How to make an app like uber?- an effective guide you need to read before making a cab app

In the last few years, taxi aggregator services have proliferated cities where there was a need for a reliable taxi service which was affordable and available. The main reason can be traced to the need for a section of people who wanted an efficient taxi system. This point was identified by the team of people who were behind the development of the world’s first taxi aggregator service.

It was in 2009 that Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp laid the foundation of what went on to become a billion-dollar enterprise called UBER. Since then, there have been many attempts to replicate the same business model, not only in the cab aggregator business but also in different business verticals as well.

So, if you are interested to know how to make an app like Uber, OLA, OR LYFT there shall be many factors to consider. 

Firstly, the companies which run the taxi aggregator services are not transported companies but technology companies even though they operate in the transport sector. They have been very successful in maintaining a sort of balance between the demand and the supply which has added to the popularity of the service between customers.

The intelligent use of technology has helped in finding out the lacunae in the existing taxi business model and coming up with solutions that addressed these shortcomings. Your desire to know how to make an app like uber, OLA, OR LYFT shall be better served if you can address the following gaps in your application: 

• Erratic driver behavior.
• Inconsistent performance standards for services from a customer’s perspective.
• Pricing issues

Well, there have been many taxi cab services which have come to the marketplace. So, instead of just being an addition to the crowd you have to be a differentiator in your services if you want to make and know how to make an app like uber, OLA, OR LYFT.

The desire to be a differentiator had been our main motivation at Vyrazu Labs when we decided to come out with a software product of our own. The experience led us to realize that being a leader in any area of business can be possible only if there is sufficient domain knowledge in that sector.

So, when it comes to how to make an app like uber, OLA, OR LYFT there has to be a phase of learning which facilitates the acquisition of knowledge in the taxi-app business.

HOW DOES A CAB AGGREGATOR OPERATE:

If you want to make and know how to make an app like uber, OLA, OR LYFT, the first thing that you have to know is how do cab aggregator companies operate. All the companies have apps of their own that are compatible across different platforms so that they can be accessed by a vast majority of users.

The only requirement is having access to a smartphone with an internet connection, which in fact is very common these days. A user has to access the application mentioning the pickup and drop location. The app has built-in tools that help locate the driver nearest to the user and send him a notification. After the driver receives the notification he has a choice of either accepting or rejecting the request.

If he accepts the request he picks up the user and drops him off at the drop off point which has already been mentioned. The user does have the option of mentioning the type of vehicle he would prefer — a normal one or a luxury class of vehicle. As far as payments are concerned, some cab aggregators offer customers the choice of paying by cash, credit/debit cards or smart wallets.

The majority of cab aggregator services accept payments through cards, whether debit or credit, however nowadays they also use the smart wallets. The fare is calculated by means of a software program that takes into account the distance traveled, the time taken, the fuel consumed and the class of vehicle used.

Also, there are options of having a pool ride where a ride is shared by a number of users and the total cost is divided accordingly amongst the users. It is of real help as users can save on the costs and also avail of rides when single rides are not available.

The introduction of scheduled rides which can be availed later helps save a lot of time when there is a scheduled meeting or something important you have to attend. Well, you have to take into account all these factors, if you want to make and know how to make an app like uber, OLA, OR LYFT.

Our familiarity with the software architecture of online tools led us to the understanding that the majority of the tools were customer-centric as they focussed on the needs of the customer. There was not a single online tool that focussed on the needs of the service providers, i.e. the organizations that actually provided the services.

It has been our attempt to rectify that and the online tool designed and developed at our development center is a unified platform which incorporates the best features of mobile apps and web-based application to deliver solutions which help service providers in bettering their services to their customers.

If you want to make and properly know how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT you can implement one of the main differentiating factors of the UBER application with respect to their operations.

The concept was unheard of and sounded weird when UBER announced that they would not be employing any driver. Instead, they started to enroll drivers as their partners while having a revenue-sharing model with them.

In fact, it is the drivers who work according to their own designed schedule with UBER maintaining a minimum level of interference with them. Also, they have the option to opt-out of an existing contract with UBER. This freedom has benefited both the drivers, UBER, and is a very intrinsic part of the UBER model of doing business.

I have to mention that, in our discussion here, we are mentioning UBER as a reference model only as it is the most successful taxi app operator but the same comparison parameters are more or less applicable to other operators also.

How to make an app like uber: MAIN FEATURES OF THE APPLICATION

When it comes to how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT you should be aware of the main features of the application. Let us have a look at what the features look like:

• The app should be user-friendly and operate in real-time.
• A cab aggregator service should be available 24/7 in all the days of the year.
• There should be efficient algorithms in place to locate and send the closest available cab to a customer.
• Users of the app should have the option to choose the type of car.
• The app should be able to give customers an approximate, if not the exact cost of the trip.
• It should have a mode of payment where cashless transactions are possible.
• A system to accept feedback about the driver from a user.
• A rewards program for users.
• A comprehensive admin panel which helps in overall operations.

When you are interested about how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT, you shall need to have the following features for the user:

• Easy to use software for users to get registered.
• Easy selection of cab type by providing details like the number of passengers etc.
• App to have features that clearly display the pickup and drop off points.
• Easy calculation of fare of the ride.
• An easy but secure payment system that facilitates online money transfer.
• Real-time tracking system.
• Comparison of rates for different types of rides by using a different class of vehicle.
• The ability to track the geographical position of the driver as he arrives to pick up the user.
• Send notifications to the user once the driver arrives with the car.

If you want to make and know how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT kindly ensure that the following features are available in the driver’s app:

• Option to accept or reject a ride.
• Option to choose one’s location.
• Drivers have the option to keep records of their operations in their applications.
• Drivers can set the status of their availability i.e available or unavailable.
• They can access past records through their application.
• The app facilitates interaction with his manager/supervisor.
• Has the scope to monitor the status of ongoing and completed trips.

We, at Vyrazu Labs, have had the exposure of using mapping based technologies which are a key constituent of UBER like apps. When it comes to how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT, implement the must-have features that help in tracking the geographical position of the user as well as the driver.

If you want to make and properly know how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT you shall need to have mobile apps that have been developed for different platforms like Android and iOS, so as to reach the maximum number of users.

So, the frameworks used in iOS and Android to take care of mapping requirements might differ in their terminology but the underlying principle remains the same which is to be able to track the geographical position of the user and the driver.

Google Maps and Google Location Services API are used in the case of Android applications whereas the same is achieved by the use of MapKit or CoreLocation framework when the iOS platform is used.

For sending push notifications, Google Firebase is used in the case of Android applications and the same functionality is achieved by the usage of Apple Push for iOS-based systems. Twilio and Plivo can be used in order to send SMS to the driver/user. You shall have to use the latest in technology if you want to make a successful cab aggregator app or interested in how to make an app like uber, OLA, OR LYFT. 

For someone who is interested to know how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT, and make, being able to track the geographical position of a user is just a preliminary but important requirement. So, it is obvious by now that when it comes to how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT there shall be several hurdles along the way which have to be successfully overcome.

I think I have covered the main points which have to be kept in mind if you want to make and know how to make an app like uber, OLA, OR LYFT. Having said that, for those like you who want to make a successful cab aggregator app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT we, at Vyrazu Labs have an incubation lab for startups called STARTUP LAB.

This is a place where you can place your idea over a cup of coffee with us and we shall be having a session where we brainstorm over the finer details of the proposal. Also, in order to protect your interests we have rigid non-disclosure agreements in place. Well, it may so happen that if it comes to how to make an app like uber, OLA, OR LYFT, the journey may just start with both of us coming together.

We have the technical acumen in place as can be made out by now and our dedicated team of engineers with their accumulated experience might just be the thing you were looking for i.e. when it comes to how to make an app like uber, OLA OR LYFT.   

Before I wrap up, just to give you a ballpark figure, it should take around 150 man-hours for the development of the front end of the application. The development of the backend should take another 100 hours, bringing the total to around 250 hours of developmental work. From a financial perspective, the cost of developing such an app should be high, on the northern side, as quoted by several vendors. Since we have developed similar applications we shall be able to successfully develop similar applications at much lower rates if the same app is developed by our development team at our development center.

You surely have an idea of what you are getting into by now, so my best wishes remain with you as you begin your journey to make a successful cab aggregator app like UBER, OLA, OR LYFT.

You can reach us to get more answers related to how to make an app like uber today!