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 an around-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 cores and very important components of the app, which enhances its reliability.

Recreating the Functionality of Uber in Your App

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 ride 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 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 the 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, we created a list of the main ones and a short explanation of their work.

Geolocation

Maps and navigation are the core of ride-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 they 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 skilled developers that have expertise and experience in needed fields. OmiSoft — could be our 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.