“When I first got pitched on Uber, I thought it was the dumbest idea ever,” quotes the eminent angel investor Troy Carter. The revolution of on-demand apps began with the advent of Uber in 2009. The idea of Uber was elementary. Instead of people waiting for taxi services, why can’t services wait at their will? This idea proliferated across the globe and changed people’s approach to services drastically. What appeared as the dumbest idea ever has generated over $76 billion worldwide.
The success of Uber has been visible by the fact that almost 14 million rides are completed every day. Entrepreneurs are looking to make the most out of this ride-hailing market. With people inclining more towards smartphone applications, business owners needn’t have any second thoughts to develop a taxi app like Uber. In this blog, you’ll get to know the cost and development time required to build a ride-hailing app. Come on, let’s dive straight in!
Why should one invest in an on-demand taxi app market?
Let’s take a glance at the facts to know the popularity and vastness of the market,
- The ride-hailing sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.22% between 2019 and 2023.
- The market value is about $217 billion in 2020.
- With that being said, it is expected to generate $320 billion by 2023.
- According to Statista, as many as 1.5 billion people use ride-hailing services across the world.
- As per reports, these taxi app services are providing jobs to 50,000 people every month.
- Uber currently operates in over 600 cities across the world, covering 65 countries under its belt.
The market trend is evident from all these facts. This significantly adds to the popularity of these on-demand apps, with major investors ready to pour in the capital in this field.
What are the different stages of taxi app development?
Before jumping into details, let’s jot down different stages of development.
- Market study
- UI/UX design
- Front-end development
- Back-end development
- Quality Assurance
- App promotion and support
Why is Market Study vital in the development stage?
Now, you may be wondering what the significance of a market study is. Well, the answer to that question is, your locality is different from the rest. You need to identify your target audience of the locality. You need to hear their demands and produce an app to satisfy their needs. The demands of the market can be clearly studied by extensive market research. The time taken for market research can vary between 75-100 hours.
How should one design a UI/UX?
“Complexity is the enemy of execution,” states philanthropist Tony Robbins. People expect your app to be simple and user-friendly. While these words may seem easy to grasp, it is difficult to put it into action. Your app should be simple yet unique in its design. Your app should be user-friendly, yet intuitive to users. As a result, this stage of developing the outline or interface of the app requires special care. It takes around 150 hours to design the UI/UX of the app for both the platforms (Android, iOS).
What are the features to be integrated during front-end development?
One major landmark during app development is creating the front-end or the user end of the app. This stage mainly involves integrating features into the app. Let’s discuss certain critical features here,
- User Registration: Users, upon downloading the app, register in the app via different social media platforms. This is, by far, the first impression users have on your app. Hence, make the process quick and simple. It takes around 40 hours to integrate this feature.
- Booking the taxi: After registering, users search for taxi services. They enter their pick up and drop locations, supported by GPS, and request a taxi in the vicinity. On average, this takes around 75 hours for implementation.
- Payment options: Now that they have availed the taxi service, they need to pay drivers, don’t they? Hence, integrating multiple payment options, including credit, debit cards, digital wallets, etc., becomes mandatory. This takes anywhere between 40 hours. Certain developers are incorporating this feature during the back-end development, as well.
- Real-time tracking: One of the factors that contribute to the popularity of these online platforms is the real-time tracking feature. Both users and drivers should track the locations of one another to offer a hassle-free ride experience. This feature takes around 50 hours for implementation.
- Ratings and reviews: Users can rate the taxi service on a scale of 1-5 and share their experience in the form of reviews, as well. It takes 40 hours to implement this feature.
Just like the user app, the driver app, too, needs certain specific features. They include,
- Availability status: Drivers need this feature to offer services according to their work schedules. With this toggle feature, drivers can be flexible and can take requests during their free hours. It takes around 25 hours for this feature.
- Push notifications: Drivers can receive instant updates on user requests with the help of push notifications. They needn’t access the app every time during their busy transit. It takes around 30 hours to integrate this feature.
Why should one focus on back-end development?
Back-end development involves the management of servers and the maintenance of databases effectively. This development is mainly needed due to the following reasons,
- User and driver details need to be encrypted securely to prevent data theft and losses.
- Your app should manage traffic from different users.
- You need a powerful admin dashboard to monitor all the activities surrounding the app.
- You need to effectively manage user queries like lost items, disputes, etc.
As a result, back-end development needs special attention and takes around 300 hours in total.
How can app testing help in producing the best app?
Quality assurance dramatically aids in developing a bug-free app in the market. Defects and glitches can hinder user experience. As a result, app testing becomes mandatory. It is advisable to do testing simultaneously after each stage of the app development. This helps in avoiding significant defects in the app site. This stage usually takes around one-third of the total time taken for the front-end development. On average, this stage takes 150-200 hours.
Does the development cost vary with locations?
Different zones across the world charge different charges for developing the app. Let’s discuss some of the major hotspots and their costs here,
- The US: The federal country is one of the major locations for app development. The costs vary between $80- $200 per hour.
- The UK: The development cost across the United Kingdom varies between $50 – $150 per hour.
- India: India is, by far, the least expensive country for on-demand apps. It takes around $10 – $80 per hour.
Summing up,
Thus, it is clear from the above stages that it takes around 2000 – 2500 hours and about $50000 for developing your taxi app. Moreover, it takes about 4-5 months to complete app development. In case you need to venture into the market immediately, you can opt for clone apps. With a Uber clone app, your task of developing the app is taken care of by app development companies. Moreover, there is a significant reduction in the budget, as well. These apps are highly scalable, thereby letting you establish your mark in the taxi service industry!
