The ridesharing application is one of the most promising startup ideas to invest in, and Uber has proved its success globally and continues to be the biggest player in the market. To have success in the niche market and have your portion, your Uber-like application should have similar features (those that customers are used to) and some perks and benefits as your value proposition. Of course, it’s a challenging mission, but quite realistic and possible with a strong team.
Before jumping to the core features your app should have, let’s talk about some other important stuff you need to know to make a better-targeted and successful ridesharing app.
Who are your customers in business?
When we say successful business, we mean that the target audience is the broadest possible. Residents of large cosmopolitan cities who refuse to own cars because of a lack of parking spaces have the Uber app as a lifesaving option in any situation. Available in more than 80 countries, Uber registers over 15 million rides each day. And still, there is a vast space in the market to grab your portion.
As an aspiring business, you should first focus on millennials (45% of on-demand apps’ customers), who have a fast-paced life and value time more than anyone. They are ready to pay extra to get a delivery or taxi on time. At the same time, on-demand models are suited not just for customers but for drivers as well, who use another pack of features to make money. Your Uber-like app should be equally beneficial for drivers and customers; happy customers mean happy drivers and vice versa.
How the Uber app works
Your Uber-like app is going to be a multi-functional and multi-directional application supporting drivers and riders. The Ridesharing application, thus, has three separate applications:
- Application for Riders
- Application for Drivers
- Admin Control
All three apps function separately, but they are integral parts of one big smooth operating system with thousands of monitoring and managing tools. But let’s dive into each of the apps separately.
Application for Riders
If you have ever used Uber or an Uber-like app, you will definitely remember the flow. You create an account with an email or phone number, a secure password to protect your account, and verify your account. Then you will have access to the user dashboard, where you can add a pickup and drop location.
Features of the User App
- User signup/sign in
- Map view, current location tracking
- Choosing a cab type
- Payment options
- Scheduling a ride any time later
- Canceling a ride
- Tracking a ride
- Driver’s review
- Help features
- Trip history
- Bonuses and coupons
Application for Drivers
Similar to the rider app, the Uber app for drivers enables them to accept and process rider requests. The registration process is almost identical. The only difference is that drivers are required to provide a number of documents for verification. The process is monitored and approved through admin control. Once approved, the driver can go online and accept trip requests.
The Features of the Driver App
- Driver signup/sign in
- Switching between active and inactive status
- Destination filter to require requests from specified locations
- Sending messages within the app chat and making calls
- Route selection
- Rider’s review
- Earnings dashboard
- Trip history
- Help features and driver’s feedback
Admin control
The core of the previous two parts is the admin control stuffed with advanced features: assigning the trip to drivers, tracking the ride, managing payment gateways, handling issues, maintaining accounts, etc.
The Features of the Admin Panel
- Driver management
- Assigning a trip
- Ride later scheduling and booking
- Fare management
- Dynamic pricing
- Commission rate
- Heat map view
- User and driver interactive dashboards
- Reporting
- General settings
- Push notifications
To make your app unique and gain loyal customers in a highly competitive market, you can think of good-to-have advanced features that will give your app a competitive advantage.
Advanced features
- Split fare: the feature of booking the same cab with multiple users and sharing the fare even if the users are at different locations.
- Driving rewards: the loyalty program for users with rewards for each ride.
- Banner display: additional monetization feature or a way to notify about the latest app news.
- Step navigation: guide the rider to the driver’s location when a user cannot locate the driver.
- Revenue model: to make the app more comfortable for drivers, it can have different revenue models.
How much does it cost to create an Uber-like app?
In general, the development of an Uber-like app costs $67,000 to $150,000 to build an iOS or Android app like Uber. The cost of admin panel development is estimated separately.
The idea of having an Uber-like app is, for sure, brilliant, but can your budget afford your business idea? Well, with all the functions described, it may cost a lot more than initially estimated. The final price of app development also depends on the vendor and the location of the vendor. Fortunately, with the tendency of outsourcing and access to a global talent pool, it is possible to find the best price-quality ratio and outsource core processes or even the whole design and development teams.
Customer-side features and cost estimation
As we have three types of apps, each is estimated and developed separately.
UI/UX design
Payment features
Routing and geolocation
The driver-side features and cost estimation
The driver app, with its features, goes through a separate app design and development process. Some of the comparable features have already been estimated in the customer-side app.
The final cost of Uber-like app development
It is a rough estimation of the core features without admin panel development, further support, and marketing costs.
Is it worth investing in an Uber-like app? Final words
The development of a ridesharing app is not the cheapest and definitely not the easiest thing, but once done and followed with appropriate professional marketing efforts, it may have all the chances to become the second Uber app in your location. The only thing to take care of is a reliable development team who will carry out professional project implementation and keep you engaged throughout all the stages.
