Calculate the timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft

The world of communications changed since the introduction of the smartphone by Apple. It gave birth to an industry that thrived by designing and developing mobile applications for consumers. Very soon there were a plethora of mobile apps in the market, each of which tried to target its niche consumer.

The complexity of the app depended on many factors like functionality, target audience, infrastructural support, etc. Let us analyze how much would it cost to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT along with the timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft.

Well, let us consider the case of UBER. It was a general observation that there was a huge population which lived in cities and because of associated issues like lack of parking facilities etc, preferred commuting by cabs rather than owning a car.

The arrival of UBER helped their cause, as they could use a faster mode of communication when needed without having the baggage of having to care for maintaining the necessary infrastructure. Ever since then there have been numerous attempts at replicating the same business model, not only in the taxi booking business but across different industries.

The common feature of all these services was the presence of a mobile app which served as the interface through which customers interacted while requesting for service. It was certainly not an easy task to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT.

So, let us gradually have a look at the parameters involved to calculate the timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft

FEATURES OF ON-DEMAND TAXI APPS: Timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft

The structure of the on-demand taxi apps can be broken down into three sections. The first is the interface of the customer, the second one is that of the driver while the last and the most important section is that of the admin. If someone has to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT one has to ensure that the application is able to handle the needs of these three.

Let us consider the basic features of a passenger app: Timelineto develop an app like uber ola or lyft

Login: This enables a passenger to log in to the system by using options like email id, credit card number etc.

Booking: This interface allows a passenger to call a taxi, select the taxi type and mention the pickup location.

Tracking feature: This feature enables the passenger to track the location of the driver.

Calculator: A passenger can get an estimate of the cost of a ride between two different points with a specific type of taxi before choosing to request for service.

Payments: The payments differ according to locations. There are some locations where cash transactions are not permitted, so cards are used,  while in geographies where cash transactions are allowed, cash is used as a mode of payment.

If you really want to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT you have to offer your users a safe mode of payment that can be carried out online.

So, if you are keen to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT do make sure that the app for the passenger has at least a majority of the above-mentioned features. Now, let us have a look at the basic features of the app which is accessed by the driver.

Driver profile: This contains the complete description of the driver with his status and completed profile. It contains particulars, important from a customer’s perspective like details of his license number etc.

Message alert: This is a system by which a driver receives a message alert as soon as a passenger books his/her cab.

Route navigation: The driver’s app is connected with different navigation applications, Google Map for eg, which helps the driver reach the location in the shortest time possible.

Fare: This feature gives an idea of the fare of the passenger’s ride.

Cab Sharing: This is a system by which passengers can pool in their resources and share a ride. The total cost incurred in this case is divided amongst all the passengers.

Thus, the process to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT and know the timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft would entail developing the two above-mentioned apps in addition to the admin application being described below.

The Admin panel can be said to be the foundation on which the taxi booking app rests. This tool helps in guiding the drivers, suggests the possible routes of navigation, and also maintains a system of revenue collection. Customer reviews and related information are also collected and stored here.

These serve as the basis on which further improvements in bettering the customer experience can be gathered and put to use. If you really want to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT you have to make sure that you come up with services that add value to the customer.

On a different note, we at Vyrazu Labs have designed and developed an online system named PAUSA, an online tool for providing services, which has an admin panel with similar functionalities.

Working of the UBER app: Timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft

The working of the UBER app is a systematic step by step progression of the following steps.

1st Step: A customer puts in a request to avail of UBER services through the UBER app.

2nd Step: The driver has the option of either accepting the request or rejecting the request.

3rd Step: If the driver accepts the request the customer can start tracking the cab. He knows when the cab is expected to turn up at his pick up point.

4th Step: After the customer has been dropped at his drop location, the payment transaction is carried out which may be in cash or cashless depending on the location of the service.

5th Step: Here the customer has the scope of giving a rating to the service provided by UBER.  

Well, if you are still keen to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT you have to have systems that take care of all the above requirements as mentioned above.

Things to consider to know the timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft

Payment for the ride: A cashless mode of payment is a safe and simple method of carrying out a financial transaction where the passenger pays for the ride after reaching his location using his mobile device. By the way, your plan to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA, OR LYFT shall have to include a lot of technological aids that shall make sure that user data is protected and secure.

PCI compliance is a must if you plan on accepting customer payments through the use of credit cards. There are two important points to be noted here if you have decided to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT or want to know the timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft. 

• • The payment gateway should be designed in such a manner so that it is easy to use.

• The payment gateway which has been created for your system should be such that it is specifically created for mobiles.

Technology used: Your plan to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT shall have to include several technologies at different levels. Such a complex application can work seamlessly only when all the technological components work in perfect harmony with each other.

The successful working of an UBER like app has to involve networking parameters. In order to track the location of a cab, GPS technology shall have to be used. For Android applications, one can use Google Maps and Google Location Services API whereas for iOS systems, MapKit or CoreLocation framework shall do the job.

In case of sending push notifications, one can use Google Firebase for Android whereas the same thing can be done by Apple Push for iOS-based applications. In case of sending SMS’s, you can choose from Twilio, Plivo, Nexmo etc. It is advisable to use the latest in technology if you want to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT.

Main components: The main components of the app which you shall have to develop as you go ahead with your plans to design and develop a timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft

• Design

• Native app development ( Android/iOS)

• Web development

• Backend development

• Testing

We shall be considering the developmental aspects of the two main activities which have to be undertaken if you want to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT.

Native app development ( Android/iOS): In order to have a successful mobile application it is important that it is developed both for the Android platform as well as for iOS users. The functionality shall be the same in both cases and the only point of difference shall be in the usage of technology that is specific to each platform.

You can consider a timeline of around 250 hours to be consumed here as the total timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft. 

Backend: The backend is a very important part of the whole application. In fact, construction of the backend is the first step towards building the mammoth structure of an UBER like application. The database should be chosen on its capacity to provide a scalable system which is also robust at the same time.

The interfaces, namely the ones which shall be used by the driver and the passenger shall be linked to interrelated systems that shall be developed using Python, JavaScript or Java. This subsystem shall be the core of the application which shall be connected to the database at one end and the interfaces at the other.

When you ultimately design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT you shall for yourself understand the importance of the backend part of the entire application.

By now, you have got a bird’s eye view of the proposed application if you really want to go ahead and design and develop a timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft. It shall be advantageous for you if you have members in your team with loads of work experience in their domain.

Timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft:

The aim of this blog was to explore the possible cost incurred to design and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT. But for the sake of convenience for readers, we have included the scope of developing the same on the Android platform also.

The hourly rates for programmers vary greatly with different rates for programmers applicable to different geographical areas. After going through many different proposals, we can safely put the hourly rate to develop an Uber-like application at a median value of $50.

Timeline to develop an app like uber ola or lyft: ( Percentage of total time consumed )

• Development of passenger app: 35%

• Development of driver app: 12%

• Development of admin app: 12%

• Testing: 41% 

At the end of it all, we have an incubation centre for startups called STARTUP LAB. This has been designed keeping people like you in mind where you can come and share your ideas and we shall help you turn that into reality with the help of our team members.

In order to protect your interests, we shall have proper non-disclosure agreements in place. Come, join us for a round of coffee and let us pick on each other’s brain to come up with the best possible solutions to start your venture.

From a financial perspective, a number of vendors charge exorbitant rates for developing UBER like applications, but we at Vyrazu Labs have a much lower projected cost figure for coming up with similar applications.

It is because of the experience gained from developing such applications at our developmental centre that we have become knowledgeable about all the scenarios involved in developing similar applications.

Our good wishes, remain with you as you begin your journey to know the timeline to develop an app like uber ola or Lyft and develop an iPhone app like UBER, OLA OR LYFT.