What Every Aspiring On-demand Business Should Know Before Developing a Mobile App like Uber

Taxi service was once a royalty, ‘Uber‘ made it a need by making it affordable. Not only did Uber disrupt the traditional taxi service, but also impeded the way people carry out their business.

Today, Uber’s on-demand service model can be applied to almost all the industries and their niches. It is not exaggerating to say that the demand for an on-demand solution is increasing with every passing day. People optimize their power of imagination and conceptualize a fairly unforeseen niche with an on-demand solution.

Uber taxi started its disruption with an iOS app. Initially, Uber app for riders could only book the rides for the customers. With time, Uber delivered luxury cab services with the launch of Uber Black. Uber Black allowed the user to choose the ride as per their preference from a wide range of luxury cars.

However, it only managed to please the upper class and Uber had the solution to lure all the sections of the society. UberX came up with a promise to charge what’s right and became a default cab hailing service for most of the people. But Uber had more plans to enhance the customer experience through the uber app for riders and this came in the form of UberPool.

Having explored all the ways to please its customers, it is planning to make a leap in the sky with UberCopter! An Uber like app is in great demand nowadays.

What makes this rise in the Uber clone business so obvious?

The basis of the on-demand business model is the aggravation of demand and planning a supply to meet the demand. However, the right approach to planning for an ‘Uber like’ app development is :

• Dive into the industry with a Primitive Approach.
• Build a sustainable model to aggregate the demand in the form of a mobile app for the service providers and customers.
• Meet this demand of the customers with a distributed supply chain management.
• Retain your customers.

But what makes Uber taxi different from other taxi-services? Uber like app, development must be popular for a reason. Here’s the secret: The thoughtful features of Uber!

Plan the features for your Uber like app, the Uber Way

Not many to-be Uber businesses know that basically Uber is made up of three mobile applications:

• The admin app
• The Uber app for Drivers
• The Uber app for Riders

Each of these stakeholders has its own set of features. For your ease to understand each of these features, I have jotted down the features in different categories:

• Most Viable Features
• Advanced Features

Let us first take a look at the features that build up the billion-dollar taxi-hailing company, Uber.

Features for Uber App for Riders

Track a Ride
Uber cab provides an option for its passenger to track a ride after they have booked their ride. What happens is, after the rider enters the pickup and drop location, the driver accepts the ride request through his uber app and approaches to the pickup location. To find out how far the driver is from the location, the passengers can track them by using the map integrated into the uber app for riders. Uber like apps are perfect for monitoring the journey and this makes for a unique value proposition.

Fare Estimation
The passengers are able to draw a fare estimate for their ride on the basis of their pickup and drop location.
The fare also varies as per the selection of the car for the ride. When the passenger stops at multiple destinations in between his pickup and drop location, it gets calculated at the end of the ride with the help of the powerful Uber algorithm. Uber like app development, therefore, needs to focus on this feature.

Multiple Modes of Payment
For making the taxi-hailing ecosystem user-friendly for the customers, Uber provides multiple modes of payment to choose for paying the fare. In the uber app for riders, passengers can select any type of payment, e.g. credit card, debit card, cash, mobile wallets, etc. offering a wide range of payment gateways is the key to an effective Uber like app.

Track Service History
For the passengers who commute on daily basis, Uber has a feature called Track service history. With the help of service history, the passengers can get details about their rides in a specific period. The passengers can view any dates and the entire service history details will be available for them in the form of a report in the Uber for riders. Uber like app development should, therefore, focus on tracking service history.

Book Now Ride later
Book Now Ride Later is an advanced feature of Uber. It allows the passengers to schedule their rides before the actual time of the ride. Once done, the passengers get confirmation. The passengers get the driver’s details before an hour of their scheduled ride and they can track the ride.

Book for Others
Similar to Book Now Ride Later, Book for others is an advanced feature for the Uber app for riders. The passengers can book a ride for their friends and families by using their own account. After the booking is made, the passenger gets all the details about the ride and an SMS is delivered to the rider. Here, the tracking can also be done by using the link present in the SMS.

Smart Wallets
Uber provides a smart wallet to its passengers for paying the fare. The passengers integrate these smart wallets with their bank accounts and transfer a certain amount of money. The passengers can directly make their payments using the mobile wallets. Uber like apps or Uber clones must incorporate this feature.

Panic Button
To ensure the security of the passengers, Uber has taken measures in the form of a panic button. As soon as the passenger is on-board, a panic button gets enabled in the Uber app for riders. Uber clones should have such safety and security features in place.  If you’re wondering how to make an app like Uber, remember safety is a huge concern for cab passengers nowadays.

When the passengers feel threatened or sense danger, they can press the panic button in the Uber taxi app. This sends a notification to the nearest police station, the Uber authorities, and the family members of the passengers. The Uber cab app, therefore, considers every aspect.

Favourite Destinations
The favorite destination is an advanced feature for the Uber rider app. When the passengers have to travel to the same destinations day-in and day-out, they can enter the destinations for once and can select it using a single tap, through the Uber app. The passengers can save destinations for their home, office, restaurants, etc. using the Uber app.

Split Charges
This is an advanced feature for the Uber for riders. When the passengers are traveling with their friends, they can split their fare and pay individually on the basis of the charge of the ride and the pickup and drop location of each passenger. They can split their fare and if they have leveraged mobile wallets, the fare automatically gets deducted from the wallet. So the Uber like app should consider such features.

Features of the Uber App for Drivers

Driver Delivery Reports
In order to ensure the safety of the passengers as well as the drivers, Uber for drivers has a delivery report feature. The report is a summary of the driving style of the driver during the entire week, month, etc. If the driver continues to drive rash, Uber can even remove the driver from the service, all thanks to the Uber cab app. On the other hand, if a driver drives smoothly, he becomes the trainer for the newbie Uber drivers. An Uber like app must have such features, too.

Route optimization:
Route optimization helps the driver take the most efficient route so that they can reach the destinations in the fastest possible time. The driver can leverage the route optimization feature, reroute the entire journey and can navigate efficiently to the path, using the Uber taxi app.

Driver Destinations:
The driver destination is an advanced feature in the Uber app for drivers. The driver can choose to take a ride to his preferred destination. This feature can be used by the drivers when they want to make money and have to reach their destinations, through the Uber cab app.

Quest earnings:
Quest earning is a feature in the Uber for drivers. It helps the driver earn extra money. The quest comes with a pre-defined number of rides that the drivers have to complete in order to win and earn the additional amount.

Shorter 2 Minute Cancellation Window:
The cancellation window is the time that the driver has to wait for the passenger. It is an advanced feature in the app for Uber drivers. When the driver arrives at the location on time, the first 2 minutes are non-chargeable for the passengers. However, if they take a lot of time, the charging starts and the passengers have to pay for that extra time as well along with the base fare of the ride.

Heat Maps
Heat maps is the advanced feature in an ‘Uber like’ app. It is like a cheat sheet for the drivers. Heat maps is basically a map view of the demand. The drivers can know where the ratio of the passengers is high and can move to that location to get requests easily from the passengers.

Forward Dispatch
The forward dispatch is an advanced feature for the Uber app for the driver. It allows the drivers to accept the request for another ride while they are still completing their current ride. This helps them to cut down the ideal time and earn a few more extra bucks.

Niches to plan for an ‘Uber like’ app

• Healthcare
• Beauty services and on-demand salons
• On-demand mechanic
• On-demand gas delivery service
• On-demand transportation
• On-demand food delivery service

How to Strategically Build the Features in an Uber like app?

Developing an app like uber is a long-term commitment. You need to stay on your toes from the time you start conceptualizing about the idea until the beta the release of the beta version of the app. A smooth way of developing an app like Uber is to plan your development beforehand. An Uber like app development process must have all the features and consider all the challenges.

Allow me to help you with the planning of features for building an app similar to Uber:

Basically, there are three categories to start your development. The basic version of the app like Uber can consist of the most viable features for all the three stakeholders – the admin, the driver, and the passenger. Uber clone apps must incorporate these features.

The advanced version of the app consists of the most advanced features for all the stakeholders. However, this version can be launched once you get a hand over the market. The third version of the application consists of all the basic features of app ‘like Uber’ for all the stakeholders and some of the advanced features. Now, it is upon you to decide on how you want to go about with your ‘Uber like’ mobile app.

What should you keep in mind for Building an Uber like App

The ideal way to build an app like Uber is to build a basic version of the Uber cab app and study the market carefully. Building an Uber clone requires careful planning. Know what could be the possible innovation for the driver’s and the passenger’s app. Once this is clear, you can proceed with the advanced set of features. Uber customer apps must consider the journey from the consumer’s viewpoint.

Apart from this, you should always try to attract and retain both the drivers and the customers for a smooth functioning. For the best Uber clone, you need to work on the features and functionalities. While there are many in the app development market claiming to be the pioneers in the industry, not everybody has got that hands-on experience with the on-demand solution. The key is to research well for your app like Uber to ensure that your business is in safe hands. Uber like app development involves careful consideration of these factors.

Apart from this, other important elements to keep in mind while building an app like Uber or an Uber taxi app clone are:

• User-friendly navigation
• Smooth UI/UX designs
• Pleasing visuals and graphics
• Real-time functionality

The best way to plan for developing an app like Uber  is mentioned as the following:

• Your USP should be your first concern. Afterall, it is going to separate your voice from the noise. Ask yourself as to why do you want to build an app like Uber. What difference are you going to make with it and then proceed with its development?
• As mentioned earlier, your features are going to be the voice of your brand. It is going to resonate with your end users. Keeping the importance of user-friendly features in mind, plan for your first app release with the most viable features and then scale up your business in the subsequent phases.
• Demography plays an important role in the launch of a business. Know what demography are you targeting. Promote your app to those users and take feedback. Implement on the feedback provided and come up with innovation the next time.

What could be the possible Revenue Model for building an app like Uber?

Uber has got no fleet of cars. It only has got the drivers and the passengers to make its revenue.
The possible revenue streams for your ‘Uber like’ app can be:

• Commission from the drivers
• Ride fare from the customers
• Cancellation charges from the customers

Let me walk you through the cost of building an app like Uber.

Cost of Developing a mobile app like Uber:

It is obvious for a businessman to focus on the ROI. And to figure out the expected turnover, you need to know the investment required. To cut it short, let us find out what could be the cost of building an ‘Uber like’ mobile application:

Influence of features:
Basically, there are three possibilities with which you can develop your Uber like app.
You might either go with the most viable features, advanced features, or a perfect blend of both the basic and some advanced features.

Influence of operating system:
It is a known fact that iOS app puts a bigger hole in your pocket as compared to that of the Android app. However, it is upon your target audience and their preference of device to select the operating system. The possibility is, your target audience can have an equal ratio and you might have to launch an app for both the platforms. Uber app Android development or iOS is largely a matter of customer preference, therefore.

Influence of technology:
While coding your app in Kotlin would be costlier but trendy, it is upon you to figure out your app development needs. Similarly, you have to make a smarter choice with native and hybrid app development. If you are not technically sound, you can seek assistance from your developers. Uber like app development involves using the latest tools and technologies.

Influence of resources:
If you don’t already have a team of hard-headed developers and you are thinking to outsource them, you need to be very careful in your selection process. Look out for the case studies and experience. Compare the cost of the app development and then make a decision. While different app development companies have their own variables, there is quite an ambiguity in the cost of developing an ‘Uber like’ mobile app.

So, an exact figure cannot be determined but to give you a rough idea about the estimate, have a look at the following:

• If we consider the most basic version of the app with only the MVP features and clean UI/UX design, the projected price can go up to $7,500 for development. However, there is very little support and maintenance required.
• If we consider a blend of basic features along with some advanced features, the price can increase to somewhere between $20,000 to $25,000
• If we consider the app to be developed with complete advanced features, then the price can rise to as high as $50,000 to $60,000.

The smarter way to Outsource Developers for Building an ‘Uber like’ Mobile App

Determine the scope of work and then decide upon the number of resources for building a mobile app like Uber for your business. There are many different types of pricing model that you could choose from – time-based, scope based, fixed price and fixed time pricing model, or dedicated resource hiring. While some of these models are based on the client’s demand, the others are determined by the app development firm itself.

Dedicated Resource-based Hiring

When opting for a dedicated resource based hiring, ensure that you know the scope of work and that you are not paying for an extra resource.  To develop a basic version of your Uber like app, your set of resources will be-

• UI and UX designer
• 2 – 4 developers
• Quality Assurance Engineer
• A Backend Developer
• A Project Manager

To develop an advanced version of Uber like app, you will need a team of –

• Team Manager/Project Manager
• UI/UX designer
• 3 – 4 developers for each platform
• Quality Assurance Engineer
• 2–3 backend developers
• Admin panel

Brace yourself to build a disruptive business with Uber like app.

In case you have concerns and queries about the cost of building an Uber like app, help us with know your exact requirements here and we will let you know the estimate. EngineerBabu, being an experienced app development company, Uber like apps are now a practice to perfect episode for us.

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