How to Create an App Like Uber: Guide From Leading European Companies?

Tips & Hints: How to Create an App Like Uber in 2021

Big city life is impossible to imagine without rideshare services like Uber. You have probably already heard about it as it has got a real triumph by giving an opportunity for efficient and low-cost rides. Before 2019, the company accumulated more than $10 billion and was placed in second place for innovation, beaten only by SpaceX. The tremendous successes of the company resulted in similar new apps that keep cropping up. Many entrepreneurs start wondering how to develop Uber like app. Moreover, launch it with big success in local markets.

Today Omisoft’s development team will guide you through the whole process of building an Uber-like app. Also, we’ll share useful tips and advice on strategy, mobile app cross-platform development, and launching processes. Learn how you can benefit from the use of the sharing economy in the company’s business model. For this, we suggest you keep on reading and explore the ways of not creating a clone but instead another popular app.

What Should You Know About the Uber App?

Before we talk about the more technical side and go into detail on developing an app, we want to show you the scale of Uber. It is currently available in 84 countries, over 800 cities both for iOS and Android users. It provides a round-the-clock on-demand connection between drivers and people that need a ride through a special app. Many have chosen this taxi application because of its smooth interaction with users, great marketing, and rare error reports. The service provides various levels based on their availability. Users can enjoy Uber versions:

• X — Cost-efficient and the most popular option.
• BLACK — nice ride on a chic car.
• LUX — the prime option.
• SUV — when you need a big car.

As you see, the company divided its core service — ridesharing — into several smaller niches in order to tailor its services to customer needs, which is quite a smart move. Uber has a 5-steps system, which is important to know to understand the primary functioning:

• Request — A person that wants a ride creates a trip request via the app with an expected end destination. Also, he or she can see the upfront pricing of a future fare.
• Finding a Driver — Available drivers in the nearby region receive a request. They may either accept or reject the ride. If one rejects, the other chauffeur gets an offer.
• Tracking — The user can see how far the designated driver is and know when the taxi is going to arrive.
• Paying for the Ride — It is cashless and done automatically in-app when the ride is complete.
• Rating — One of the core and very important components of the app, which enhances its reliability.

Recreating the Functionality of Uber in Your App

How to make app like Uber? If you are considering building your own Uber app, or a similar taxi booking app, you will need to develop a couple of them. The original platform consists of two apps — for drivers or passengers — dependent and a special panel for administration and managing. The first two are needed for rides booking, and the admin panel is used for monitoring the platform’s work. Let’s explore what features are essential to creating each dedicated app. Explore them to see what you want to use in your future mobile cross-platform app development process.

Part 1: How to make an app for passengers?

Each part of the service is essential, but the passenger app is the one that is most widely-used and therefore requires more attention. Here are the core features of it:

1. Sign up — can be done via email, social media or phone number.
2. Booking a Ride — passenger enters his location and picks a car type.
3. Ride-cost calculator — a handy feature that allows the user to estimate the fare beforehand.
4. Car Tracking — passengers can see where the car is at the moment.
5. Payment — usually, such apps are integrated with several payment variants. Passengers can pay in-app with credit/debit cards, PayPal, or choose to pay in cash.
6. Instant Notifications — providing information is a crucial element for such apps. It keeps passengers aware of everything concerning their trip.
7. Messaging — a feature that makes passenger-driver contact possible.
8. Rating/Review — user feedback on chauffeur skills, car, general experience, etc.
9. Ride history — shows all previous rides and payments.
10. Customer Support — round-the-clock support for helping users with any issues using the app.

It may also have some advanced features like a pickup location, later ride, cancellation, split payment, interactive map, book for other people, waiting list, voice recognition, gamification, discounts, or even an emergency button. Adding advanced features from the very beginning is optional, but you always need to plan ahead and leave room for future growth.

Part 2: How to make an app for drivers?

Partly the features of such apps are similar to the passenger’s one. There should also be sign-up, texting, notifications, ratings, and user support. But also it has some unique features. We gathered a full list of features for developing a driver’s platform:

• Profile — each chauffeur must undergo a confirmation process. It includes license checks, providing car insurance, etc.)
• Status — shows if the driver is available.
• Alerts — feature to get orders and accept or deny them. Alerts usually include the pickup location, possible routes and history of previous rides.
• Notifications — used in alerts, but also for any changes, cancellations and completion of a ride.
• Navigation — optimization of the route using Google Maps help.
• Daily/Monthly Reports — a feature that provides trip statistics and charts for earnings.

The platform may also be integrated with advanced features like chauffeur destinations, waiting time, demand maps, forward dispatch, and quest earnings. Those options are a great way to advance your app if you already have started the development process.

Admin Panel: What should you know about it?

The administration panel is essential for monitoring communication between passengers and drivers. Here we gathered all services that an admin panel must offer:

• Management of passenger-chauffeur interaction
• Passenger/Driver Support
• Feedback of users
• Management of booking, notifications
• Integration of Google Analytics
• Management of discounts, loyalty systems, promotions
• FAQ section
• Managing content

A well-developed admin panel is a guarantee of smooth management, timely reports and getting all the stats you need timely. Also, it is a great way to automate business processes and avoid any human factor errors.

Technologies Required for Building an App Like Uber

Knowing the functionality is great, but it is essential to understand what technologies are required to make a top rides service. To help you be prepared, our Germany software company created a list of the main ones and a short explanation of their work.

Geolocation

Maps and navigation are the core of rides booking services, and they are only possible due to geolocation. Therefore, it is one of the key techs that is used in such apps. It provides:

1. Current location identification: For iOS — CoreLocation framework, for Android — Google’s location APIs.
2. Directions for best routing possible through: For iOS — MapKit, for Android — Google Maps Android API.
3. Integration of maps — in-app mapping using Google maps for both iOS and Android. But you can also choose other mapping software that you like for your application.

Integration of Payment Gateway

It is a significant function in Uber service. Cashless payment is the best way to worry about human factors later on. However, you must comply with specific policies for dealing with such sensitive data to integrate the payment systems successfully. For example, it is important to adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI) in the United States. Each countries’ policies can be slightly different, so check them before proceeding with development.

To integrate payment gateway, you can use Braintree, as used in the original Uber, or Stripe, used in one of the company’s biggest competitors — Lyft. Also, you should consider PayPal SDK, Google Wallet and Apple pay to provide a variety of payment options.

Notifications & Messaging

Having reliable communication methods between chauffeurs and riders is vital for any taxi online service’s smooth work. User communication in the app begins with sending a ride request and finishes after leaving a review. But a lot goes in between, and it requires special technologies. To add push notifications, you should use Apple Push Notifications Service and Google Cloud Messaging (GCM), depending on your developing platform.

Using a BaaS (Backend as a Service) will be very handy and simplify geolocation and notifications. These two features are already pre-built on BaaS platforms, and it will save you time and engineering hours. Besides, SMS service is also very important, as push ones can be missed if the device has no Internet connection or is out of service. SMS will inform the user if the text comes through or not. For that, Twilio, Nexto, Plivo, Sinch come in handy.

Tips & Hints on Making an App Like Uber

Developing an exact clone is logically not a great tactic, and it won’t lead to the same amount of success. First of all, consider what your goal is, whether you want to build a similar app for ridesharing, or you want to borrow the business model and make something for a different niche. Besides, its API is actually opened, which means that it can be applied almost anywhere.

What development approach should you have?

The best technical way of developing similar software is the native approach. Thus, you should build apps for iOS and Android separately. It is also great to do research on the current market, and let’s say develop for iOS first and then convert your online rideshare service to Android.

Design recommendations

The technical side is not the only thing to consider. It is really important to make your platform user-friendly for comfort and give it an attractive design for an eye-catching effect. This is where the UX and UI design must be well thought-through. Here are some general design recommendations:

• Smooth and user-friendly
• Intuitive use within all phases of the ride-booking
• Eye-catching visual effect

General recommendations

Here is a 7-step plan that will help you to develop an app similar to Uber successfully:

1. Make a business plan based on the current market situation for your niche.
2. Define the target audience.
3. Make a list of your unique selling points.
4. Decide if you want to develop for a particular platform first or you want to do that for both platforms simultaneously.
5. Plan all the functionality and room for advancement in the future. Your app should be scalable.
6. Hire a skilled cross-platform mobile app developer or team that has expertise and experience in needed fields. Omisoft could be your highly cost-efficient option.
7. Learn from the user feedback to make your product better to see where there are any weak spots or where you can advance your game. This will ensure long-term success for your online service.

What are Revenue Streams?

The revenue model of your future app should definitely be embedded within your development beforehand. Uber’s revenue streams are coming from being a mediator between chauffeurs and passengers. But depending on your objectives, your model can be different. Uber’s model is based on surge pricing, and profit comes from base fare, cost per mile, charge per minute, and booking fee. Surge pricing means that the fare may change depending on various factors such as traffic situation, availability of drivers in the region, holidays, etc.

Omi Case Study

In the pursuit of creating Uber-like apps that redefine user experiences, Omi Soft presents two compelling case studies that illuminate our commitment to delivering exceptional solutions and tangible benefits to our clients.

Liga Taxi

Facing challenges stemming from a loss of their in-house development team, compatibility issues with Android and iOS updates, and the lack of regular upkeep, Liga Taxi turned to Omi Soft for an Uber-like app development. 

Our team conducted a thorough analysis to identify areas for improvement and swiftly upgraded the development framework to React Native, ensuring enhanced compatibility and performance. By updating relevant SDKs and libraries and resolving issues promptly, we breathed new life into the taxi app, ultimately launching an improved version on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. 

Our dedication to addressing these challenges head-on has revitalized the product, exceeding customer expectations and ensuring its competitiveness in the market.

Armor+

In the realm of on-demand security services, Omi Soft took on the challenge of taxi mobile app development. Facing complexities related to wearables, traffic handling, live support, digital wallet integration, bodyguard verification, route optimization, and safety alert systems, we embarked on an agile development journey. 

AWS services were leveraged to maximize performance, scalability, and security, enabling the app to efficiently handle high traffic and data volumes while ensuring seamless connectivity with wearables. The result: Armor+ achieved unmatched stability, increased customer satisfaction, and lowered operational costs. 

With over 50,000 registered users within six months, Armor+ exemplifies our commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions powered by AWS, delivering exceptional outcomes in the ride-sharing and security domains.

Conclusion

Uber became so popular and successful because, at the time, there were no other similar companies in the market. Other apps like Uber are quite common, making it harder for new businesses to climb on top. But harder doesn’t mean that it is impossible. Innovative ideas and professional development can always help your online service to succeed. Have a strong plan, invest in high-quality development, ensure that you are building something unique and useful. That will be a guarantee of popularity.

Are you looking for professional developers to build an app like Uber? Book a FREE consultation with team of experienced and skilled developers and designers who are ready to help your project succeed. Custom solutions, advanced technologies, and out-of-box thinking to help your brand become a leader in its niche.

By Yevhen Sakara

CBDO & Co-founder

Nov 29, 2021

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