Taxi Booking App Development Cost Guide: Its Features, Business Model & Tech-Stack

Are you curious to know the taxi booking app development cost? The short answer to this question is that it usually starts from $15,000 to $20,000+, and the detailed answer to this question is “DEPENDS”.

The cost to create a taxi booking app depends upon what you need. What type of taxi booking app you are planning to invest in, what features or functionalities you are considering to include in, and how complex the app structure will be…All these factors can greatly vary taxi booking app development costs.

Apart from all these, the continuous demand for ride-hailing services has prompted the growth that has influenced business owners and new enterprises to invest in taxi booking app development.

However, the ride-hailing market is already dominated by such giants like Uber, Lyft, and Crub. But the way riders’ expectations keep evolving, the demand for innovative and unique taxi booking apps is still required in the market.

The global ride-hailing market size was valued at $145.83 Billion in 2022, which is poised to grow to $268.47 Billion by 2031 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.98% during the forecast period of 2024-2031. 

Due to the exceptional demand, there is a steep rise in taxi booking app development services. Therefore, enterprises make a beeline to mobile app development services and look into customizing apps that cater to the geographical demands for cab booking and carpooling apps.

But to get started with this project idea, several factors come into the picture while developing a software solution. 

Today, in this blog we will be discussing all the features and complexes that come the way of taxi app development solutions. Let’s understand all the factors in detail to get better clarity. 

Why Investing In Taxing Booking Application Is Still Worthy?

The taxi booking and transportation industry is a vast industry where there are a plethora of business opportunities available for startups and transportation businesses. But if you are still wondering whether to hire a mobile app developer to create a taxi booking app, then it is worth understanding these key statistics for taxi app development:

• According to the reports, the ride-hailing market in North America is expected to make a revenue of $57.59 Billion in 2024. The total market volume of the taxi-booking market is expected to reach $64.83 Billion by 2029.
• The user penetration rate is projected to remain stable at 27.6% in 2024 and 29.4% by 2029.
• The average per-user spending is approx $408.60 and the estimated number of users is expected to reach 154.60 million by 2029. 
• By 2029, it is expected that 100% of the total revenue generated in the ride-hailing market from online sales.
• By 2027, there will be around 145 billion people globally expecting to use ride-hailing and taxi services. 

With these stats, it is fair enough to understand that there is a huge scope of taxi booking applications. However, the success of the app ultimately depends upon the type of app you choose you develop and what unique features you can offer to the riders. 

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What Type of Apps Can You Consider In Taxi-Booking App Development?

Before you get excited and start looking to hire an Android app developer for taxi booking app development, it is worth understanding what type of apps you can get in your hands with taxi booking app development.

Dedicated Taxi Booking App

Dedicated taxi booking apps are designed and developed for businesses dedicated to offering taxi booking services. With these app solutions, you can expect full-fledged features that facilitate a strong connection between customers, cars, and drivers of that specific taxi service business. 

When using dedicated applications, users can get many ways to book rides via a particular business that owns the app. Developing a dedicated app can be an ideal model for cab companies and these apps have the same company logo on them, making it easy for customers to recognize and trust the services. 

With the help of professionals, cab companies can customize the app with features and functionalities that align with their business perspective. 

Taxi Aggregator App

It works like a middleman platform between a group of independent drivers, their cars, and riders who can register with the app. In contrast to specialized applications, aggregator apps help with the booking and payment process rather than owning or managing the cars directly. The top taxi booking apps like Uber, Crub, Lyft, and Careem are using the aggregator taxi booking model which charges a convenience fee to make up for the services. 

There are two ways to implement this model- either develop a simple booking app or an on-demand taxi booking app. But which app model do you need to choose for your business?

Simple Taxi Booking or On-Demand Taxi Booking App?

When developing a taxi booking app, the ultimate choice between a simple taxi booking app and an on-demand booking app depends upon the business requirements. Let’s evaluate the options…

Simple Taxi Booking App

• It ensures a simple taxi booking platform where users can directly call and book rides through the app. 
• Users can browse driver profiles and contact them directly. 
• No server infrastructure is needed, therefore it will be a budget-friendly option for small businesses or individual drivers. 

On-Demand Taxi Booking Apps

• To manage on-demand ride requests, this app model uses a server for real-time updates, tracking, and efficient rider-driver matching. 
• This app model operates with two separate applications – one for riders and pay for rides and one for drivers to receive requests and navigate to pick-up locations. 
• Moreover, it includes GPS tracking, in-app payments, ride history, and customer support to ensure a seamless ride-hailing experience. 

No matter what type of app taxi booking application you decide to create, your central concern is always revolving around the taxi booking app development. So how much does it cost to create a taxi booking app like Uber or Lyft?

Taxi Booking App Development Cost and Its Estimations 

The taxi booking app development cost can greatly vary depending upon various factors that influence the overall cost. The major factors that influence the app development cost include the app’s complexity, chosen platforms (iOS, Android, or Cross-Platform), geographic location of the app development team, and extended features and functionalities desired for the app.

Let’s evaluate the factors affecting the taxi booking app development cost…

1. App Complexity

The app’s complexity is defined by the core functionalities of the app. Uber, like a fully grown ride-hailing app, consists of complex features. 

Basic App: A basic application with core functionalities such as ride booking, payment processing, and GPS tracking may start at around $15,000 to $20,000+.

Advanced App: For businesses looking to create comprehensive app solutions with advanced features like AI-driven recommendations, in-app messaging, calls, and detailed analytics- the average cost can escalate from $50,000 to $100,000+

2. Platform Choice

Decide on which platform you need to launch an app on, as it will directly impact the overall cost.

Native Apps: Developing a separate app native by hiring an iOS app developer for iOS app development will cost between $25,000 to $30,000+ as native apps are developed using a platform-specific programming language. And same estimations go for the Android app development.

Cross-Platform App Development: By building a single for multiple platforms using a single code base, you can save 40% on cost and time. Hiring a React Native app developer can develop a feature-rich app and can reuse 90% of codes. The average cost to create a cross-platform app is ranging from $30,000 to $35,000+.

3. Geographic Location of Development Team

The average cost to develop a taxi booking app depends upon the geolocation of the app development team. The hourly cost of the app developer usually ranges from $25 to $75+, depending upon the location. North America and Western Europe are the high-cost regions whereas Eastern Europe and Asia typically offer lower rates and enable you to hire tech-experts at affordable hourly costs. 

Apart, there are various other factors like app maintenance, bug fixing, expenses for servers, map updates, and more…

Procedure To Create An On-demand Taxi-Booking App

Creating your taxi booking app by paying less app development cost can become possible for you if you remain stuck to these below-highlighted points. Let’s take a look at the process of how to create a taxi booking app development and follow it in the same manner as it is mentioned.

• Conduct in-depth market research and analyze your competitors.
• Understand your business goals and identify market niches before stepping into the competition. 
• Set an app development budget to avoid going out of budget. 
• Hire a reputed and credible taxi booking app development company. 
• Creation of a technical document consisting of all your requirements.
• Build MVP solutions at the initial stages.
• Leading to coding an app and translating the features into robotic functionalities.
• Run your app through a quality analyst and identify errors or bugs.
• Deploy the app to the app store.
• Look for dedicated app maintenance support to make your app run smoothly.

Features To Create Taxi Booking App

When it comes to determining the taxi booking app development cost, it greatly varies depending upon the features you prioritize at the initial stage of app development. The more features you choose to integrate into an app, the higher the cost will be. So let’s understand what features are necessary to include initially. Taxi booking apps are usually composed of 3 app panels including passengers, drivers, and admin panel, and each app panel is developed with dedicated features.

App Panel For Passengers

• User Registration: Allow riders to get registered on the app by using their email or Phone number.
• Notification: Let passengers receive updates via push notifications, in-app messages, SMS, and emails about the ride status. 
• Taxi Preferences: Let riders choose taxis of their own choice ranging from basic cars to premium and luxury categories along with the fair levels. 
• Booking Options: Provide both cab booking options such as on-demand and scheduled bookings.
• Vehicle Tracking: Provide in-app vehicle tracking options where passengers can monitor the taxi’s location in real-time. 
• In–app Communication: Provide in-app call and chat features that easily help passengers to get connected with drivers.
• Payment Options: Offer in-app multiple payment methods with flexibility to change as needed.
• Fare Calculation: Automatically calculate the fare based upon pickup and drop-off locations. 
• Travel History: Have a feature in the app that keeps track of past rides and allows users to quickly rebook the ride. 
• Driver Feedback: Like Uber, passengers can provide feedback to their drivers. 

App Panel for Drivers

• Driver Registration: Let drivers get registered with the approval of admin and background verification. 
• Driver Profile: Provide a feature to allow drivers to upgrade their profile with number, license, vehicle number, type, and status.
• GPS Tracking: Allows them to track passenger’s location and find the best route.
• Notification: Let drivers receive updates about new ride requests and other activities.
• In-app communication: Allow drivers to get connected with the passengers via call and chat after a booking.
• Earling Tracker: Have a feature in the app that allows drivers to track their weekly or monthly earnings.
• Ride Management: Let Drivers accept or reject the ride request depending upon their availability.

App Panel for Admin

• Driver Management: The Admin has full control over verifying, approving, deactivating, and blocking drivers depending upon their performance. 
• Passenger Management: Keep complete control over services and enhance the user experience for passengers.
• Complain Management: Handle concerns raised by passengers or drivers and take in-time action to overall maintain the quality of services. 
• Notifications: Provide full admin access to send updates to drivers and passengers.  

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Tech-Stack Involved In Developing Taxi Booking App

Every mobile development project is unique and requires different technical tools. When it comes to taxi booking app development, it encompasses a complex app structure, therefore required and top class technologies that make it work flawlessly.

Here is a comprehensive list of tech-stacks that you can consider for developing a taxi booking app:

• Programming Languages for Front-end Development: JavaScript, React Native, Flutter
• Programming Languages for Back-end Development: Node.js, Python, Ruby on Rails, Java.
• Database for Backend: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Cassandra
• UI Frameworks for Frontend Development: Flutter and React Native
• Real-Time Location Tracking: WebSockets, Firebase Realtime Database
• Push Notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), Apple Push Notification Services(APNs)
• Payment Integration: PayPal, Stripe, Braintree
• Mapping and Navigation: Google Maps, Mapbox
• Database: SQL, NoSQL
• Cloud Storage: AQS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blog Storage
• Authentication and Security: OAuth 2.0, Firebase Authentication

No matter how fancy and strong the app you have developed, your ultimate goal in hiring an app development company to customize the Taxi Booking app is to make profits and streamline operations. So how can you make money through a taxi booking app?

Monetization Strategies For Taxi Booking App

Taking your traditional taxi booking business to the online platform and considering developing a taxi booking app is a profitable decision. Here are the several effective monetization strategies you can implement to make money:

1. Commission-Based Model

• Charge a ride commission on each ride completed through an app.
• Implement dynamic pricing during peak hours, special events, or even when the demand is high. 

2. Subscription Plans

Allow drivers and passengers access to the premium feature of the taxi booking app with monthly, quarterly, and yearly subscription plans.

3. Corporate Plans

Allow business corporates to opt for special corporate plans with monthly billing, employee transportation, and ride management dashboards.

4. Cancellation Fees

Charge a penalty fee from passengers for cancelling rides after 5 minutes of booking and generate revenue and avoid unnecessary cancellations. 

Conclusion

Taxi booking app development is a complex process. With the emerging technologies, customizing the taxi booking app with advanced features can turn out as a super complex app development project. The taxi booking app development cost can be higher if things have not been planned in the right way. But at the same time can generate various revenue-generation opportunities.

All you need is to hire a top mobile app development company that can help you translate the app idea into a perfect solution. At Alcax, we have a team of tech experts who go above and beyond in customizing app development strategies that perfectly align with your business goals. 

Alcax Solutions is a top Taxi Booking App Development Company that connects you with the best farm weather app developers with flexible and economical engagement models ranging from hourly, monthly, and fixed-cost billing. Hire an App Developer from Alcax today and embark on your software development journey with confidence.

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