Since Uber’s business model gained immense success in the market, the conventional way of booking cabs took a backseat. Today, almost every country has an Uber-like business model that allows users to book cabs on the go and reach their destinations more conveniently.
This surge in taxi-booking platforms has propelled the entire market’s growth, resulting in overall market size of $34.82 billion in 2022. So, how can you build an online taxi booking platform that could yield the same results as Uber and help you step into the multi-billion dollar market?
The truth is several factors go into building a successful cab booking platform. However, the features that you integrate into your app will become the eventual deciding factor. The more advanced features your taxi booking app offers, the easier it’ll become to target a wider audience. So, in this guide, we have put together a list of the top 8 features you can integrate into your cab booking platform to build a successful business like Uber.
What is an On-Demand Taxi Booking Platform?
For readers who aren’t familiar with the concept of on-demand taxi booking, here’s what you need to know. As the name implies, these are online platforms that let customers find nearby cabs and book a taxi on the go.
Customers have the liberty to choose between different taxi types (pool, micro, sedan, and SUVs) based on their preferences. As soon as the customer requests a cab, all the nearby drivers receive a ride request that they can accept or reject based on their availability.
On-demand taxi booking app development ensures customers can book cabs within seconds and reach their destination on time. Unlike conventional methods of booking taxis, these platforms do not require customers to book cabs in advance or go through the hassle of unnecessary scheduling. Whenever they need, they can simply open the app, request a cab, and be on the road in no time.
If you want to launch a taxi booking platform like Uber, it would be necessary to looking mobile apps development in India services and hire expert developers who have the expertise to build such apps from the ground up.
8 Essential Features to Build a Successful Cab Booking Platform Like Uber
Now that you’re familiar with the basic model of a taxi booking application, let’s dive into the features you must integrate into your platform to deliver an exceptional user experience.
- Real-Time Location Tracking
This one goes without saying! Your customers should be able to track the real-time location of their cab and its estimated arrival time within the app.
To do this, your taxi booking app developers will have to integrate Google Maps and Apple Map APIs (based on the target platforms) into your application and equip it with the functionality of location tracking. This way customers can easily get the whereabouts of their cab and ensure on-time arrival at the destination.
- Driver Queue Algorithm
The driver queue is an essential part of a cab booking platform as it lets the drivers check the driver’s availability at a particular location.
Based on the number of drivers in a specific area, they can then move to a more secluded place where it would be easier to get multiple ride requests. The driver queue algorithm will also ensure that a driver receives nearby ride requests so that customers can experience a shorter arrival time.
Keep in mind that the driver queue algorithm will have a huge impact on the overall app performance as it’ll decide whether users get optimal ride results or not.
- Private Calling
Here’s the deal; not all customers are comfortable sharing their personal contact details with the drivers. This is where the ‘private calling’ feature will prove to be beneficial and help your app stand out.
Through in-app calling support, you can easily let customers call the driver via the app itself and avoid sharing his/her number. This enhanced security will give your taxi booking platform a unique brand identity and it’ll become easier to acquire new customers.
- Emergency Contact
Speaking of safety, letting customers configure an emergency contact is a necessity as it’ll help you provide all-around security to your clients. Let users configure 2-3 emergency contacts from their contact list.
In case of emergencies, the app will automatically send alerts to the selected contacts, ensuring complete security in all situations. Users can also configure a pre-defined emergency message that’ll get delivered to the selected contacts with a single tap on their screens.
- Multi-Language Support
With multi-lingual support, you can ensure that customers can easily switch between different languages while using the app.
This is an ideal feature for business owners who want to launch their cab booking platform across different nations. By letting customers choose their preferred language, you can stay assured that they can explore your app in their native language. This will help you engage the potential customers more effectively and expand your customer base in a relatively shorter period.
- Ride History
As an online cab booking business, you must provide customers with the ability to access their ride history with one click.
This feature will also ensure that customers can repeat a ride without having to enter the location details manually. You can also integrate the rating feature to let customers rate each driver individually and leave their feedback.
- In-App Wallet Support
Having an online ecosystem requires in-app payment support so that customers can pay for their rides right from the app.
They can also link their personal bank accounts to the wallet to top it up whenever required with one click. The in-app wallet also ensures customers don’t have to carry cash on their rides. They can simply configure the wallet to automatically pay for the ride at the end.
- Surge Calculation
When there is a dearth of cabs, the app will automatically increase the ride charges to accommodate the customers and process their requests. The surge charges will primarily depend on the scarcity of cabs. It means if only a few cabs are available in a particular spot and there are too many ride requests, the app will automatically increase the charges.
Conclusion
Online cab booking is among the most competitive markets in the world. That’s why new ventures must equip their cab booking apps with all the necessary features to ensure they can deliver optimal performance to the end users. Of course, to achieve this goal, you would have to hire an expert taxi booking app development company and let professionals choose the most suitable features according to your preferred business model.
