables riders and drivers to find each other and use the service.

Talking of service, Uber has many levels to it to cater to a wide range of audience:

  • UberX – economical option for everyday users
  • UberBLACK – stylish cars for a bit of show-off
  • UberSUV – large SUVs for those who care for more space
  • UberLUX – cars that are all about luxury

How Uber Works?

Uber BMTo ensure that the customer/rider can use these services in a hassle-free manner, Uber has a very simple ride-booking process in place. Here’s how it works:

Request – The rider requests for a car from a specified/current location using the app. The request is sent out to the drivers in the nearby location.

Matching – The matched driver has the option to accept/cancel the request. In case, the request is rejected, it’s transferred to the next available driver.

Ride – Once a driver has accepted the ride request, the booking confirmation is sent to the rider. The rider gets an estimated arrival time and can track the driver’s location in real-time.

Payment – Payment details are shared with the rider before the booking. Payment can be made using any of the cashless methods supported by Uber.

Rating – To bring trust and reliability to its service, Uber offers users a chance to leave a rating and submit feedback of their ride experience.

What Makes Uber So Effective?

What makes this ride-booking process so simple and straightforward are the mobile apps. So, for any enthusiast planning to build an Uber-like taxi booking app, an understanding of these apps and their several features is quite crucial. The entire taxi booking platform rests on two mobile apps; a driver app for drivers who partner with the company to offer their services, and a rider app for people to book their rides on the platform. In addition to these two, there’s also an Admin panel that is needed to manage and monitor the actions on the platform. Following is a list of the basic and advanced features needed for both types of apps.

Basic Features For Rider’s App

Basic_Features_for_Rider_App

1. Geolocation and Routing

Geolocation is one of the most basic yet indispensable features in any taxi booking app like Uber. Much of the ride-booking process revolves around identifying the user’s exact location. GPS technology comes to the fore for this functionality. While to the rider on the front-end the process of dropping a pin on the map and finding the nearby drivers looks quite simple, there’s a complex amount of processing and data-sharing going on behind the scenes. From the moment the app is launched till the drop-off, a routing server works non-stop to measure the distance and run the routes.

2. Payment method Integration

Online payments have become the norm nowadays thanks to the advance in technologies. With Uber using cashless payments, this feature has come to be accepted as a standard in any type of taxi booking app.  Uber offers its users a fare calculator that gives a decent estimate of the ride’s cost. This is based on the four main criteria:

  • Base fare
  • Cost per mile
  • Cost per minute
  • Safe rides fee

A payment method’s integration should be performed with due care to ensure the safety of the user’s financial data. For credit card data processing, the payment system should meet PCI compliance. Alternatively, you could opt for payment gateway providers that offer PCI compliance solutions such as Braintree or Stripe.

3. Registration & Profile Management

User registration and profile set up are quite important features in a taxi booking app as they allow you to get a real sense of your user-base. In recent years, it’s become a common practice across all categories of apps to allow user registration through Gmail or Facebook. The profile itself should allow for basic identity setup(photo, name, phone number). Finally, users should be offered a rating/review system. This allows you to gather crucial user insights, learn about their major pain points, and use that feedback to improve your service.

4. Communication & Notifications

The significance of timely communication can’t be emphasized enough in a taxi app like Uber. To make communication swift and hassle-free, Uber lets its users to text/call each other without leaving the app. Still, to keep the driver and rider on the same wavelengths the app sends out SMS, email and push notification during the key stages of the ride-booking process. For the iOS platform, push notifications are made possible with Apple Push Notification Service, as for the Android, Firebase Cloud Messaging service is used.  SMS notifications can be integrated with APIs such as Twilio, Plivo and Nexmo.

5. Ride Cost Estimate

This feature allows riders to get an estimated price of their ride based on the pick-up and drop off locations. The calculation is worked out using an algorithm integrated inside the app. Different fares need to be specified if the platform offers a diverse range of vehicles for booking.

6. Schedule a Ride in Advance

Ride-scheduling is an advanced feature made popular by Uber a few years back. It allows users to book a ride in advance anywhere between 15 minutes to 30 days. This is a good feature for those who like to plan ahead of their travel. It could be part of the initial MVP release or rolled out in later updates based on user feedback.

Advanced Features For Rider’s App

Fare Splitting

Splitting of Fare isn’t a must-have feature but it can add to the appeal of a taxi booking app. This feature allows co-passengers/friends travelling together to split the total ride fare among themselves.

Basic Features For Driver’s App

Basic_Features_for_Driver_App

Driver Report

Driver report is an important feature from the viewpoint of both driver and rider’s safety. The report provides brief information about the driver’s driving style and obedience to traffic rules over a week/month. The platform could ban a driver if it’s found that he/she continues to drive carelessly or is involved in several driving offenses.

Advanced Route Building

The feature of route building brings that cutting edge performance in a taxi booking mobile app. It optimizes the routes that eventually contribute to the drivers’ efficiency. In the end, customers receive better service, which enables the app to increase in popularity.

Driver Destinations

To enhance the driver’s experience, the driver destination feature has become quite popular in taxi booking apps like Uber. As such it should be considered as part of the app development. The feature allows drivers to select a favorite location and find passengers looking for a ride there.

Advanced Feature For Driver’s App

Heat Maps

A Heat map can be a handy feature to have for drivers wanting to make the most of their time. The heat map can be used to view areas with the maximum ride requests. Drivers willing to make more profit can reach these locations and start taking ride requests from there.

Lastly, there’s the admin panel, which is usually web-based and calls for a certain amount of work from a web development service provider. An admin panel gives you a very clear picture of the ongoing business operations and at the same time allows you to manage payrolls and manage user-data.

Launch a Feature Rich Cab Booking App Like Uber

Pro Tips To Gain a Competitive Edge In The Taxi Booking Industry

Features aside, there needs to be something extra that users should be able to remember an app by. This makes even more sense in the online taxi booking industry where new players continue to try their ideas to experience Uber-like success. The following are some of the strategies on which business owners can work to improve their chances of success.

1. Unique Value Proposition

It’s fair to say that there’s a direct correlation between an app’s success and its end-users’ satisfaction. Based on that principle, the first thing that every cab-app service needs to tick off the box is riders and driver’s satisfaction. There are numerous ways to offer unique value to both parties:

Unique_Value_Proposition

2. Consider Global Expansion

While starting small and locally is the more preferred path, if your budget allows it, an exception can be made in the taxi-booking industry. Uber’s success has proved the demand for the service is universal. Even countries where Uber faced opposition because its model was thought to be incongruent to the domestic conditions have since come to welcome the service.

What’s surprising though is that Uber still hasn’t covered every country on the globe. For instance, it’s not represented in Brunei, Malta, Iceland, Cyprus and Luxembourg for different reasons. That’s evidence enough, that the service has some roadblocks and the first business to find a way across them can expect huge rewards.

Revenue Model of Taxi Booking App Business

The revenue model defines how a business generates its income from different sources. In the taxi-booking industry, Uber’s revenue model remains the most effective and increasingly favoured among new players. Uber earns revenue through the following two sources:

  • Commission from driver
  • Affiliated marketing and ads for other businesses

1. Fees & Commissions

One of the main sources of revenue for Uber is the commission earned from drivers and riders. For drivers, this is charged when they accept a ride request. The commission rate tends to vary between 20-25% of the total ride cost. Additionally, Uber charges a flat booking fee from passengers.

For a more healthy revenue stream, it’s possible to add additional costs in the form of security, premier service, and easy money transactions.

Cancellation fee – Users are charged a cancellation fee in case they decide to cancel their booked rides.

2. Promotional Partnership

Given its popularity and global reach, Uber remains a top contender for promotional collaboration for mega-brands like Hilton, Pepsi, and Spotify. This is a popular marketing practice that plays to everyone’s advantage. Uber receives money for promoting other brand’s content, those brands get a wider reach and a chance to interact with their target audience. The target audience is benefited in the form of coupons, discounts, and other promotional gifts through the promotion.

3. Advertising

Advertising for local businesses is a great way to create a revenue stream. Advertised businesses can be charged on cost-per-click or cost per mile basis.

How Much Does It Cost To Build a Mobile App Like Uber?

cost_to_build_an_app_like_uber

The cost to build a mobile app like Uber depends on several things. In fact, the cost can differ a lot even between two mobile app development companies in the same region based on their expertise and number of resources. Following are some of the most significant factors that impact the cost of development:

1. Features

There’s a direct correlation between a set of features and an app’s overall cost. As previously mentioned, an app can have any number of features ranging from the basic to some advanced ones. The process of building a taxi-booking mobile app usually starts with an MVP. This includes both the passenger, rider, and admin apps but with bare minimum features.

Uber started much the same way. In its initial release, the Uber app lacked any gamification features and cost splitting. It was built to accomplish one main objective, which was to connect drivers with passengers and provide a payment option within the app. Uber was able to achieve that with a promising response.

The point about an MVP is that it helps ascertain idea feasibility and gather useful early adopter’s feedback. The same can then be utilized in product improvement through useful feature addition.

2. Business Type

Where a business currently stands has a huge say on the type of solution it would opt for. For instance, a business with an existing taxi booking service would like to have mobile apps developed in line with its internal operations. This will call for a large capital investment.

On the other hand, a startup taxi booking business would look to have a mobile app developed with limited functionality just to support its short-term vision to gain traction. The cost of development is going to be relatively much cheaper in this scenario compared to the previous one.

3. Choice of Platform

Should I build for the stable iOS community or the ever-growing Android user-base? The question never seems to get old. For businesses with a limited budget, it’s always advisable to proceed with an MVP version on either platform and learn from user feedback. Uber initially built for the iOS platform since it was much popular at the time, especially in the Western world. If, however, you’ve got the budget for it, build the apps for both platforms as that will allow you to get wider coverage in any region.

4. Technology

Much like the platform, you have to decide about the technology to power your mobile apps. The choice comes down between Hybrid and Native. More often than not people opt for native app development. Hybrid is only selected by a small percentage of business owners for a specific purpose. Both hybrid and native are different in terms of the programming languages and the architecture they use.

When discussing the cost of developing an app like uber, there’s no categorical figure one can stick to. Statista provides the average rate for different locations around the world:

  • North America — $60-250 per hour
  • United Kingdom — $60-150 per hour
  • Western Europe — $40-120 per hour
  • Eastern Europe — $20-100 per hour
  • India — $10-80 per hour

Just to reaffirm the point, these figures must be taken with a pinch of salt. They only reflect the averages. A comprehensive discussion about the project with a development partner can reveal additional costs.

Our Recommendation

If you are simply looking to launch an app like Uber, then there are several off-the-shelf solutions available in the market. VivoCabs is one such taxi booking solution, which was designed and developed by the team of FATbit Technologies. It is a fully customizable and scalable solution that comes with a rich suite of features like multiple payment gateways, fare estimator, geo-fencing, SOS for users, and so much more. The white-label solution also comes equipped with mobile apps for riders and drivers (Android and iOS). 

Key Highlights of VivoCabs 

  • Cost-Effective
  • GDPR Compliant 
  • Fully Customizable and Scalable 
  • Rider and Driver Apps (Android and iOS)
  • Multiple Payment Gateways 
  • 12 Months of Free Technical Support 
  • Quick Time-to-Market

Build a Cab Booking Application like Uber with VivoCabs

Final Thoughts

The future of on-demand taxi-booking apps looks promising due to the growing customer demand. Although cab/taxi-booking behemoths like Uber and Lyft are firmly placed in the industry and continue to work aggressively on global expansion, there’s still plenty of room for new players to innovate. Therefore, if you are planning to launch a cab booking app like Uber, this is the right time. For more information, you can get in touch with us.

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Want to Build A Taxi Booking App? Get in-depth Details https://www.fatbit.com/fab/want-to-build-taxi-booking-app/ https://www.fatbit.com/fab/want-to-build-taxi-booking-app/#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2015 09:35:43 +0000 https://www.fatbit.com/fab/?p=6853

Last Updated: 17th May, 2024

For the past few years, the taxi booking industry has been bound on an upward trajectory of growth. According to Allied Research the industry is expected to reach $120 bn, growing at a CAGR of 12%. This impressive growth of online taxi aggregators has seen many budding entrepreneurs looking for taxi booking app development. 

To help such entrepreneurs, analysts at FATbit technologies spent countless hours analyzing the functionality and growth drivers that power the business operations of the world’s most successful online cab aggregators. In this blog, we share those insights to help you with the most pertinent question: how to build a taxi booking app to get started with your business.

Table of Contents

Top Players in Taxi Booking Industry

Before starting to build your app, let’s have a look at which companies are leading in this industry. By analyzing these market leaders you can gain crucial insights into their business strategies that have driven success in this dynamic sector. These insights will empower you to identify opportunities for inspiration, differentiation, and eventually growth. The top 5 players in this industry are as follows.

  • Uber:  Uber pioneered taxi services since its founding year of 2009, offering ridesharing, with a continually adaptive business model. 
  • Lyft: Entering the market in 2012, Lyft has led with a sustained focus on user engagement, driver-friendly policies, and other transportation initiatives.
  • Gett: This company has its roots in Israel. Starting in 2010, It has since then expanded operations globally. It focuses on corporate transportation solutions, offering cost-effective services for businesses.
  • Grab: This Southeast Asian company has thrived on user-centric services such as driving with pets, carpooling, private cab booking, and others. 
  • Arro: In operation since 2015, Arro offers integrations with an existing fleet of cabs. This helps the riders to rely on just one app as a solution to all their cab needs. 

Similarly, to differentiate your business from other cab booking platforms you can concentrate on the following: 

→ Your primary geographical area, governmental policies, and the overall mindset of the target audience.

→ Offer a wide array of booking methods like a mobile app, website, and phone call.

→ Availability of payment options. While digital payments are becoming a norm, cash is still the preferred mode of payment in some places.

Business Model For Taxi Booking App

Many disruptive businesses start from a personal experience. Mobile app-based ride-sharing is no different. Stuck without a taxi ride on a snowy Paris evening, the founders of Uber had their Eureka moment. Why not leverage mobile phones for booking taxi rides, they wondered. And hence, the idea of Uber was born. 

Effective business practices leveraged by technological advancements and have helped online ride-sharing platforms capture users’ attention. These online businesses are taxi aggregators that partner with private taxi operators to provide rides on request. The apps connect the taxi operators with the users.

To start a new online taxi booking business it is important to have a business model that assists you in creating an effective business model for your operations. The operational flow of an online taxi booking business is elaborated in the business model graphic below:

Looking To Start Online Cab Booking Business

How do Taxi Booking Businesses Generate Revenue?

The revenue model of such platforms is based on pay-for-performance, and they charge a commission from taxi operators on each ride they complete. In addition, they also charge a nominal fee from operators for offering access to their technology platforms.

Key Features of Taxi Booking Mobile App

In the sections above, we observed how a taxi booking business works. With that you have an analysis of how to design your business idea. However, to make that business idea work, you will need tools i.e. features that allow you to execute your business idea. 

A taxi booking business typically has two separate apps, each for riders and the drivers. Let’s see some features key to building a successful taxi-sharing business for rider and driver apps respectively. 

Rider app features 

A satisfied ride experience for a customer sends out a ripple effect in terms of your business goals. With a positive experience, the riders are more likely to prefer your services in the future and will have the motivation to share positive feedback about your business with other potential customers. To achieve these goals, you need to give them certain must-haves in terms of the overall experiences. This is further achieved via features in your app. Hence, some pivotal features in a rider app are as follows: 

Faster & Effortless Login

In the current day and age of reduced attention spans, users want to get around their tasks quickly and efficiently. This is even more so for something as critical as calling a taxi to their destination. Faster log-in expedites the process and is key to user satisfaction. Here, OTP-based login and social media login are some ways in which users can quickly get started with using the app. 

User Centric Booking Process

After the completion of the registration process, the users should be taken to the main screen where they can easily pick a ride for themselves. Here are the most noticeable points in the taxi booking process:

  • Search bar to enter a desired pickup location.
  • GPS feature to detect current location.
  • A detailed map to see their selected location.

Engaging User Experience 

The online taxi aggregator app needs to be intuitive and offer an impressive layout. All the features of the mobile app should be well defined and focus ought to be on immersive behavior. The overall interface should be specifically designed keeping in mind the targeted user base and ease of use.

Real-time Tracking 

It’s a proven fact in consumer psychology ― rather than actual waiting time to achieve a desired goal, it is the uncertainty that worries the consumers more. Add more predictability by offering real-time tracking on the rider apps. With a visual update on where their taxi is when they are waiting, or how far is their destination when the ride is operative, riders are more certain of the expected wait times and can plan that time more efficiently. 

Share Ride Details 

To add more predictability and foster better communication for the consumer, offer the capability to share ride details to their friends and family for the riders. With this option conveniently available on the rider app, the riders can allow others to stay connected with the trip. 

Car Selection 

For riders, the more tailored experience you offer, the better it will be. Give them a choice over one of the most pivotal determiners, i.e. the ride itself. Allow the riders the option to choose their car category according to their needs, and accordingly give them the choice to be flexible.  

Multiple payment options

Users can have varying preferences regarding the mode of payment they want to use, to pay for the services. Moreover, taxi services are an in-transit part of their journey. More often than not, riders will be in a hurry. Hence offering options like card payments, eWallets, bank transfer, and cash payment will lead to convenient transactions, eventually facilitating your business goals. 

Save your Location 

Users should be able to select and save their favorite locations to make their accessibility easier. This is particularly useful in cases where a user seeks a ride to or from a location regularly. Features related to frequently visited destinations and routes add up to app usability and make taxi booking easy for riders.

Taxi Confirmation Page 

If the user chooses to book a ride right away, then, they are shown a confirmation screen which also contains detailed information such as the rate card, car model and estimated arrival time. Users should be able to apply for valid discount/coupon codes, if any applicable

Advanced Booking

Riders can wish to opt for a scheduled ride for planned trip instead of booking on the spot. For such need the app can prompt for the information regarding time, place , and destination. This is beneficial in cases of expected rush-hour times when users sometimes find it difficult to find a taxi, or in the case of planned family or business trips. 

Give Your Riders Full Control 

Right from options to cancel a trip, to an OTP based trip commencement, to options like choosing between taking the ride right away or at a later time. Offer the convenience of choice to your riders, enhancing their overall experience of interacting with your business. 

Emergency Button

You can offer an emergency button in the application which sends the ride details as well as current location to a predefined contact in case of emergency. This is a highly vital security feature and can boost user confidence.

Ride Feedback

Social engagement is a key element in eCommerce. When users are prompted for the ride feedback, they feel more connected, and it gives them a channel to share their opinions, making them feel valued. This information also acts as social proof for other riders. Moreover, a business can get crucial information regarding the health of the business, the quality of the services, and regarding specific drivers. 

Driver App Features 

A ride-sharing business is a two-sided business model. Offering the taxi-service providers with the right set of features to carry out their activities efficiently and effectively is as important to your business, as the riders’ user satisfaction. To achieve this, some of the more important features in a driver app are as follows 

Route Navigation 

With the assistance of seamlessly integrated Google maps and other related maps, drivers should intuitively navigate to the destination using in-app features. Critical components like optimised route planning, passenger ETA updates, and more, further enhance drivers’ capabilities to offer better services. 

Stats and Rides’ log for Drivers 

Drivers, themselves will be running their business via your ride-hailing platform. A successful business needs insights to analyze business health for various perspectives. For drivers these insights come from stats like number of trips completed, total fare earned, and a well defined log of rides. 

Rider Rating and Review

Just like riders, the overall satisfactory business experience of the driver is equally important. Offer your drivers the capability add ratings for the riders. Let them share about the rider’s behavior, or any other special request entertained by them for the rider. This will help in transparency of operations. Moreover, you will be able to identify any potentially inappropriate rider that you need to consider. 

Initiate Payout 

Give drivers the freedom to initiate the payout of their successfully completed trips via a functionality included in the app for drivers. This further helps to manage their earnings. 

Features for Business/Marketplace Operator 

In a two sided business such as taxi-hailing services, your role is orchestrating the services, sustaining business health, and that various business goals are met. To streamline your respective operations, you will need features in the app. 

Profile Management

As an intermediary, it will be key for a marketplace operator to gauge users on the platform. Add the capability to manage pivotal parameters such as reviews, rating, ride history, and more. 

Manage Vehicle Categories 

Cab-hailing services typically cater to multiple needs i.e. shorter city getarounds, longer trips, premium services to get to an important occasion, business trips, and many others. Each of these services need varying car categories with their individual fare breakup. The capability to manage these will be important. 

Geo Fencing 

It will be important for you to define your operative area with respect to business feasibility, revenue generation potential, safety, and other factors. Ensure that the marketplace operator has the option to add/remove any region to define operations in a specified geographical region. 

Analytics Data 

Data gives pivotal insights for a business for a retrospective analysis of past decisions, understanding current business health, and ideate towards the future course of the business. These can include insights about transactions, number of riders, total revenue generated, traffic on the platform, and more. This data can be made available by reports and analytics. 

Fare Management

Give the marketplace operator the the rights to manage different fares for different cities based on the type of vehicle. This can also include dynamic pricing capabilities i.e. features like surge pricing with the option of setting it according to the day of the week and time of day.

We covered all the features in the above sections, and have to say that most of them are rather innovative. Additionally, our team of analysts and developers have discovered some areas that can help you in creating an advanced taxi booking solution. They’re as follows:

Get a Feature-rich Taxi Booking Mobile Apps In Android and IOS

How Much Does it Cost to Build Taxi Booking Mobile App(s)?

The actual cost of developing taxi booking apps for your business depends upon the solutions you choose and the features your business requires You can either hire a development company to build apps from scratch or go for a ready-made white label taxi booking app for your taxi hire business.

While hiring a development company to build custom apps can cost a lot of money and can be time-consuming (6-12 months on average), readymade white-label apps can easily cater to your business requirements as they come at easy rates and allow you to start business operations right off the bat.

The charges for custom development vary depending upon the country where the development company is based and the expertise level of the team of developers. The average development charges can range anything between $30 – $300 per hour. As a ball park estimate, the development itself can range from 1000 to 3000 development hours. 

Contrary to this, a ready-made bundle of taxi booking apps will cost you around $2000-$5000 for a lifetime license. 

How can VivoCabs Help You in Your Business Journey 

One such solution is Vivocabs. It is a ready-made solution developed by FATbit Technologies ― to give entrepreneurs looking to start their online taxi-booking business, purpose-built turnkey solutions. The solution comes with mobile app bundles for both Android and iOS operating systems with advanced features for all business participants i.e. the marketplace operator, drivers, and riders. 

These apps have been ingrained with FATbit’s analysis of what has made taxi-operators like Uber successful. This means that all features that we have discussed and a lot more are available on the apps from the word go. Above that, the apps can be fully customized with respect to design and features as per business requirements. 

Key Highlights of VivoCabs apps: 

  • 100% White-label
  • GDPR Compliant
  • Extensively Customizable
  • Multi-Currency/Multilingual Capabilities
  • One Time Investment i.e. No Recurring Charges
  • Highly Scalable

To know how Vivocabs can help you manage your day-to-day, you can schedule a free demo.

Know How VivoCabs Is Complete Taxi-Booking App Solution

Wrapping Up 

Popular players like Uber and Lyft have a laid a framework on how a taxi-haling business is conducted. Consumers are drivers offering their services have come to expect these features. So if you are planning to build a taxi booking apps, then you cannot afford to miss out on the features highlighted in this blog. Vivocabs by FATbit Technologies are built to give you a headstart with feature-rich robust solutions, at a fraction of the cost.

However, if you have very specific business requirements. For instance, if you need the apps to be built around some existing legacy framework that you already have, or you want to build taxi-hailing apps that vary in approach to popular business solution in the industry, you can consider taxi-booking app development.

Discuss your taxi booking mobile application requirements with a top taxi booking app development company to launch a successful online taxi booking venture. FATbit Technologies, with its 19+ year pedigree in custom eCommerce solutions has been listed in this coveted list.

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