Are you looking to develop a driver app for your business, then you must first know the Driver App Development Cost. The driver app is the demand of time. Looking at the pollution level, it is not always necessary to drive your four-wheeler for a single person. Also, the finances do not allow a large portion of the population to purchase a car. Here the taxi driver app becomes an amazing solution to commute from one place to another. The famous taxi driver app, Uber is the most popular on-demand app development, used by millions of users worldwide.

Since 2012, the best ride sharing app Uber has been a blessing for people residing in remote areas. The cab driver can be called with just one tap on the phone and the nearest driver reaches you within the shortest possible time.

Today, the taxi driver app development company is available in almost every country and each service provider is offering amazing discounts and offers for the customers. Looking at the success of the few major contributors to the on-demand driver app, many more service providers are entering the field and demanding online driver app development.

Uber, Lyft, Gett, Hailo, and many others have succeeded and there is no more coming. Every business works for profit and the profit can only be calculated once the invested capital is known. Here comes the talk of cost.

Here in this article, we will discuss the cost of developing an on-demand app development of taxi/drivers through mobile app Development companies. Although, it must be understood that no one can ever give an exact cost of the application and the cost depends on a variety of things such as app architecture, features, country of operation, developer rates, and many more.

 

Cost of Online Taxi App Development Services

For the enthusiasts looking for an online taxi app, we hear a very hot question a lot. The famous app Uber has become the de facto of the on demand delivery apps model.

The model pioneered the market and dominated the business economy because of one simple reason- it addressed the basic requirements of the general people. An app, which is similar to Uber, can be a tool for tapping into the facet of the opulent on-demand industry.

 

Before working over the calculation of an app, let’s understand a few things.

The first thing is that Uber is not just an apps on demand. The streamlined interface covers up the huge business process underneath along with the detailing features for the user. Quite often, when the stakeholders and service providers look for an app they demand an Uber-like app. They often forget to recognize that the on-demand model is only a part of the business and can be said as a front end. So when you create a rideshare app, you must make a budget for the cost estimation of the app development.

There is a lot of stuff going on behind the scene. An app like Uber does not necessarily mean an app like Uber, but the consumer service, convenience, number of features, and the power to satisfy the users like Uber.

 

The on-demand taxi app is not a single app, in fact, it is two apps

Such an app presents powerful features and therefore you need two apps, where one is the driver app and the other one is the passenger app. Also, there is a need for an API (Application program interface), which increases the cost of the app along with the requirement of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

The backend for the on-demand ride sharing software need not be so complex. Here the good news is that there is no need to have extremely complex algorithms and solutions. The biggest challenge in front of these services is trustworthiness.

The app must ensure the proper working, wonderful connectivity, and the safety of data. What if the customer or driver loses the connectivity? Things will wreak havoc if the GPS starts showing the wrong locations. What if the driver is lost and some mishappening occurs? These issues need to address and reliability must be made.

 

How the taxi app development service works

You must be thinking how to start a rideshare app but first you should know how it operates. So in this section, we will discuss the working mechanism of the taxi app. Let’s check out:

• Request: The customer uses the app for sending the request to the driver. The customer is shown on the map and the nearest available cars. Upon availability, the user can request the car and book a ride.
• Matching: The driver can accept or reject the ride as per convenience. If the location is too far and if the driver finds the request inappropriate, then he can reject the request. The request is sent to another driver.
• Ride: Once the request is accepted, the passenger is notified, and then he can know the arrival time.
• Payment: The app is made to process all types of payment modes. Such as cash, or cashless treatment. Once the ride is completed, the customer can make payment either through cash or through a card.
• Rating: Rating is an important business logic component, which enhances the credibility of the service in the market. Rating by customers increases the trustworthiness of the app for the customer.

 

How does the app generate money?

The driver app development solutions earn a huge amount of money by taking a respectable portion of the amount. This portion of the amount is added in the name of taxes and other charges such as cost of and other factors. The model has proved to be the successful one and therefore it is advisable to look at the features:

 

i. Key features of the passenger app: Here we will discuss the key features of the passenger app”. Here
Here we are discussing the must feature for the passenger and driver app for on-demand IT solutions.
The passenger app is a more complex part of the application and it needs to have more features for the driver app.

 

ii. Geolocation and map integration: The geolocation feature helps the customer in knowing the location, requesting a taxi for a different location, bookmarking the location, and other purposes.

 

iii. Registration and login: Passengers can register and log in to the app. Usually; the login is done with the mobile numbers and OTP (Time password).

 

iv. Payments: The payment section is there where a user can make some payments. The history of rides and payments can also be seen here.

 

v. Booking: The booking section is there to book the taxi.

 

vi. Messaging: Communication with the driver eases the task of confirming the location and saves time.

 

vii. Favorite Destination: Users can book their favorite destinations and can directly book a taxi for that location.

 

vii. Ratings: Users can make payments and the rate of the app and their service. Also, he can put some feedback on the app.

 

ix. Drive Tracking: After requesting the ride, the passenger can check the distance of the taxi from the location and the time of arrival.

 

x. Ride Scheduling: The user can schedule the ride according to future travel plans.

 

xi. Booking a ride for others: This is an essential feature where an app user can book the app for a certain person.

 

xii. Push notification: The user is notified of the details, offers, and discounts. Also, he is notified when the driver is reached and the app is not open. If you want to integrate this feature in your app, then you must hire dedicated developers. 

 

Other important features are

• Drive tracking
• Price calculation
• Fare splitting etc.

 

 

Caveats on cost estimates

Estimating the cost to be between the limits of a certain amount is not legitimate talk. When talking about the car ride sharing app cost through mobile app development companies, it must be understood up front that any professional software cost estimate is only a guess and can be said as a ballpark figure.

The professional software cost estimate involves intense work, which includes ride sharing app development, feature, functions, screen, backend, time, development sequence, and cost. The variables involved in determining the cost of app development, who are designers and developers of the app, are they, freelancers.

Or are you working with an agency? Are you outsourcing the work to Asia or Europe to build a rideshare app? Or are you working with the local development agency? Here we are getting into the variables:

 

Designer and Developer Wages by region for on-demand IT solution

Costs for development and design have a great difference from region to region. Depending on the area the cost of app development and design changes. This is worth mentioning that the location of development can have an impact on the quality as well.

According to the App Association, The United States of America alone had 223000 vacancies in May 2018. Mobile design specialists are available at a premium whereas good designers and rideshare app developers are hard to find. Here is an estimated guide for the average hourly rate for the developers. The below data is based on Accelerance 2018.

Region/Developer	United States	Eastern Europe	Western Europe	Asia
Typical Freelancer Hourly Rate	Up to $150	$30	$45	$15-20
Average Agency Hourly Rate	$150	$35	$75	$30
High-end Agency Hourly Rate	$250	$150	$175	$75

 

Estimation for the Design Cost of driver app development solutions

Taking a frequent overview and making the generalized idea for the app, the simple ride share apps in usa consists of six screens; an average app has 12 screens whereas the complex app can be considered to have more than 24 screens. Alongside, the design complexity pertains to more than the screen numbers.

The types of files used over the screen and the screen components matter here for measuring the design complexity. But here we will keep a simple approach for the same. Here we are taking the design rates depending on the US-based design agency:

	Wireframe	User Experience	User Interface
Simple app	$2250	$1000	$2250
Average app	$8000	$4000	$13000
Complex app	$21000	$30000	$32000

 

Development cost estimation

The more features a mobile app development company adds to the application, the more complex it became. The more complex is the app, the higher the cost rises. Like puzzle pieces, the random features fit together for making a certain logical, intuitive, and easy-to-use application for end-users.

Here too the different features have their complexity level. For example, the user login screen varies in complexity level, therefore here we will work over the ballpark estimates with the median rates.

 

Basic Tier

On-demand IT solution with basic features + backend

• User login
• Push Notification
• Basic search facility

Ballpark Estimates: $40-60k

 

Tier A:

• Interactive feature
• Basic Analytical System
• Small in-app and payment store
• In-app advertising
• GPS for retargeting
• Maps and driving instructions
• Basic IoT integration

Add $6k and more per feature.

 

Tier B:

Complex features for on-demand app development:

• Advance Account management
• Large in-app store and payment system
• Multiple device data synchronization
• Online data support
• Content Streaming

Base Price + 12k or more per feature

 

Tier C:

Use of Innovative Technologies

• AR Integration
• Biometric system

Base price + $20k or more per feature

Read the blog- What to do next with your app ideas

 

Essential Functions for Passengers in an Uber-like App

The popular app Uber started in 2009 with seed money of $200k. The taxi app development was too simple at that time and the company had never had an app of the level, that it has today. Not even, close. Every rideshare apps in usa is started with the minimum viable product.

MVP is the rideshare app development technique where the new product is launched with a sufficient number of features to survive. The main objective of MVP is to gain feedback from users and build a ride sharing app them accordingly.

Here are a few minimum features needed to create taxi app development services.

• User-Login screen
• Automatic fare calculator
• On-Demand Booking system
• Rate Card and Service option screen
• In-App Messaging
• Push notifications
• Billing and payment system
• User Profile Management

Each of the above features also contains an additional feature that significantly affects the cost. What about the driver? If you want your passengers to see where the driver is, it involves extra development time. The same goes for the other options.

 

Essential Functions for Driver is in an Uber-like App

Much of the user screens and user experience of the Passenger version can be shared”: with this version of the rideshare apps usa. This also saves time for development. The on-demand booking, driver rating, and other screen options of the driver app can be streamlined. So according to Android app development services provider, below are some essential features that you must take into consideration:

 

Minimum features for the driver version app

GPS-based instruction: For helping the driver to reach passengers and use the most efficient route GPS is used. This does not require reinventing the wheel, and it is generally integrated with the third party.

Financial Reports and History: The driver can know how to build a rideshare app that provides money has been transferred.

Vehicle and service management: Vehicle registration renewals, preventative maintenance, and basic vehicle standards can be tracked for quality maintenance.

 

Native or Cross-platform?

Cross-platform is high in demand, but never expect to double up the income. It is because always it does not work. Going for the native or cross-platform depends on the clients. There are several platforms and technologies such as HTML 5, Phone Gap and Ionic, Xamarin, and Ruby Motion, which are used for making the cross-platform app.

Go for Native SDKs: If 50 percent of your project involves UI and you need to look native.

Go for cross-platform: If 50 percent of your app work involves business logic, game engines, and complex calculation.

Developing two native apps doubles the expense, whereas the cross-app platform makes on-demand IT solutions cost 1.5x.

 

 

Wrap up

The rough estimate for app development cost is between $115-$230k for an MVP. Understanding the different cost-affecting factors can save you time, money, and headache. Always put more stress on the backend.

This is where you deliver your service. Opting for the cloud service also makes an impact on the cost where the services like Google Firebase, Amazon Web service, and Microsoft Azure have decreased the cost.