Feb 22nd 22

How to create a taxi booking app like Uber and make it cost-effective?

Table of Contents

Uber shaped the industry of ridesharing business and as the most successful example of such an application, it's an inspiration for many business people all across the world. Uber clones exist everywhere and if you wish to be a part of this domain, this article by RexSoft can come in handy. 

Read along to find out how to order a taxi app development successfully and gain profits from cost-effective investment.

Relevant videos about Taxi App Development 🎥

What is a taxi app?

A taxi app is also called a ridesharing app which is a software solution created to allow people to order a ride online whether it’s a ride for now, for later, or even shared ride options. This makes taxi booking much simpler and the development of an app like this can drastically help you gain profits. 

For example, the leader of this industry, Uber generated $17.4 billion in revenue in 2021. The domain is young but highly competitive, so if you want to leverage a competition, you need to work with a reliable technical partner. Make sure that your taxi app development involves innovative technologies, fresh ideas, creative design, or something that can make you outstanding. 

How does a taxi booking app work?

When you order a taxi app development, you have to understand that in most cases you order not one app but three. The taxi app development usually includes the development of client-side, dispatch-side, and driver-side applications. 

Each of them has different features and goals since the end-users for every side of the taxi app are different. So, let’s take a closer look at them. 

01

On Client Side

The client-side of a taxi app development is usually a mobile application, aimed at providing the end-user with an opportunity to order or book a ride. Its main goal is to be user-friendly and smooth so that the customer could work with it on an intuitive level.

02

On Dispatch Side

Dispatch-side of a taxi app development mostly is a web app; an admin panel that allows the dispatchers to manage the workflow of a business, see the rides, free drivers, and other aspects of the process. For seamless functionality of your company in the ridesharing industry, you should order a taxi app development with an admin panel for dispatchers.

03

On Drivers Side

Drivers side in the taxi app development is created for your most essential workers. It must allow them to take orders, log in and out of their shift, track the routes, calculate the payment, etc. You may also include functionality that will allow your drivers to keep you updated on the vehicles’ conditions. All of the sides in taxi app development are essential and you can’t build a successful business without them. But, to ensure that your development is really profitable, you should pay attention to the features you implement in your software. So, let’s dive deep into this aspect of taxi app development.

Taxi app development consulting

If you own a taxi company and the only thing missing is a taxi app, you've come to the right place! Please contact us and one of our experts can assist you with any questions you may have!

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Taxi app features 

To leverage the competition and develop a taxi app that will be the right fit for your business, you need to carefully analyze the market and find the most crucial features you need to implement in your software. 

We’ve gathered a list of the most essential features for taxi app development and broke it down into categories for your convenience. So, let’s get into it!

On the client-side 

Features on the client-side of the taxi app development are the most important for your profits since they are connected to the end-user directly. You need to make sure that the software works as well as you hoped for and here are some features that might help you make it even better than expected. 

Login and sign up

The most essential feature that will allow your customers to be present in the system, keep track of their rides and store their personal data in the taxi app.

Client profile

Created to allow users to change their personal information, keep the calendar of rides, and use the application with more comfort. 

Payment method 

Of course, you can make your customers pay with cash, but having the payment system implemented in the app will drastically improve its quality. People will have more trust towards you and this might be generally just more comfortable for them. 

Form a request 

The most important feature that can be in taxi app development. It allows the user to request or book a ride; it will connect the user with a dispatcher who will match the driver for this route. You can allow your users to modify the routes in the app or define the user’s location to match them with the drivers nearby. 

On the drivers' side 

Drivers are the blood of your ridesharing business, so of course, in the taxi app development, you should take their side of an app seriously. Here are some of the most important features that you should add to the drivers-side of the taxi app development. 

Login and sign up

Similar to the client-side, the drivers-side should also have this feature with preferably two-factor authentification. This will make the drivers more secure since the app should request them to verify their bank account details to receive payments. This feature in the taxi app development will also make your business more seamless.

Driver profile 

As for a customer, driver profiles should allow them to manage their personal information and use the app with more comfort overall. 

Geolocation

If your client-side app has geolocation implemented, consider implementing it for a driver-side taxi app development as well. It will allow your drivers to navigate to the customer easily and fast. 

Ride information

Includes all information about the ride like the requested route, payment calculation, etc. 

Ride confirmation 

Allows the driver to confirm that they’re on the way, waiting for the passenger, or cancel the request. 

On the dispatch’s side

Admin panel is also drastically important for this type of business. Check carefully for the right functionality of your admin panel during the taxi app development. Here are the essential features needed for this part of the software. 

Login, profile, and role

Allows your admins to authorize in the system and have certain levels of access to the company’s information. 

Drivers 

Allows adding, deleting, changing, and managing the drivers’ information. 

Vehicles

Allows adding, deleting, changing, and managing the information about the vehicles. 

Customers 

Allows tracking the customers’ information in order to provide them with better services.  

Rates and rides 

Allows the admin to view the rides and rates, change them and manage other important details about this process. 

Payments 

Enables the admin to keep track of the financial transaction, making your business safer and more seamless.


So, here are the most important features for a taxi app development. However, to reach the true success you need to find the top-notch technologies capable of making your solution seamless, smooth, and eye-catching. Read on to learn what we at RexSoft consider the best tech stack for taxi app development.

Taxi application development: the best technologies

We’re at RexSoft are working only with the best tech stack available, and for this part of our article, we contacted our tech specialists to learn which technologies can make the taxi app development better. Here is what we’ve found out. 

Taxi web app for drivers and clients

To ensure that you have the best application, conduct research about the technologies you should use. For web and mobile applications, the technologies we describe below are the best solution.

Flutter 

Flutter can be used for front-end development. It’s a resource-effective technology that also will enable you to get cross-platform development if you think you need it. 

React Native 

We use this technology for front-end taxi app development as well. React Native makes the development more time-efficient and convenient since it enables the adjustment of the various elements of a taxi app development simultaneously. 

Node.js 

Our experts use this technology for back-end taxi app development. It allows to quickly update the data, this is why Node.js is mostly used in real-time services like streaming applications. 

Taxi web app for dispatchers

Dispatchers are the distributors of your services, so their part of a taxi app should also work smoothly. Here is the list of technologies you can pay attention to during the development.

React.js

RexSoft uses this technology for front-end development. React.js allows us to create fast, responsive, and user-friendly applications.

Node.js 

As we’ve stated above, Node.js is a great solution for back-end development. It’s extremely useful for apps like the admin panel since it can work with immense amounts of data quickly and in high quality. 


So, here are the technologies we at RexSoft usually use for similar projects like taxi app development. Next, we’d like to tell you about an important part of the development; the process and the team who makes it all possible. 

Read on to learn more! 

Taxi booking app: team and process 

Our team and process of development are what make our software this good. We engage only the best specialists in our smooth and agile working process. But let’s get to it step by step, starting from the basics.

Taxi app development: the team 

Our team consists of several specialists with the sharpest skills. However, our flexibility allows us to change the team in accordance with the customers’ requirements. You can find the list of our specialists below. 

01

Project Manager

A person, responsible for managing the whole development process; they ensure we’re always on time, keeping up with the deadlines, and maintaining clear communication with the customers.

02

IT architecture specialist

If you’re planning to scale in the future, you absolutely need this expert on board. They’ll ensure that your software is capable of scaling and will leverage any heavy load.

03

Designers

Our talented designers create eye-catching solutions that will make your taxi app outstanding after the development is completed.

04

Developers

At the core of any team, RexSoft’s developers are experienced and highly qualified. They’re ready to provide you with the best solutions according to your needs, requirements, and business goals.

05

Quality assurance engineers

Bug-hunters who will ensure that you have the best and the smoothest taxi app. They’ll find any mistakes our devs might’ve made during the development and you won’t ever encounter the need to redo any element of your taxi app.

Taxi app development process 

RexSoft has the smoothest development process that allows us to be flexible, available at any time, and take responsibility for every solution we create. So, here are the steps of our development process. Take a look! 

01

Research and discovery

The initial process before the development starts. It allows us to figure out the requirements, needs, and goals of our customers. Overall, it ensures that the software corresponds with your company’s specialties to the maximum extent.

02

Product conception

We create the concept of a product based on your vision and idea. It ensures that the software you will get in the end will be unique and your taxi app development will satisfy your needs.

03

Design and build

To create the best design and code for a taxi app development we engage the best software designers, developers, and architects. Overall, you’ll get a solution that leverages the competition and works just as well as you hoped for.

04

Launch preparations

We’re getting ready to launch your application to the market. Hand everything over to RexSoft and enjoy the profits you’ll get when your taxi app hits the app stores.

05

Maintenance and growth

Even when the taxi app development is finished, we’re not leaving you alone. If needed, our team is ready to help you maintain the software after it hits the market.

Taxi Booking App Development Costs on Uber Example

The Uber company started the evolution of the taxi market more than 10 years ago when Taxi Booking App Uber was launched which simplified the process of ordering a taxi. Using Uber, the customer books a car with the driver and tracks its movement to the specified point. Uber is used by more than 118 million users in 900 cities around the world. In 2021, Taxi Booking App Uber organized 6.3 billion trips. We analyzed the main functions of the application and we estimated the cost of developing an application similar to Uber based on this data. All the functionality of the application can be divided into 3 parts: Passenger Panel, Driver Panel, Admin Panel. 
 

Passenger Panel

  • Registration, user authorization
  • User profile management (adding, changing, deleting data)
  • Geolocation and routing
  • Forming a trip application
  • Trip payment
  • Cost estimate of the trip and travel history
  • Calls and messages to the driver
  • Push-messages
  • Driver tracking
  • Driver review and rating
  • Support service

Driver Panel

  • Driver registration, authorization
  • Driver profile management (adding, changing, deleting data)
  • Driver destinations
  • Accept or reject passengers’ requests
  • Call the passenger in the program
  • Analytics
  • Financial management
  • Support service

Admin panel

  • Access, access levels
  • Management, validation of users, drivers
  • Trips and transaction management
  • Mailing messages
  • Support service

Such a taxi app like Uber can be developed in 3-4 months. To create this, the RexSoft team will need 1200-1500 hours and a team of 6 specialists.

  • PM - 80 hours
  • ІТ-architect - 40 hours
  • Designer- 150 hours
  • Front-end development - 360 hours
  • Back-end development - 800 hours
  • QA - 80 hours
     

The development of a taxi application from scratch such as Uber will cost you about $40 000. We offer different models of cooperation so you can hire our part-time experts to strengthen your internal development team.

How to make taxi app development more cost-effective 

Custom software development is a big investment that in some cases can be draining. However, we know how to make it more budget-friendly, so we can help you get profits without bitting more than you can chew. 

Offshore development 

Offshore development can save you a lot if you know where to look for the developers. If compared to the average US developers’ rate of $80/hour, you’ll cooperate with Ukrainian developers who have rates lower in half, you’ll save yourself a big share of the budget. 

Dedicated development team 

You’ll be able to make the development more resource-effective if you’ll hire one team rather than separate specialists. It’ll improve communication, management, and overall will make the development less timely. This, in turn, means that the taxi app development will be less costly. 

Experienced team

If you work with an experienced team, you’ll be less likely to encounter any mistakes, malfunctions, or bugs. This will make the development cheaper because you won’t have to go back to the same element over and over again, and waste time.

***

So, here’s everything we can tell you about the taxi app development. Of course, there’s more to learn about it and we’re sure you can change the industry if you try. Contact us and we’ll do everything possible to help your company leverage the competition in a highly competitive market.

faq

What is a taxi app?

A taxi app is also called a ridesharing app which is a software solution created to allow people to order a ride online whether it’s a ride for now, for later, or even shared ride options.

How long does a taxi app development take?

It’s hard to tell without knowing the unique needs of your company. From a month to several, it depends on the complexity, technology, team members, and lots of other factors. You are free to contact us for a more detailed estimate!

How to make a taxi app less expensive?

There are several ways, but the most popular are offshore development, dedicated team, and working under fixed-price engagement model regulations. Contact us and we’ll find a way together!

Bogdan Misiurenko

Business Development Manager
I’ve got 5+ years of hands-on experience in building and executing software development services within numerous industry domains. Some of them include real estate, e-commerce, logistics, and retail. Let’s keep in touch and build something great together!
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