What are the Key Features of a Taxi Booking App like UBER

Are you willing to take a deep dive in the sea of opportunities that is being offered by taxi booking apps? If yes, then get ready to join the revolution in the online cab booking business.

There’s no doubt in the fact that Uber is regarded as one of the most successful billion dollar startups in the taxi industry. So, if you are planning to develop an app like Uber, you need to read this out.

Taxi booking apps like Uber, Lyft, and Curb have made traveling more convenient for people, thereby enabling them to have an enriching experience. They have made traveling all the way more comfortable. All you have to do is book their cab services from anywhere and within a span of few minutes, it will arrive at your specified location.

But the question is, what are those key features that need to be considered while developing an Uber-like app?

In this case, if you want to build a highly intuitive and attention-grabbing mobile application, you need to develop two separate apps, which will be linked to the same admin panel. These include:

• The Passenger App
• The Driver App

Must Have Features in the Passenger App

• Registration tab – The first thing that customers need to do is to sign up through email address or through social media platforms. To make online payments, customers can also add their bank account or card details.
• Booking tab – You need to offer customers a booking interface page where they can enter the details of pick up destination and drop point.
• Total estimated fare calculator – This feature gives customer an approx estimate of the total fare of their ride before they book their cab.
• Cab selection tab – You need to offer passengers an option to choose the type of car they would like to travel in as well as price per kilometer and price per minute.
• Tracking tools – When passengers book a cab, they like to know where their cab is and how much time it will take for the cab to arrive or to reach the desired destination.
• Review tab – These days, people like to share their experience with everyone, whether it is good or bad. They go through the ratings and reviews of the cab driver when they book a taxi. So your app must offer a tab for “Submit Your Review” or “Rate Your Driver.”
• Communication tab – Sometimes, customers like to call their cab driver to know where the cab is or to tell the driver the exact pick up location. A communication tab, such as one with contact details of the driver or calling feature can help passengers communicate with the drivers for smooth booking and traveling experience.
• Payment tab – Your taxi booking app must feature a payment tab with different options such as cash payment, card payment or through other third party channels. The payment feature must send an automatic payment slip and invoice to the passenger’s registered email id.
• Booking History tab – This feature will allow users to have access to their previous booking history. They can book a cab on the same route by tapping on one of the previously booked histories for faster booking process.

Must Have Features in the Drivers’ App

• Driver profile update tab – Like the passenger app, your driver app must also have a sign up section for drivers. They can fill in full details including their updated status and complete profile. They also need to provide their license number for verification purpose. This will also tell the recruiter about their availability.
• Push message notification – This feature will instantly alert the driver when a passenger in the nearby area books the cab. Thereafter, they will have to reach the pick up spot by taking the best route in the shortest possible time.
• GPS navigation feature – The Driver’s App should be connected with a navigation app, such as Google Maps, to help the driver reach the desired destination in minimum time by taking the best possible route.
• Fare calculator tab – Your Driver App must also feature a fare calculator to give the driver an approximate idea of the fare along with discount coupons applied by the passenger.
• Cab sharing facility – Recently, cab sharing facility has grown up in popularity among urban travelers. This helps them to share the total fare with fellow passengers and save money. The Driver App must incorporate this new cab sharing facility so that the driver is alerted whether his cab has been booked on a sharing basis or not. He must get notification of pick up and drop off location all the passengers in the app.
• Income Report tab – For drivers, you need to provide a report section so that they can check their earnings and payroll earned during the trips in a week or a month.
• Choosing a preferred driver – There are few passengers who would like to travel with the same driver with whom they shared a good experience, so it is recommended to work on that request.

The project involving app development like Uber is complex and it should involve these key features:

Know about the geo-location – The cab booking apps are completely dependent on the Global Positioning System (GPS) which helps in locating the current position of the cab or driver. However, GPS technology is different for both Android and iOS devices, so you need to first have an in-depth knowledge about the same. Geo-location services depend on three vital factors:

• Accessing the location
• Providing the navigation details
• Providing mapping software

The registration, login or user/driver profile page – Registration is the first thing that needs to be done in a taxi booking app. This feature is common for both the passenger app and driver’s app. It is through this sign up, that companies are able to prepare a database for its clients. In the initial stage, customers can do the booking as a Guest but later on he/she will have to create his/her profile. You need to assure your users that their data is safe and will not be shared with third parties. Make the on-boarding experience with your customers seamless with good UX/UI design otherwise they may abandon your app.

You can appoint a driver by properly verifying his/her photo ID proof and driving license. Background verification is also important in recruiting drivers. To know about the customer’s experience, integrate rating and feedback section, and ask them to comment over the behavior of the driver.

Payment Feature – The customers most of the time try to make the payment online, hardly there are instances when cash payments are made. Often the customers use Promo Code to avail discounts. When the cab is booked, the rider gets the idea of the fare in advance, which makes it easier for him to decide whether to avail the ride or not. Then there is dynamic pricing which is applicable in case of over crowding and availability of the cab.

There are certain regulations which cab companies need to follow while accepting the payments. The card information needs to be highly encrypted. Android users can make the payment using Google Wallet while iOS users can make use of Apple Pay for the same.

Developing the user interface and user experience – Every app owner wants their app to stand out amongst the competitors. Therefore, extra attention needs to be paid towards designing an eye-catching UI and UX. Remember, experience converts customers into brand advocates. Your designers must focus on UX rules while designing interface for your app to bring simplicity, greater usability, better clarity and more accessibility.

Budget is an important factor when developing an Uber-like app. Make sure to hire the best mobile app development company to get accurate pricing details.

After you’ve invested large chunk of money in the taxi booking app, obviously you will want a good ROI. Well, do not expect high returns like Uber as the company has already established its brand image in the market. However, if all the above mentioned points are taken care of during the app development process by your mobile app development services provider, then surely you will earn a profitable return on investment.

If you are looking for the best mobile app development company to develop your next taxi app, then contact us today to get a free quote.

To know how Source Soft can help your business grow!