How Much Does it Cost to Build a Rideshare or Taxi App?

October 18, 2021 | Sakshi Sharma

Traditional taxi services are being increasingly replaced by ride-sharing apps. The main reason being they are convenient, transparent, and secure. The costs are also comparatively less. There are a lot of other features which a traditional taxi service may not be able to provide.

Uber the pioneer in ride-sharing services was founded in 2009 and it changed the industry forever. As of now, the market is wide open with a lot of companies catching up and the competition is getting stiffer. The global online taxi services market is expected to touch $28.65 billion this year.

If you’re thinking of developing a new ridesharing app like Uber to start your own car rental business, the obvious initial question would be how much does it cost to build an app. We will look at how a taxi app works, features that an app should have, and finally how much taxi app development will cost.

How does a rideshare app work

Services like Uber give the opportunity to the client to book a taxi along with its driver. You are able to track its movement and pay online. You can choose a car category and also change drivers if you feel like it.

A GPS system will help the driver find you. You can rate the service and your behavior can be rated by the driver. This helps to maintain standards. You can find out the price for the ride before booking which is a very useful feature. A taxi app lets users access a host of services other than booking a taxi.

Features of a taxi app

Some of the typical features a rideshare app should have are as follows. They can be broadly divided into three elements for passengers, drivers and you can have an admin panel.

For passengers

1. Registration

There should be a safe and encrypted environment where the customer can store his or her credentials. Allow them to register from social media networks also. Make it simple so that it does not take more than a minute.

2. Cab booking

Once the client enters they can start looking for a taxi. Carpooling services should also be allowed if the passenger wants to share the trip with other passengers going on a similar route to save money. The potential client should be able to choose the preferred route, type of transportation, option to share the ride among others.

3. Real-time notifications

The passenger should be notified of all the events occurring such as updates from drivers or other passengers, delay if any, etc.

4. Location determination

GPS features should allow the users to know the movement of the booked taxi and also the location of the other passengers.

5. Communication

It should be possible for the user to communicate with the driver and other passengers if necessary.

6. Payments

The app should have a flexible payment structure, this is quite important. The client should be able to choose the payment option and for that, a lot of options should be provided.

For drivers

It is necessary to have a system to track and check the driver’s background and also to see that they are paid properly so that they stick with your company. Drivers are the backbone of ridesharing companies and you need to have a well-established driving staff to succeed. Some of the important features the app should have are

1. Sign up and login

The driver’s account should be safe and also it should be approved by the admin before signing in.

2. Confirmation and rejection

The driver should be able to confirm or reject the trip. If rejected the ride should be assigned to the next available driver.

3. GPS based tracking

It is necessary that your app has an inbuilt navigation system to make things easier for the driver.

4. Communication

The driver should be able to communicate with the passengers clearly and concisely

5. Payment

The driver should be able to receive the payment from the clients for the ride effortlessly. Different options should be provided.

Admin panel

The administrator should be able to access complete information about active, completed, canceled rides, etc. It should be possible to track and generate reports and analytics so that revenue can be managed.

All the details about the drivers, their personal information, and credentials should be stored in the app. The admin will also have to manage complaints and review ratings based on which he or she may need to even block drivers, passengers, etc.

Costs of building a riding app

Now that we have gone through the basic features, let’s go over the most important aspect which is the cost. Development costs will vary depending on the rate of the developers and of course how many functions and features you would like to have.

We at SDI follow a hybrid model that combines the best of both worlds. Hence you can build your high-quality app at the best possible price. The price can vary between $10,000 to $35,000 based on the features.

If you would like to know more about the various options available call us at 408.621.8481 or email us at team@sdi.la. We will be happy to help.

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