Taxi apps have almost replaced traditional services. Meanwhile, the global ride-hailing market is expected to reach more than $126 bn by 2025. After Uber’s astounding success the popularity of query on how to build apps for taxis skyrocketed.

The high demand may be attractive, but building taxi apps is not the easiest task. They have many features and vast functionality, and need to be stable and secure. Every little detail requires attention for an app to become competitive. We will share the peculiarities of the mobile apps development process and how TRIARE lays the foundations of their success.

Step 1. Pre-development

We call it the research, or discovery phase. The way you handle this step usually defines future success. At TRIARE, we are value-oriented to the point of discussing every single feature. We work closely in cooperation with our clients and give bulletproof business advice.

We help create a project vision.

A successful application must solve particular problems. You need to think through who your target users are, what issues they have, and how new taxi services can help.

We ensure a unique value proposition will serve users.

Be ready to face sharp competition in the taxi industry. A local taxicab startup will have to compete with Uber and Lyft that have millions of active users. The only way to stand out is to offer a unique value both for drivers and passengers. For example, Uber was the first to introduce a pricing policy depending on a distance.

Uber and Lyft are the most popular taxi apps. Source: Business Insider

You choose the niche – we recommend a business model.

People assume that there is only one niche in the taxi industry and rush into creating Uber like apps. But you will find many more options after competitor analysis:

• Electrocars
• Carpooling
• Car rental app
• Shuttle service
• Bus booking
• Trucking service
• On-demand delivery
• Employee transportation
• Taxi for children
• Ridesharing for women
• Premium services

Depending on the project, we will help you choose the most effective revenue model (commissions, paid promotions, flat vs dynamic pricing, additional fees, monetization through advertising, etc.)

Business model canvas comparison of Uber and Lyft. Source: Practice in gray

We develop product design.

UX & UI specialists will create convenient, beautiful designs and visualize the future taxi cab app as a clickable prototype.

We think tech through.

The most relevant tech stack will be chosen for your project, depending on app architecture, data load, data cache required, data visualization and UI modules, and additional frameworks.

Outcomes of step 1:

• Finalized app concept
• A business model canvas, market, and competitor analysis
• Technical documentation
• Project architecture plan, product backlog
• Clickable prototype
• Cost & time estimates

Step 2. Development

The result of this phase is the app’s first version – an MVP (minimum viable product). It consists of essential features only, to ensure a fast launch without spending extra resources.

Typical taxi apps like Uber consist of three interconnected parts – a passenger app, a driver app, and an admin panel to manage all users and processes. The examples of their functionality are in the table below.  If you have particular outstanding ideas, add them to the list.

The functionality of a taxi app. Source: MLSDev

The core functionality of taxi apps

Team structure

A small team usually includes:

• Project Manager
• Android Developer
• iOS Developer
• Backend developer
• UI/UX Designer
• QA Engineer

Tech stack

Building native apps is the recommended approach in taxi app development. However, there are many nuances which we try to solve individually. If you want to choose for yourself, check this article on native vs cross-platform apps.

This table includes the list of technologies that can be used for taxi apps.

Secret ingredients

• We use clean architecture, which saves time with separating logic, minimizes the number of bugs, and guarantees easier support and seamless changes in the future.
• We save time & money due to test-driven approach, eliminating most of the bugs during the app development phase.
• Using modular architecture for mobile app development allows building more reliable cross-platform apps even faster.
• Our blueprint called the Base App helps to automate routine tasks and cut up to 40% of the time.

Testing, launch, and promotion

After a series of automated tests, our QA engineers try each feature and give immediate feedback. Then we will release the app, which usually takes nearly 2 days. But it is only the beginning of the journey.

Developing taxi apps is usually followed by marketing campaigns and promotion activities:

• Considering alternative app stores
• Creating a landing page, implementing SEO
•  Engaging on social media
• Getting reviews from the press and influencers
• Attending related events and fairs etc.

If you want easier solutions, this review of top resources for mobile app promotion might help.

Step 3. Ongoing development and support

We provide technical support and maintenance services to keep the developed taxi apps updated. We review the code with each iteration to maintain its cleanliness and fluidity. All the requirements are recorded in our docs so that the peculiarities of each app are remembered accurately.

This is the time for adding advanced functionality, like multilingual support, monetization tools (advertisement blocks, in-app purchases), gamification, voice-driven instructions, in-app calls, insurance coverage, discounts, referral rewards, promo codes.

If you wonder what other extra features might be in taxi apps, here is the list of examples.

Advanced features for passenger taxi app:

• Filtering vehicles
• Dynamic (surge) pricing
• In-app tip feature
• Fare splitting
• Ride scheduling
• Booking for others
• Travel history
• Favorite locations/destinations
• Waiting list
• Hidden passenger phone number

Advanced features for driver taxi app:

• Destination filter
• Driver delivery reports
• Passenger rating and review
• Heat maps
• Forward dispatch

Advanced features for taxi admin panel:

• Gathering statistics & integration with analytics tools
• Monitoring the events
• Interactive tracking online
• SMS alert settings for specific trips
• Heat map
• Future ride settings
• Build-in service of collecting crashes
• Promotion and discount management

To sum up

Transportation will be one of the most digitalized industries in 2021 and beyond. Taxi apps can be a profitable business if you work thoroughly on all three stages: research, development, and ongoing support.

We hope this article explained how mobile app development services work, namely the peculiarities of creating taxi apps. If you have any questions left or want to quote your project, feel free to contact us, we are ready to help.