A Guide To Develop A Taxi Booking Mobile Application: Process, Features & Cost

If we browse through the mobile apps we have on our phones we will always find at least one taxi booking app, no matter whether we use it or not. And why not? Taxi booking mobile apps help us find the rides in minutes, lessening the trouble of running to the subways only to find the one we should pick has been left and wait for the one to approach.

The usage of taxi booking mobile apps has been expanding rapidly. Talking about the stats, the revenue of the taxi booking app was 295.30 billion dollars in the year 2019, which is projected to reach 314.20 billion dollars in the year 2022. The estimated value can cross 386.30 billion dollars by the year 2026. Of course, the global pandemic did affect the taxi booking service usage and revenue generation, but, it is all back to normal and expanding more than ever in recent years.

It is not a bad idea to develop a taxi booking mobile app seeing all this growth. Even with all the existing mobile apps, there are higher chances of rocking the world with your mobile app. As people around the globe do face various issues even with the reputed mobile apps of extra charges, ride cancellation, misbehaving of the driver, and unavailability in certain areas, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The on-demand taxi booking mobile app development is not as easy a task as it seems. It includes various factors such as understanding of the user requirements, business requirements, technical requirements, features and functionalities of the app, and one of the most important things is cost estimation of the development process. 

Before jumping directly to the cost estimation, we should know that the on-demand mobile app development cost depends on various factors such as features, functionalities, complexity, app development team, technologies used and many other things in the app development process.

As every on-demand mobile app is unique in its own way, we should first start with the types of taxi booking mobile apps you can develop.

What Are The Types Of Taxi Booking Mobile Apps Existing?

If you think there is just one type of taxi booking mobile app that exists, just like Uber or Lyft, then you are mistaken. Two types of on-demand taxi booking mobile apps exist.

1) Aggregator Taxi Booking Mobile App

We all are aware of these types of taxi booking mobile apps, even if we are not aware of the category. In this type of mobile app, the ride-hailing mobile app works as a platform that allows users and drivers to connect with each other, and drivers will use their own taxis to pick up and drop facilities. Most ride-hailing mobile apps like Uber, Lyft and so on fall under this category.

2) Dedicated Taxi Booking Mobile App

Another category is the dedicated taxi booking app; it is one of the perfect categories for the business personnel who already own a significant amount of cars and drivers. They can manage their taxis, drivers and riders through a single mobile app. They can earn through ride-booking and 3rd party advertisements, and so on.

As you make up your mind about which type of on-demand mobile app you want to develop, we can move on to the working of the ride-hailing mobile app.

Both the categories demand the basic features and functionalities of matching the rides with the drivers accurately, all the required details such as live location, contact details, estimated cost, and various others.

Before exploring the features and functionalities of the taxi-booking mobile app, there is one more step we should understand first, is the working of the taxi booking mobile app.

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How Does A Taxi Booking Mobile App Work?

As we all know, the taxi booking app matches riders with the drivers, but there is much more that can affect the working of the ride-hailing mobile app.

First and foremost, the app should work on-demand. In other words, it should allow the drivers and riders to connect in real-time and offer real-time transportation. The mobile app should work properly on every operating system whether it could be iOS, Android, Windows or Mac.

Along with that, the mobile app should work efficiently, as you can not expect the riders to be patient with your mobile app where you are competing directly with the industry giants such as Uber and Lyft. Above everything else, it should cover various basic functionalities and features for riders, drivers, and admin.

What Are The Basic Features And Functionalities of Taxi-Riding Mobile Application?

The ride-hailing mobile applications do not just have a single task to find the rides for the users, but also provide various other functionalities such as real-time locations, communication methods, payment modes and various other basic to premium features.

The major three parts of the mobile application are riders, drivers and admins, and all of them have some significant features that should be in the mobile applications. Let us explore every one of them individually.

Mobile App Features For Riders

• The riders should be able to create an account and log into the mobile app to access their user profile.
• The riders should be able to enter the pick-up and drop locations manually and through the google map for precise locations. 
• The riders should be able to receive the push notification through in-app, text messages and even on their registered email address about their ride updates.
• The riders should be able to choose their preferred taxi types based on car type or fare level. 
• The riders should be able to schedule the ride right away and in advance.
• The riders should have different payment options, such as credit cards, online payments, cash, and various others providing flexibility to choose the preferred one after every ride.
• The mobile app should calculate the taxi fares automatically. 
• The vehicle tracking system should let the riders know about the taxi location in real-time after successfully booking the ride.
• The riders and drivers should be able to communicate with each other in a safe and secure manner after booking the ride.
• The riders should be able to track their traveling history so far with some of the basic details.
• The riders should be able to rate and review the drivers and the rides. 
• Option to review the driver and provide feedback on the experience.
• Customer support in case of any concerns.

Mobile App Features For Drivers

• The drivers should be able to register to the mobile application after verifying the profile through the admin panel.
• The driver profile should contain details such as name, driving license details, phone number, vehicle type and status of working.
• The real-time location should allow the drivers to track the real-time location after the ride request showing a navigation route to reach them.
• The mobile app should also display the earning tracker with the ride history.
• The driver should get push notifications in-app, text messages about the ride request, status of the ride and ride rate.
• The drivers should be able to communicate with the rider through calling and chat functionalities.
• The driver should be able to accept and reject the ride request.
• The driver should be able to rate and review the ride and check the rate and review they have received. 
• The driver should be able to check the booking history.

Mobile App Features Of Admin Panel

• The admin panel should be able to approve and reject the driver profile.
• The admin panel should manage the push notification to the drivers and riders manually and automatically.
• The admin panel should activate, deactivate, block or unblock the profile of drivers and riders.
• The admin panel should enhance the user experience for the riders and drivers.
• The admin should be able to check and manage the complaints raised by drivers and riders. 
• The admin should be able to manage and track the rides and check the list of the booked rides, active rides and completed rides.
• The admin should be able to check the generated revenue.
• The admin should be able to generate a detailed analysis of revenue, rides, track driver activities, real-time data and various others.

These are the features that every on-demand taxi booking mobile application should have but, it is not necessary to keep it limited to it. A mobile app development company in Canada can help you figure out the features and functionalities your on-demand ride-hailing mobile application should have. But how should the mobile app development company be able to figure out the features and functionalities of the mobile app? The mobile app development company follows an app development process to develop a taxi booking mobile app.

What Are The Stages of The Taxi Booking App Development Process?

Every mobile app development company follows a significant mobile app development process that includes everything from brainstorming sessions to after-sale support and maintenance. Let's browse through every stage of the app development process.

1) Strategy Planning

The mobile app developers will help you through strategy planning, considering the various factors to turn your on-demand taxi booking mobile app into a reality. In the first step of strategic planning, the mobile app development company will help you decide various things such as features and functionalities of the app, working operating system, technological stacks and other business requirements, app development requirements and so on. All these strategies plan to make the entire app development process more structured and efficient.

2) UI/UX Design

The one thing that keeps the app users engaged with your mobile app is the UI/UX design of the mobile app. The UI/UX design of the mobile app helps the users to navigate through the mobile app efficiently. It involves the process of developing design mockups, prototyping, wireframes and other features of the mobile app that can make the working of the mobile app more approachable.

3) App Development 

After finalizing the design of the mobile app, we enter the app development phase. It is the most essential part of the entire process. It includes front-end development, back-end development, admin panel development and so on. The app development process also includes integration of 3rd party tools and plugins, database management, mobile app features development and ensuring the smooth working of each on-demand mobile app functionality.

The integration of 3rd party tools and plugins for the taxi booking mobile app provides all the needed support for the payment process, location sharing, communication methods and other features and functionalities. It also helps the app developers to integrate different trending technologies that can enhance the user experience for your potential audience.

4) The Mobile App Quality Assurance

Even though the mobile app developers are sure that the mobile app works perfectly fine, it is the work of the QA team to ensure the perfect working of the mobile application. The QA team checks the entire app development solution manually and ensures the mobile app is bug-free and ready to launch in the market.

5) Mobile App Deployment

After the app developers get the accurate report on the app working from the QA team, you can launch your mobile app for the audience to use it. The mobile app development team will assist you to deploy your mobile app on the operating system. If you have chosen to go for android app development, you can launch your mobile app on the google play store; for iOS app development, you can release it on Apple App Store. 

6) Mobile App Support & Maintenance

With ever-changing trends and technologies in mobile app development, your mobile app will need support and maintenance to keep it up-to-date with the changing environment. It will keep your users engaged with your mobile app, keeping it up and running with the latest OS updates. Various mobile app development companies in Toronto, provide after-sale services providing end-to-end support and maintenance for the taxi booking mobile app.

All these mentioned factors affect the cost of the app development process. Along with that, the tools and technologies of the mobile app, hire app developers, use resources, app infrastructure, app development support, maintenance and various other things. Many app development companies do not elaborate on the app development cost and give the final bill containing all the extra charges that one can not even imagine. So, here we have listed the estimated app development cost for the taxi-booking mobile app.

How Much Does A Taxi Booking Mobile App Development Cost?

All the planning and development process of taxi booking mobile apps can happen only if you can invest in the app development process. The entire app development process can take around 1500 to 2000 hours for the hired mobile app developers. The on-demand taxi booking mobile app with all the basic features and functionalities can cost $10,000; it can expand to $50,000 based on the mobile app functionalities and features you choose. You can hire mobile app developers that can provide you with accurate app development costs.

Conclusion

The taxi booking mobile app is not the only on-demand mobile app you can choose to develop. As we all know, on-demand mobile apps are the most famous among users. The most famous are grocery delivery apps, food delivery apps and so on. You can reach out to the app development company in Canada with your on-demand app development project requirements and let them do the wonders.