In the past few years, the taxi industry has been completely revolutionized and has changed the market dynamics. After the introduction of the Uber model, on-demand technology has continuously improved and has reformed the ride-hailing services. These not only include the taxi services but also paratransit, airport shuttle, bike, chauffeur and water transport.
CabStartup is a cloud-based software that provides ride-hailing solutions to taxi companies solving all their taxi service problems. Cabstartup helps automate the ride dispatching process and location tracking all the while giving the customers ease in ride booking with ingenious passenger mobile apps. Water Taxi is one of the many services provided by CabStartup and has been successful in sustaining water taxi entrepreneurs with advanced technology. It is a major boon in the coastal areas and people who have adopted the on-demand model have started earning more profits.
Why On-Demand Water Taxi App is a brilliant idea
Water taxis do not only provide a quick, cheap and unique experience to tourists for sightseeing but can also become a daily source of transportation for commuters to catch a ride to their workplaces. These people will more likely prefer a fast water taxi service instead of struggling to get on time through the heavy traffic at rush hour.
Another reason why providing on-demand water taxi services is a good idea is that the target market is very broad. Tourists, commuters, leisure seekers; all use water taxis. Thus, a water taxi business provides such a service that is always in demand and is used every day resulting in daily revenue generation.
What does it take to start a water taxi business?
A successful business must have a sound business plan. Thus, it is crucial to consider the following points to devise a successful water taxi business plan.
What are the start-up costs?
You must have the budget and funding required to cover the initial costs. The primary components to start a water taxi business are:
Passenger boats/vessels to get you started.
Fuel; It is more profitable to invest in electric vessels powered through solar panels.
Signage of the vessel
Marketing and advertising cost of the water taxi business
Development of the water taxi app
The Target Market
Although a large portion of the water taxi demographic is comprised of tourists but water taxi service can be more than just for tourism. Incorporating water taxis into the public transportation system can garner skyrocketing profits and more riders. Consumers all around coastal areas have realized the benefits of utilizing the on-demand water taxi services and consider it an economical commuting option.
Revenue Generation and fares
The primary source of revenue regeneration is from the rides the water taxis transport. The fare calculation depends on the location and the specific service offered.
Market and Competition
Make sure to check out the competition in the coastal area and find out how strong it is. If the competition is too tough with already established loyal customers then it would be wise to start the water taxi service in another area or try to come up with a unique value proposition that makes you stand out.
Establishing a legal entity
For starting a water taxi business, it is very important to establish yourself as a legal business to prevent you from being personally liable in the situation if the service is sued. Moreover, it is also very crucial to obtain all the necessary permits and licenses. Getting Business insurance to protect the financial wellbeing of the water taxi service is also beneficial to recover if a loss occurs.
What is the growth potential and how to make more profits?
Fuel costs and vehicle maintenance costs are rising everyday due to which consumers are seeking out alternative transport sources. An on-demand water taxi app solves these problems and will only grow with the future as the customer needs increase. Once the business has started, you can make the water taxi service even more profitable:
Adopting hybrid-electric powered boats which can reduce expenses.
Hosting dinners or sunset cruises
Offering transportation services for materials when there is a lull in customer activity.
CabStartup ’s White Label Water Taxi Solution
Cab Startup offers a taxi dispatch platform in the form of iOS and Android applications affixed with various features so that the user gets the maximum benefits.
Driver App
The Driver app allows the driver to sign up, create an account and login. A driver can review information regarding the previous water taxi rides and determine safe routes.
Passenger App
Passengers can easily book the rides right at the harbor and the cloud-based solution offers passengers a trouble-free smartphone booking process. Passengers can select the drop off locations and send requests to a nearby water taxi. Promos and referral codes allow passengers to avail discounts and share their referral codes.
Admin App
Admin is provided with all the required information for monitoring the ongoing water taxi rides and the business activities. It includes driver tracking and filtering. Admin can manage the promo codes offered and also set up different fare rates for different coastal areas.
Dispatcher Panel
It is designed to keep the water taxi business owners informed about all the alerts and updates in real time. The option to regulate the water taxis, drivers and passengers at the same platform enhances the dispatch method. Moreover, there is a choice between auto dispatch framework and manual ride dispatch.
Water Taxis Australia – Our Water Taxi Success Story
Water Taxis Australia provides on demand water taxi service all across Australia and can process hundreds of requests per second using cloud hosting. Today it is trusted by more than 1,780 passengers and the numbers are still growing. The reason for this success is that Water Taxis Australia is not just a ride-sharing service rather it is simply a clever smartphone booking system. This seamless and trouble-free smartphone booking process is the reason that Water Taxis Australia is a success story.
Now that you know what it takes to start a water taxi business, you can launch your own on-demand water taxi app using the tried and tested CabStartup platform. Start your two weeks trial today and stand out from the crowd with the best on demand cloud dispatch system in the Taxi industry.
A couple of months ago, we envisaged the future of mobility in one of our articles. A world of autonomous and electric vehicles, where private ownership is being replaced by mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), is gaining momentum.
From faster, more affordable electric vehicles to an autonomous shopping cart-mobility was on everyone’s mind at CES 2020. It was not only about the vehicles but the CASE (Connectivity, Autonomy, Shared mobility, Electrification) technology that is shaping this on-demand mobilityindustry.
What global consumers feel about CASE? How does the auto industry transform itself to adopt CASE technologies for integrating them into vehicles? Are global consumers willing to pay a premium to accomplish automaker’s investments using innovative technology based on CASE models? All these subjects were discussed at the CES 2020 show. Here are some brief details:
Paying for CASE:
As consumers have become used to stylish new technology that’s integrated into their new vehicles at no extra cost, therefore, consumers think they should not charge a premium for high-value gadgetry. Research from Deloitte released at the show 2020 backs this up. According to the research, 70% of consumers in Japan and Germany would not like to add a $500 to the retail price to get Tesla-style autonomous vehicle functionality.
In the US, 75% of customers would not show willingness to pay an extra $500 for additional features, regardless of its innovation. Similarly in Korea, the stats showed 60% people refusing to pay extra for connectivity features.
These stats indicate that transformation of vehicles to adopt CASE technology is expensive for end customers. But demand remains high because it is precisely these features that can still differentiate brands and models. Now, the question arises: What is the solution then as high development costs are one of the key reasons automakers are showing lower financial results.
According to Deloitte, carmakers acquired technology startups and set up joint ventures to tackle the CASE challenge. Yet even these essential steps may not be sufficient. So what else can automakers do?
Innovative Processes for CASE Challenge Accomplishment:
At CES 2020, the buzz was not only about connectivity, mobility, autonomy, and electrification, but CASE manufacturing processes and technology were also points of discussion.
One way to lower costs and increase efficiency is possible by making light weight vehicles using less heavy components, which is possible using lighter materials and innovative AI. The industry’s primary focus is to use less innovative lightweight material to lower production cost, increase profitability and bring efficiency.
Deloitte agrees from a General Motors Source who claims that light weighting is essential to meet fuel-economy regulations and achieve longer ranges for our electric vehicles. To fulfill lightweight criteria, automakers need to use advanced design tools using IoT, Artificial intelligence, and machine learning to explore innovative designs and material.
Another way that car makers are adopting is additive manufacturing which is mainstream these days on the production floor and also ready to scale.
The Bottom Line:
The CASE (Connectivity, Autonomy, Shared mobility, Electrification) was on full display at CES. The innovation, ideas, and prototypes are available. Now, the need is to collectively leverage the power of design-driven light weighting and cost-effective additive manufacturing to bring these ideas into reality for consumers at an affordable price they can embrace. Challenges may occur to accomplish these objectives but the concept is very much realistic and achievable. Moreover, it can make lives easier than before.
CabStartup provides on-demand cloud based solutions. Whether they are autonomous vehicles, on-demand ride-hailing services providersor enterprise mobility solution providers, CabStartup mobility solution caters the need of the transportation industry with their user-friendly solution that enables organizations and enterprises to streamline their business operations efficiently.
Our on-demand cloud based white label solution enables passengers to connect with drivers. It is suitable for a range of mobility industries including pedicab, limousine, SUV, Water taxi, three-wheeler, Paratransit, or black/yellow cab.
In addition, CabStartup shared mobility and ride-hailing ecosystem caters the needs at large scale, connecting passengers and drivers at low cost efficiently. Our customized mobility solution features vary depending on clients’ requirements. Feel free to contact us to learn details in developing your solution.
Nigeria is among the top four African countries attracting most startup investment. The growing middle class and an incredibly low median age of 18.4 years are resulting in a highly suitable environment for on-demand business. The current generation is more tech-savvy than ever. Consequently, consumer trends are rapidly changing to adopt mobile based service acquisition. The growing local demand along with a massive influx of tourists indicates that SUV on-demand business would make extraordinary gains.
The country is 7th most populated in the world with over 200 million people. Total addressable market (TAM) for ride-hailing and SUV service in particular is not as big as its population. Nevertheless, Nigeria is making sharp progress in pulling its population out of poverty.
How is Nigerian market attractive for investment in Ride-Hailing?
The country’s middle class currently stands at around 20% of the total population which amounts to approximately 40 million people. The number of smartphone users in the country are also estimated around 35-40 million indicating huge opportunities for ride-hailing businesses.
Moreover, the largest city Lagos and capital Abuja have huge communities for households with significantly better socioeconomic conditions. Lagos population of 17.5 million carries the highest percentages for middle and upper socioeconomic classes.
A flashpoint for tourists
Abuja population at around 2.4 million is nowhere near Lagos but the capital city is one of the most sought after places for tourists to stay in the region. The northern region includes southern edge of Sahara desert while the presence of three national parks with abundant wildlife pushes tourists to stay in Abuja.
The stay in this city does not only make safari parks and Sahara accessible to tourists but offer considerably better security. An improved security framework is enabling the country to attract substantially high number of tourists in recent years. The percentage increase is also notable.
Official statistics indicate that country witnessed almost 400% increase in tourism between 2012 and 2016. More than 1.8 million tourists made their ways in Nigeria in the year 2016. Unofficial figures reveal that the number is well above 2 million in 2018.
Investor-friendly Business Environment
A robust reform strategy is resulting in producing one of the best business environments in the region. It was not the same prior to 2016. The country was plagued with widespread corruption and terrorism. The process of registration and evaluation for unnecessary and lengthy regulations discouraged investors and entrepreneurs.
Nevertheless, the creation of Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) in 2016 caused a huge shift. Since then the country climbed 39 places in The World Bank’s index for Ease of Doing Business. The analysis from reputed global firms forecast that the country would further improve the rank and drift into top 100 in the next two years.
A major hurdle in the past was the complication in getting visas. The government introduced visa on arrival policy in 2017 to ensure seamless tourism and business activities. The policy promises to increase tourism and startup development manifold.
Why tourists prefer SUVs in Nigeria?
A significantly large proportion of tourists landing in Nigeria requests SUV services. The tourists seek comfort as well as security. However, there is barely any business that provides such services apart from Estonian ride-hailing service provider Bolt.
Besides travelling within the cities of Abuja and Lagos, the tourists also seek SUV for travelling to safari parks. Nigeria is home to some of the finest wildlife parks particularly in the western region of the country with Yankari Game Reserve, Jos Wildlife Park, and Okomu National Park being the most notable ones. SUVs are suitable to tackle the tough terrain in these parks.
Lagos city shows drastic improvement in lifestyle. It offers a number of luxurious five star hotels and posh living spaces. However, it barely has a ride-hailing service with spacious and luxurious vehicles. The existing services including Bolt offering deluxe and executive class vehicles are too less to address the considerable proportion of high socioeconomic classes. Lagos alongside Abuja also receives the highest number of foreign tourists.
Besides, very small number of services providers offer vehicles with real-time surveillance and monitoring system. Although the security situation has markedly improved, yet travelers consider real-time tracking as an advantage.
State of Existing Taxi Businesses
Ride-hailing companies avoided Nigeria before 2015 due to largely poor security and business environment. Even the local entrepreneurs were opting Europe or North America despite higher cost of operations in those regions.
However, the entrepreneurs and investors started to flock in after 2016 business reforms. Three years down the road, Nigeria is among the most favorite destinations for investors. A massive $120 million Series B funding of OCar in November 2019 presents just one instance out of dozens.
Uber started operations in the country in 2015 at Lagos. It expanded to Abuja in 2016 and currently operates in eight Nigerian cities. The ride-hailing giant also launched boat service in July 2019 at Lagos.
However, no major ride-hailing company except Bolt currently offers SUVs. Recently announced OCar is expected to offer SUV but these two existing services would still be far from sufficient to fulfill demand.
Nigerian ride-hailing market is up for grabs
Nigeria is demonstrating huge potential for startups for the past few years. The 2016 business reforms are enabling the country to attract investments from all corners of the world. In the midst of this growing on-demand economy lies a huge but largely unexplored opportunity of SUV on demand services.
Considering the volume of tourists, the growth in tourism, and growing middle class, SUV ride-hailing service would bring great fortunes for the stakeholders.
CabStartup is the software solutions provider for ride-hailing startups. Over 30 countries from every inhabited continent use our cloud based ride-hailing solution. Do you intend to start a ride-hailing startup in Nigeria or elsewhere? Start using the two-week long free trial of our ride-hailing platform today before we rebrand the platform for you.
The past couple of years enabled CabStartup to widen the global client-base by attracting ride-hailing startups and established taxi companies from various regions of the world. The projects in Australia including Water Taxis and MooV expanded our client-base to every inhabited continent. The diversity of projects allowed us to restructure CabStartup white label taxi app platform adding incredibly higher flexibility.
Although there are dozens of established businesses which are leveraging CabStartup technology, yet this article specifically shares the projects that we worked on since the start of 2019. Most of these businesses are up and running successfully while a couple of them have launched recently. MooV is expected to launch soon.
CabStartup Subscribers Network
CabStartup offers subscriptions as well as one-time payment solution. Following are the companies leveraging our platform through subscription-based model.
Many CabStartup case studies suggest that our client-base predominantly belongs to metropolitans. However, BlackStar Taxi is one of the instances reflecting clients in smaller regions.
Mykonos – one of the famous Greek islands providing scenic beauty to travelers – lacked a ride-hailing service. While the absence of competitors is beneficial, it also carries a disadvantage of absence of a similar case.
BlackStar offers three types of vehicles including Standard, SUV, and Van. The customers are able to view the precise fare during scheduling. This company quickly moved on top of all the ride-hailing options available on the island. BlackStar enables its customers to pay by cash as well besides credit card or e-wallet.
2. eDriverz LLC – Tucson, Arizona
eDriverz started only seven months back in February 2019 with a goal to address the growing demand of rideshare services in Tucson, Arizona. The efficiency in operations allowed this company to emerge as one of the top choices for Arizonans.
With the remarkable growth in the first few months, the leaders felt motivated to expand into other states. CabStartup also assisted in scaling up the taxi dispatch software platform to accommodate more drivers and sustain more traffic. Consequently, eDriverz is one of the fastest growing startups in the US.
The companies uses entire platform of CabStartup including separate apps for drivers and passengers, a dispatch panel, and an admin panel. This cloud-based platform enables eDriverz to effortlessly scale-up as much as they want.
3. KinderCarGo – Calgary, Canada
The widespread success of Ride-hailing services like HopSkipDrive and Zūm in the US encouraged entrepreneurs of KinderCarGo to introduce a similar service in Canada as well. The service currently available in Calgary would be expanded soon in other cities.
KinderCarGo required extra bit of security features since it is particularly branded as transportation for children and families. Thus, CabStartup developers ensured that this white label taxi app does not only provide features for surveillance of drivers but also enable parents to verify once the children reach destination.
Parents can also communicate with children during the journey. The app provides verification to administrators once a driver picks up and drops off the passenger.
4. Lady for Lady – San Tiago, Chile
This is an all-women service recently uploaded on app stores. The development was not as challenging as branding because the client wanted this service for a specific niche. Our designers and developers collaborated to make multiple prototypes. Each prototype offered a range of options for app design, theme, and logo.
Lady for Lady uses entire taxi management software including driver and passenger apps and admin modules. The administration staff is able to view business insights in an interactive form featuring graphs, tables, and charts.
This innovative idea is expected to grow bigger due to the shortfall of women-only ridesharing services. One major reason for limiting it to women is to ensure security. Thus, CabStartup developers ensured that each driver gets registered after a significant amount of verification.
5. Let’s Drive – New York City
The growing needs rideshare market in New York City encouraged Let’s Drive leadership to introduce this startup. CabStartup is in contact with Let’s Drive executives for the past few months. Our developers worked in close collaboration with their leadership so that white label taxi app for driver and passenger can be rebranded precisely as per the client’s requirements.
The app was uploaded on App Store and Google Play two weeks back in September 2019. Apart from usual features including real-time tracking, route optimization, profiles of users, user analytics among others, the app also carries some unique features.
Proximity search is one of the notable features that allowing drivers to find the nearby drivers. Besides, it also enables them to find the areas where demand is excessively higher than number of available vehicles. Using this ability, drivers can move to a nearest region where the probability of finding a passenger is higher.
6. Mobili360 – Conakry, Guinea
With a turmoil-filled history and low human development index of just over 0.459, it is fairly challenging to successfully introduce a ridesharing service. Like BlackStar, Mobili360 project also lacked a similar case. Thus, CabStartup experts performed a wide-scale research to understand geographic and demographic differences before rebranding software.
The results of this research revealed a poor public transit system. Moreover, it also pointed out huge flaws in local taxi system which remained the only choice for commuters. Population with low per capita income had no or little option to pay higher taxi fares.
CabStartup branded its white label taxi app platform for Mobili360 in a way that it corresponded to the native requirements. Mobili360 after beginning in the capital Conakry is prepared to expand in the neighboring countries as well.
7. Money Cabs – San Antonio, Texas
Money Cabs made its way into the Mainland US when Uber and Lyft were operating in every stretch and corner of the country. It was challenging to pitch against the existing giants of ride-hailing industry.
Nevertheless, CabStartup white label taxi dispatch platform enabled Money Cabs to attract a massive customer-base. The membership options for users allow them to enjoy exclusive benefits if they continue to use Money Cabs services regularly.
Apart from on-demand taxi services with varying rate, Money Cabs also offers pick and drop services to airport on flat rates. Customers can also access SUVs and luxury class vehicles.
An incredible growth in the US followed by decent mark in the UK enabled Money Cabs to earn a price tag as high as $20 million when estimated by independent auditors.
8. Roadrunner – Los Angeles, California
Roadrunner slightly varies from other ride-hailing services in that it provides shuttle services whose destinations are public areas only. The company initiated 28 years back to facilitate passengers with shuttle service. It remained one of the primary choices for commuters during all these years until the arrival of on-demand services.
As Roadrunner started to fall out of favor, the company leadership sought assistance from CabStartup for technology acquisition. Our experts rebranded the taxi management software to enable Roadrunner in starting on-demand shuttle service.
The company strengthened its ground in Los Angeles and surrounding cities including Ventura and Santa Barbara. Now, it is starting to offer services in other US states as well. Apart from shuttle service, it also provides minibuses, luxury cars, and sedan with private drivers.
9. Water Taxis Australia – Sydney, Australia
Each of the previous cases along with the ones not mentioned in this article present the effectiveness of CabStartup platform for land-based taxi and ride-hailing services. This case of Water Taxi Australia demonstrates the flexibility of CabStartup to work as good for water taxi startups as for land-based ones.
Passengers can seek this service in all notable coastal areas. The booking process is as simple as scheduling a ride on Alianza or any other efficient ride-hailing service. Moreover, the app also enables passengers to pay via digital in-app wallet.
Water Taxi Australia pushed CabStartup white label taxi app platform to new limits. This case also indicates that you can expand the nature of your startup by offering more kinds of services using the same taxi dispatch software system.
Enterprise Solution Clients
Apart from companies acquiring our white label platform on subscription basis, many startups and enterprises acquire it through one-time payment. Following are the cases from 2019.
1. Alianza Taxi – Tucker, Georgia
Taxi companies acquired CabStartup Taxi dispatch software in the past to compete the rising on-demand ride-hailing startups. However, Alianza Taxi is one of those few companies which branded itself as a taxi company despite the fact that ride-hailing companies appeared more lucrative.
The companies initiated in an already severely contested market of Tucker, Georgia in 2015. Nevertheless, the efficiency of CabStartup platform combined with effective marketing strategy of our team enabled Alianza to grab a significant market share relatively quicker. In a small period, the company introduced services to other cities in Georgia including Lawrenceville and Decatur.
Now, the company is all set to hit the ground in Atlanta and other US states. CabStartup continues partnership with Alianza Taxi to provide taxi software technology. Learn more: Alianza Taxi Service
2. MooV – Perth, Australia
The development of this startup concluded recently. The launching of this service is expected in October 2019 in Perth. MooV is not only going to be an on-demand taxi service. Rather it will offer shared mobility and car rental as well.
There are multiple options to choose from while booking a ride. The riders can order a compact car or an extra-large one with separate space for luggage. Besides, it also enables passengers to acquire luxury vehicles.
Prior to this project, CabStartup developed on-demand car rental apps from scratch. However, the developers enabled white label taxi booking app platform to allow integration of car rental services as well.
3. Rapid Taxies – Colombo, Sri Lanka
The emerging ride-hailing market in Sri Lanka requires immaculate service and extensive marketing to ensure that customers prefer your services above others. This island country might be small in terms of area but its population of 21.4 million individuals provides a strong market.
Unlike usual ride-hailing businesses which hire gig workers, Rapid Taxies offer full-time employment with benefits. Thus, the company implements an extensive recruitment criterion before getting a driver on-board.
The driver app ensures all the features regarding security and background verifications. Moreover, the app also facilitates drivers with medical insurance acquisition and credit card integration.
CabStartup is successfully realizing its vision of assisting startups and governments in developing shared mobility networks. The success and sustainability of these recent case studies and the ones prior to 2018 reflect our commitment toward goal achievement.
We would love to work with you on the next ride-hailing project. Get the free trial for two weeks today to evaluate our platform.
Micromobility is rapidly replacing the traditional means of commuting particularly in densely populated urban areas. Apart from avoiding congestion, people are also able to reduce cost of traveling and time consumption. A number of bike sharing business models have emerged as a result with dockless and stationed bikes being the most prominent ones.
The types of bike also vary as users can seek motorbike, bicycle, or scooters. Regardless of the underlying business model, the acquisition of efficient technology and execution of effective marketing strategies are essential to start bike sharing business.
The first part of this article shares the factors that make bike sharing a highly sustainable business. Later in the text, the appropriate technologies and marketing strategies associated with this business are discussed. Meanwhile, it also mentions modules and features of CabStartup platform.
Why is On-demand Bike Sharing Business Highly Effective?
There are numerous reasons causing sustainability of bike sharing. Following five are the most significant ones.
Cost of Bike Sharing Operations
Before the advent of bike sharing services, the urban dwellers faced of dilemma of choosing between public transit and taxi services. While former takes excessively greater time in most circumstances, the latter is considerably expensive.
Bike sharing provides a decent alternative particularly to cover distances less than five miles. It is highly popular among the residents living in a 5 mile radius of a bus or subway station. By utilizing a bike, they can cover the distance between their residents and nearest station notably quicker. Besides, they also save money otherwise spent on taxi services.
An extensive study exploring reasons for using bike share reveals that 73% of Washington DC residents acquire services to save time while 25% for saving costs. Another research from the UK demonstrates contrasting yet still encouraging results. It notes 66% residents saving costs while an impressive 78% for time saving.
Excessive Security Features
A decade back, bike sharing was widely perceived as impractical due to the inability of startups to offer security framework. The problem persists in some areas where modern bikes are unavailable. Baltimore Bike Share in the US, Gobee in France and Hong Kong, Wukong in China, and oBike in Singapore present some of the notable examples of Bike sharing services shutting down due to vandalism.
Fortunately, the significant enhancement in design and software has resulted in remarkable drop in stealing and vandalism incidents. For instance, the top bike share operators ensure that the GPS remains inside the frame of vehicle so that it cannot be detached and remains on at all times.
The manufacturers have also introduced bike whose bolts and nuts cannot be removed since the removal requires screw drivers of unique shape. They ensure that bell and headlight remains integrated and fixed within the frame.
Encouraging Bike Sharing Statistics
Statistics from around the world in general and the US in particular indicate that bike sharing industry is growing rapidly. Although each year saw an increase in the number of users, yet 2018 remained incredible after the arrival of e-scooters. Following information compiled by NACTO shows 240% annual increase in the number of trips in 2018.
Dockless bike share companies could not attract sufficient users in 2017. However, they also managed to attain a decent user-base in 2018. One noteworthy reason for these admirable statistics is the fact that bike share companies are incorporating mature technology. The results include a reduced cost of operations and more sustainable revenue generation sources.
Western Europe demonstrates even more encouraging results. The Netherlands was already the leader in utilization of bike sharing with a rate of 1.3 bicycles per person – most in the world. The next ten countries in this list are also Europeans sitting above Canada and the US.
Flexibility to Expand Business Model
It does not matter much whether you start with a dockless bike or a stationed one. Bike sharing business allows expansion of business model in the future provided the underlying dispatch platform is flexible enough. In fact, you may also add bike-taxi and three wheelers in future. However, the vehicles in these business models require gig workers to operate them as in on-demand taxi businesses.
Dockless bike share is the best bet if you want to keep the initial cost at minimum. This model saves cost otherwise spent on the installation and maintenance of stations. Moreover, it also prevents cost for service agents’ share.
What you need to ensure at the beginning is the efficiency of entire business process regardless of its scale. Investors are more interested in economic sustainability. Thus, they want you to gain a considerable user-base in the opening year.
Bike Sharing is Crucial in Urban Areas
Urban congestion predominantly emerging from excessive number of cars is one of the most challenging problems. Governments in all states of the US, Western Europe and beyond are convinced that bike sharing is crucial toward decreasing this congestion. Many national firms and welfare organizations are funding startups that aim at providing promising services.
The statistics demonstrating survey results indicate that users are also interested in micromobility for its ability to save time and cost. One credible survey confirms 61% people taking shared bikes while traveling to work to avoid congestion. Following image from NACTO visualizes the presence of bike sharing across the Mainland US.
While congestion is a major reason, it is not the only driving force of micromobility. Environmental concerns also provide a significant cause. The city administrations in most US states are aiming to reduce car ownership and encourage commuters to use means of share mobility.
How to Start a Bike Share Business
Launching a bike sharing startup requires extensive research and acquisition of the most appropriate technology. Following checklist enables you to implement this business model with significant efficacy.
Demographic and Geographic Segmentation
A range of reasons govern public’s decision to choose one mode of transport over another. The age groups, socioeconomic situations, geography, and law and order among others participate in this decision making process. Some of the specific factors include:
Amount of traffic congestion in urban areas.
Cost of traveling by taxi or personal vehicle.
Time consumed while traveling by public transit.
Crime rate to measure the probability of bike robbery.
Population density or student density in cases of operating in colleges.
Demographic segmentation implies classifying regional population in terms of social norms, financial situations, and probable age groups among which bike sharing would be popular. Geographic segmentation involves circumstances which are specific to a region.
For instance, the quality of law and order, temperature variations, and amount of population concentrated in a square mile area. Knowing these parameters ahead of launch is vital to align business strategy with regional limitations and opportunities.
Behavioral and Psychographic Segmentation
The interests and motivational factors of potential users vary inside a geographical region too. However, there is no practical way to find the interests as long as your bike sharing business does not kick start. Thus, these segmentations are performed later unlike demographic and geographic ones.
You would require data analysis by collecting valid and current data from a range of reliable sources including forums, rating platforms, user feedback, and social media. While behavioral analysis reveal the current shortcomings in marketing and technologies, psychographic segmentation allows projecting future trends by considering current statistical patterns.
“To succeed in business you need to be original, but you also need to understand what your customers want.” (Richard Branson)
The Data Science Department at CabStartup performs a comprehensive data analysis for clients to determine success factors and blockers. Careful segmentation is crucial for building reputation of your bike sharing startup. Besides, you can introduce promotional campaigns that are most relevant to the targeted niches.
Competitor Analysis
If you are planning to launch bike share services in an urban area of developing or a developed country, you are likely to face a competition. Although it would be challenging in one perspective, yet you need to perceive it as one of your advantages. Having similar businesses already operating in the same market allows you not to repeat the mistakes they did. It also enables you to find a range of revenue sources employed by existing players.
Working with the clients, CabStartup knows most of the frequently occurring challenges posed by their competitors. They would provide discounts through subsidies in the areas where you operate so that consumers stay loyal to them.
The experience of this industry also enabled us to learn that collaborations with businesses become a decent source of revenue. For instance, DoorDash collaborated with McDonald’s to attain a significant increase in the number of customers. Besides, it also gained profits by promoting advertisements from McDonald’s.
One of your best bets is to go ahead and shake hands with a competitor while keeping your business identity intact. This practice would turn a potential competition into an effort toward mutual growth.
Bike Sharing Technology Acquisition
The more you understand the customer, the better you would be able to decide about the kind of technology you would intend to access. Bike sharing app and associated technologies can have a range of features. These features in turn allow implementation of various business models including bike-taxi, dockless bikes, and stationed bikes among others.
Regardless of the underlying business model, some of the components are essential to every on-demand bike sharing software. CabStartup platform already includes each of these essential components shared below. You may choose to add more modules as per your business need.
Bike Sharing App Customization
CabStartup platform includes a comprehensive app which already includes the essential features required for bike sharing app. Each user has to have a separate profile to seek bike sharing services. Distinct profiles enable users as well as administrators to keep a track of each ride and payment records. Besides, profiles also enable you to block users or place limitations who do not comply with the rules.
Two-tap booking implies the ability to book a ride as quickly as two clicks on one’s smartphone once the app is opened.
Proximity search enables users to find the nearest bikes, scooters, and bicycles.
Encrypted chat ensures that the conversation remains private between the two connecting parties.
Real-time tracking is applicable in cases of bike-taxi to track the location of agents.
The app provides fare estimation and, in many cases, shares the precise fare ahead of trip beginning.
Customers can rate the ride and also receive push notifications wherever applicable.
Trip history enables them to access record of any previous trip.
Moreover, you can customize the app according to your business requirements. CabStartup offers complete branding identity including logo, colors, icons, snips, promo codes for only $50.
This cloud-based platform also includes admin and dispatch panels to ensure quality assurance and automating repetitive tasks. Dispatch panel serves you in the following ways.
It ensures security of riders by tracking them wherever they go. The panel generates an alarm as soon as bike moves out of the designated area called geo-fence.
The dispatch panel is capable of automatically dispatching a bike once an eligible user makes a request.
Disputes often occur for a range of reasons. You can settle disputes with users by verifying records.
Bike sharing business requires more surveillance than bike-taxi services. Dispatch Panel provides you a significant competitive advantage in bike sharing market.
Admin Panel Customization
Since hundreds and later thousands of users would use your app to seek bike sharing services, the app would generate huge amount of data. You can use this data to develop meaningful insights using analytics tools. CabStartup offers comprehensive dashboards in its platform to share business insights. Apart from business analytics, Admin Panel also provides following administrative capabilities.
If you offer bike-taxi services, you can approve, block, or temporarily suspend any gig worker.
You can simply drag-and-drop to modify or entirely redefine geo-fence. Besides, you can also update fare calculation policy easily.
A tool integrated in admin panel automatically calculates the commission of each stakeholder at the end of each ride.
You may define access hierarchy within the organization to hide data from irrelevant employees.
Admin panel enables you to comfortably compile and send promotional discounts and referral codes.
Top stationed and dockless bike sharing companies provide multiple payment choices to users. Apart from credit card, they can choose to pay via other online payment systems or, in some regions, through hard cash. CabStartup uses Braintree, a subsidiary of PayPal for payment besides credit card.
You can also choose to have a custom payment gateway. In essence, the users would be able to pay via a payment service branded under the name of your choice. The payment gateway name may also be the same as your bike sharing business name. CabStartup offers custom payment gateway integration with platform for $3000 only.
Backend and Cloud
CabStartup cloud-based platform enables you to comfortably scale up the business adding more regions and accommodating more users without performance shortfalls. The platform allows real-time update of data. For instance, the changes made to passenger app would reflect immediately reflect in admin and dispatch panels.
Cloud-platforms are better than on-premises servers because you have to pay for only as much space as you use. Moreover, the platform can seamlessly process hundreds of requests per second.
The backend of apps and both panels is powered with the most trusted and credible technologies. CabStartup experts use frameworks and tools that are extensively tested. Apart from this platform for car and bike sharing business models, CabStartup provides backend-as-a-service (BaaS) to multiple organizations.
Branding and Marketing
Final but a crucial set of steps on the path to start a bike share business is to perform branding and marketing. Branding is significant to associate unique identity with your business. Your business logo, color scheme, icons, and snippets tell your company apart from competitors.
You need to reach as many users as you can to make business sustainable. An extensive bike sharing marketing campaign including both digital and traditional strategies helps in doing this job.
When it comes to digital marketing, social media and top search engines are the crucial. You need to expand your digital presence by attracting more followers offering social media channels. For search engines, you can write blogs which redirect potential users to your app.
Are you up for this?
CabStartup has powered on-demand startups and assisted traditional businesses in 18 countries until now with most of the projects underway in Mainland US. We are pushing are boundaries into the seas as well by raising water taxi startups in Australia. Our professionals are not only assisting with platform and developing brands but also provide consultation services.
We love to work on new ideas and reinventing traditional ideas with new developments. Would you like to test our platform before subscribing it? Here is a free trial of entire platform for as many as two weeks. Moreover, there are no charges for first two drivers registered under any business. Start right now!
In the midst of the on-demand revolution where numerous traditional services have been transformed into their on-demand parallels, car sharing is making impressive progress. This industry emerged in the closing years of the past decade when Enterprise – one of the pioneers of rent-a-car service in the US – introduced CarShare. The success of this car-sharing business model encouraged investors to introduce multiple startups.
Although the industry is demonstrating notable expansion, yet some entrepreneurs carry the fear that this model may not be a sustainable one. This article reveals why car sharing is sustainable before exploring the marketplace and requisite technology that ensure success.
Why is Car Sharing Business Model Sustainable?
The car-sharing industry is growing steadily. It is bound to pace up significantly in the next five years for undeniable reasons. The following are the two most notable factors which would attract large-scale adoption of car-sharing services.
Vehicle Ownership Regulations
Vehicles are being manufactured and sold for over a century. Until now, the number of consumers buying vehicles is still growing annually. However, the percentage increase is slowing down for a range of reasons.
Ride-hailing and car-sharing businesses are eliminating the need to keep private vehicles.
Public transit and carpooling are becoming more efficient and cost-effective than ever before.
Governments are increasing the amount of taxes on purchase of private vehicles to implement sustainable urban planning.
The concept of shared mobility is attaining realization in many cities around the world providing space for implementation of car sharing business models.
Inefficiency of Traditional Car Rental Businesses
In the wake of successful adoption of on-demand economy, traditional car rental businesses would soon lose their market share. Consumers tend to embrace comfort – especially when it is coupled with cost-effectiveness.
Unlike traditional businesses, car-sharing companies facilitate customers by providing rental cars at their doorsteps. The customers can schedule a car on rent with only a few taps on their smartphones. There is no need to go through a lengthy verification process.
Moreover, on-demand car rental also ensures the security of vehicles since you can track the location of every vehicle in real-time. Car sharing model is far more flexible than traditional vehicle rental businesses because the customers can rent a vehicle for as low as 30 minutes. You can choose to make variations in the time limit.
Independent observers are certain that traditional car rental business would be obsolete by 2022. One notable indication is the adoption of on-demand services by major industry players including Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Zipcar. Besides, many startups offering car share services are also demonstrating great successes.
Exploring the Car Sharing Marketplace
The traditional car rental business offers only a B2C model. In essence, the rental company owns every vehicle in a fleet and rents them out for at al least 12 hours. Their customers comprise the general public.
However, the advent of on-demand economy and development in shared mobility also introduced B2B and C2C or commonly referred to as P2P models. Following is a brief introduction to each of the car sharing models.
B2C Car Sharing
In terms of on-demand industry, this otherwise traditional rental business facilitates customers by enabling them to acquire a rental vehicle easily. The leading car rental companies ensure that customers are able to access the vehicle, unlock, and drive around without needing human assistance.
One notable innovation in this model is the facility to drop a vehicle at a different location from where one started. This is significant because customers in conventional circumstances had to drop vehicles to fixed locations designated by service provider.
B2C rent-a-car services mostly employ the same charging criteria as in ride-hailing services. The number of miles and time consumed are the two primary factors affecting rent charges.
P2P Car Sharing
This peer-to-peer model is highly sustainable for its ability to reduce costs and facilitate customers simultaneously. It is inspired by the idea of dockless bike sharing where customers leave bikes anywhere inside the designated operational region. Although urban administrations do not allow the same for cars, yet customers can leave them at parking spaces.
The peers in this model can either be members of the general public or employees of the same or different companies. A number of startups including Turo and Getaround employ this model. One noteworthy factor is the use of personalized cards. Users can unlock vehicles using the RFID tags inscribed on these cards. The receiving sensors are mounted mostly behind the windshield.
The most attractive factor associated with peer-to-peer car sharing is the flexibility in charges. Customers do not necessarily have to schedule a ride for at least 12 hours. Instead, they can acquire it for as low as 30 minutes.
How Does P2P Car Rental Work?
The users request a vehicle from a mobile phone app. Top service providers offer a range of features in their apps but ensure that users attain flawless experience. The integrated software in response shares the location of the nearest vehicles.
At times, the requesting user is able to connect the peer who currently holds the vehicle. The two peers can communicate to decide about the drop-off point. Once the customer reaches vehicle, s/he can unlock it by holding a personalized card parallel to the sensor on the shield. In the same way, the customer can lock the vehicle using the card.
Software Essentials for Car Sharing Business
Technology plays the most crucial role in the success of a startup. The same is the case with car sharing industry which heavily relies on user and dispatch panels. The software systems of such startups are evolving for over a decade with innovative approaches. CabStartup with its multiple case studies in car sharing industry incorporates following components in customer app and admin panels.
App for Customers
The efficiency of some of the performance-intensive features including app speed, in-app user experience, ease in navigation to various tabs, and app size should go without saying. Such features are essential regardless of the business model.
However, there are features specific to car sharing business model. The following are some of the most features indispensable for the success of such a startup or transformation of the traditional rental business to on-demand equivalent.
Car Type
There is a wide range of choices for users regarding the selection of vehicles. Like Uber or Lyft where users can choose UberX, Black, SUV, or other region-specific option, car sharing should also segment registered vehicles in various categories.
One drawback of this segmentation is the fact that it reduces the number of vehicles available in the vicinity. For instance, if there are a total of 10 registered vehicles in one kilometer radius, only two or three of them would offer the luxury class.
You can tackle this challenge by offering the vehicles from alternative classes. Thus, the customer can decide about the selection depending on the available time.
Rent Estimation
Both traditional and modern car rental businesses either adopt a fixed price model or variable model for rent estimation. Some of them are utilizing both approaches depending on what works best for business.
In a fixed price model, the cost of hiring a vehicle would be predetermined. In essence, there would be fixed time slots offering multiples of 30 or 60 minutes. The charges double once the user enters the second time slot. Many companies adopting this model offer discounts on acquiring vehicles for a greater number of time slots.
The variable charging model resembles the fare criteria of Uber and Lyft. Like these companies, the charge primarily depends on the number of miles traveled including the fractions up to one decimal point and the total time consumed.
The top service providers ensure that the booking process remains as simple as Uber. The users should be able to schedule a time when they want the vehicle and tentative time when they are going to end. Besides, the design of the app should allow users to comfortably select vehicles and available time slots.
Booking a ride using the business-to-customer model is plain straightforward. The customer schedules a ride with all the details that one wants to add. A worker of the company drops the vehicle at the place of the customer’s choice as long as it remains within the designated fence. Later, customer can abandon the vehicle and pay via credit card or an e-wallet once the ride is over.
However, P2P car sharing is different in that it involves ride sharing between two peers. You may choose to offer customers a facility to pick the abandoned vehicle and drop it at their doorstep for an additional charge.
Payment Gateways
Any ride-hailing app including rideshare, carshare, carpooling, and others should include multiple payment options. While credit card remains most prevalent, in-app wallets provide considerable flexibility to users.
The personalized membership card should be integrated with mobile app and admin panel software so that customers and administrations remain aware every time this card is used to unlock or lock a vehicle.
Dispatch and Admin Panel
Dispatch panel would assist you while ensuring that the customer gets the requested class of vehicle in time. You can place reminders and view all the available vehicles in a region. Although the panel is automated and does not require human input, yet it aids in quality assurance.
The admin panel is a car share equivalent of the executive information system. It comprises data regarding business growth, loopholes, and monitoring of real-time operational activities. The following are the three most notable car sharing features in an admin panel for car sharing companies.
Vehicle Surveillance and Management
Administrators can view every vehicle in real-time. Although this kind of surveillance did not draw any criticism in the case of ride-hailing businesses, yet some critics consider it unethical to know the location of a vehicle. They believe that such surveillance breaches privacy.
However, knowing the location is crucial for the safety of the user and the vehicle itself. The city administrations in most urban areas also recommend tracking the car share vehicles in real-time. Thus, you may choose to implement real-time tracking or otherwise.
Management of vehicles implies the distribution of cars as per the demand in a region. High-income areas are likely to attract more vehicles from the luxury class. The distribution should ensure that you can cater to the request of the customer in the desired time.
The customers should not only be able to get quick assistance with instant messaging or calling options but also review and rate each time they request a car. This feedback would allow you to improve services by evaluating every vehicle and response time of staff. Moreover, you would also win back the trust of a user by responding to them at their feedback.
Customer support would also allow quick assistance if a car breaks down during booking. The users can ask for a reevaluation of their charges if they believe that they were wrongly charged. An admin should have the power to approve or block a user based on poor ratings. Similarly, the work status of drivers can also be changed.
Business Analytics
A dashboard enriched with data regarding progress toward business targets is crucial for tracking objectives. It enables businesses to find the notable areas generating revenues and those which are pulling more money out of the owners’ pockets with meager returns.
The companies in car sharing industry reward bonuses to top performing gig workers. Thus, the dashboard should also track the achievements of gig workers and automatically pick ones that are eligible for bonuses.
CabStartup Admin Panel uses robotic process automation and data mining techniques to ensure that visualized statistics on the dashboard remain flawless.
Redefining Geofence
You would surely be operating in a predetermined region and would not want the vehicle to move out of this designated area. Geofence defines the boundary of this region. It is visible on app for users as well as admin panel. Any vehicle moving out of geofence would alert administration since the location of every vehicle appears in real-time.
Administrators can redefine geofence easily by simply dragging and dropping the points on map. The changes update in apps as well as admin and dispatch panel on the next day because a vehicle might be outside the updated fence but inside the old one.
User Authentication
Every user should have a distinct profile so that they can be recognized when unlocking a vehicle. The existing startups offer membership for users. There is a base amount for becoming a member. The profile syncs with membership details.
Cloud-Based Platform for Car Sharing Business Model
Car sharing businesses scale up with time. They also require incorporation of more features as the competition progresses. It is unwise to operate the entire business using local servers. Instead, you can acquire cloud-based car sharing platform for uninterrupted operations. Such a platform enables you to ensure high speeds and provides scalability almost effortlessly.
The emergence of new businesses is increasing the magnitude competition in this industry. Thus, companies are coming up with more innovative ideas to facilitate customers and aid in business operations. Thus, CabStartup also incorporates multiple innovative features apart from these indispensable ones.
One notable example is the sharing of signal strength. There are often cases where either driver – who drives the vehicle to the customer’s indicated location – or requesting users have poor internet signal strength. Consequently, they fail to connect and one of them cancels the ride.
CabStartup platform alerts the user if the person they are dealing with has unstable internet connection. Therefore, they can either wait or seek assistance from customer support.
Get Started Today
The car sharing industry is flourishing with emergence of new startups and the transformation of traditional companies. The high sustainability associated with this business model enables it to become one of the top investment grounds for entrepreneurs.
CabStartup is assisting ride-hailing startups around the world with car share and taxi management platforms. Our experts also help companies with traditional business models to adopt advanced technologies and get ahead of competitors in the process.
We would like to work with you for the development of your car-sharing business model. Take a free trial of CabStartup platform so that you can evaluate it.
Taxi management software and rideshare platform are redefining taxi business landscape for over a decade now. An efficiently built and marketed rideshare software app is likely to generate revenues as well as attract funding from investors. However, some cities are way too much saturated with ride-hailing businesses that there is barely any room for more. Nevertheless, the presence of rideshare businesses in large number can be put to your benefit by offering a taxi comparison app.
Such an app serves to facilitate users by enabling them to compare services of various providers. These apps do not only compare ride fares but frequency of vehicles in a region, discounts offered from various providers, and a one stop-shop for booking rides from any company.
Rideshare Comparison App Use Cases
Following are some of the most notable use cases of taxi comparison app each of which should be considered while developing such an app.
1. Vehicles in Proximity
Passengers are able to approximate the arrival time of a vehicle when the apps like Uber and Lyft show all the idle vehicles in the vicinity. However, a taxi comparison app can depict vehicle from Uber, Lyft, other rideshare companies in the same app.
You may use different colors or another scheme to distinguish vehicles of one rideshare company from another. Each of the vehicles, regardless of the company they are registered at, appears in the map in real-time.
A problem would arise when a vehicle is registered for two or more services. For instance, drivers often use a vehicle for Uber as well as Lyft. In such scenarios, the app displays single vehicle after verification from license plate number.
The app should show the nearby vehicles to not only the passengers but to drivers as well. This ability enables drivers to relocate themselves to a location where the demand is higher due to lower number of vehicles.
Such drivers can avoid the mess of playing around multiple apps. Instead, they can accept rides, and estimate saturation of vehicles in an area from a single app.
2. Rideshare Fare Estimator
This is one of the most crucial features because the decision of passengers to take a ride rests big time on the estimated fare. The passengers usually open multiple rideshare apps to compare the fare and take the one which is relatively inexpensive.
A taxi fare comparison app would require a passenger to input pickup and drop-off locations. The app would estimate the fare for each rideshare app depending on the factors which affect the change in fare.
A basic fare which is the mimimum amount to take Uber ride irrespective of the distance you cover.
Distance traversed and time consumed from starting point to destination.
Surge pricing if the demand is higher due to fewer number of vehicles available in an area.
Considering these parameters, Uber provides a range of estimated fare. In many cities, both Uber and Lyft share the exact fare upfront before a passenger confirms a ride. However, the factors affecting fare remain as above.
Apart from these essential factors influencing the fare, there are some occasional factors as well. For instance, toll fees, cancellation or no-show fees, and airport fess are notable.
3. Single App for Booking
A taxi comparison does not only necessarily be limited to estimating the fare and knowing the number of nearby vehicles. You can also schedule a ride with any rideshare provider using one app.
It is notable that booking a ride requires the passengers to already be logged in to the account of actual service provider. Conversely, you cannot book a taxi service with Uber or Lyft unless you have a profile for them and you have already given access of these profiles to comparison app.
Thus, when a passenger schedule a ride, say on Lyft using the comparison app, the request would be redirected from comparison app to Lyft. In essence, the passenger would be scheduling a Lyft ride using a different platform.
Similarly, a driver accepting the ride from comparison app would actually be accepting a request from a particular rideshare customer of Lyft, Uber, or another service provider.
The ratings and feedback shared by passengers and drivers would end up at the corresponding service provider only. Moreover, the app can also be used to make payments. However, paying through taxi comparison app would take additional service charges because this app would serve as middleman between passenger and service provider.
4. Drivers’ Availability for All Online Taxi Services
Rideshare companies allow drivers to make them available or unavailable to accept rides at any given time. Some of the taxi companies employing gig workers also offer this flexibility to part timers.
Many gig workers of taxi and rideshare companies work for more than one company. While serving passenger of one service provider, they stay unavailable over the other companies that they serve.
For instance, a person might be registered as driver at Uber, Lyft, and Via simultaneously. However, s/he would serve customer of only one of these companies at a time – unless one is picking carpool customers for each company.
In such scenarios, drivers do not have to keep multiple apps. Instead, you can provide them a single but comprehensive rideshare comparison app.
In cases where an online taxi service only works with full-time workers, you may still facilitate rideshare passengers. and drivers with comparison app. Such drivers need to stay available at all times. Thus, the passengers can schedule a taxi ride through estimator app as well.
5. Unlimited Rideshare Collaboration
Being a comparison app owner, you can add as many apps as would want. The integration of more apps would require more space at servers to accommodate dedicated processors.
You can either choose to collaborate with rideshare companies or remain independent. In the former case, collaborations provide you with the ability to perform entire scheduling activity through your comparison app. In return, you might need to pay your partner.
Such partnerships facilitate customers by scheduling a ride without needing to install the relevant app. However, very few companies – mostly nascent startups – allow such collaborations. Top rideshare providers like Lyft and Uber do not need a third party to market their business.
If you do not find a partner, taxi comparison app would still work. You can allow passengers to compare fares with rideshare fare estimator or enable them to view all the idle drivers in the area. Similarly, the drivers of rideshare and taxi companies can use your single app to manage accounts on multiple apps.
6. Ride History Retrieval
If the user gives permission to view data, a comparison app can also share records from previous rides. This works because you can only view a user’s data from particular rideshare company when you log into user’s account.
The app can take permission by requesting the user to log in. However, the app should not view the login credentials because doing so would breach the data privacy policy of the US and GDPR in the EU.
The aim of getting access to many accounts of same user is to provide them a single source of managing all of their accounts.
7. Discounts from all Rideshare Providers
One significant use case of a taxi comparison app is to share the discounts from all rideshare companies. The discounts vary for customers. In essence, some customers may get 20% off on all kinds of rides while others may get 30% discount on a specific kind of ride.
A comparison app should compare every category in one rideshare company with its equivalent category in another company. For instance, the rideshare fare estimator software in your app should compare Lyft XL with Uber XL. Similarly, the fare for Uber Pool should be compared with Lyft Shared.
The comparison app should also provide the fare after application of available discounts from various taxi booking app service providers. This is significant because the fare from one service may not necessarily be less despite the availability of discount. Surge in fares during the times of high demand markedly change fares. Thus, passengers should be able to compare fares from same categories after the application discounts.
Revenue Models for Taxi Comparison App
There is a range of earning models when offering a comparison app. You should be aware of these models while working on taxi comparison app development. Some of the most significant ones are as under.
Collaborate with rideshare and taxi companies to market their business through your app. These companies would share a part of their earnings as long as they use your app for promotion.
Take a small subscription fees from drivers and facilitate them in getting more rides in return.
Sell paid subscriptions to customers and getting them abreast with promos and all the news that they should know.
Use advertisement videos, images, and banners. Be sure not to annoy users with excessive ads because user satisfaction is crucial to success of this business model. As a reference, you may consider the amount of ads used on Uber Lite app. The quantity of ads is fair enough not to cause annoyance at user’s end.
CabStartup develops software systems for rideshare startups as well as established taxi and transport companies. Apart from software development team, we also have experts from rideshare industry which enable us to create the most promising technologies for rideshare, logistics, and delivery industries.
We have also successfully developed a platform that provides a comparison of existing taxi and rideshare services. We invite you to take free trial of CabStartup rideshare platform for two weeks before partnering with us.
The success of consumer apps largely relies on in-app user experience. There is often a case when taxi companies struggle to increase the number of users or worse lose the existing ones despite offering discounts. A range of reasons affect the behavior of consumers to seek or discontinue using an app for taxi service.
This article reveals the most essential factors which influence user experience on taxi apps. It also makes suggestions for improving each of these factors.
The foremost aspect of ensuring high user experience is to develop user persona. It refers to the hypothetical sketching of most ideal passengers. Persona identification determines the kind of users that download and use your app.
Developing a user person requires market analysis including the needs of users and what competitors are currently offering them. The demography of consumers using app for taxi service widely varies. You can determine the ages, socioeconomic conditions, and cultural limitations of passengers. The design of app should correspond to the technical understanding of users.
Craft a User Journey Map
A range of reasons push users to abandon your app. Some may find it difficult to use while others see it excessively time consuming. Again others may find it taking more space in your phone. Similarly, there are many factors which attract users to use some mobile apps for taxi services above others.
It is vital to determine the causes that retain or lose users. Crafting a journey map in app for taxi service requires quantitative as well as qualitative research. The former is intended at collecting reviews, ratings, and feedbacks of users from various channels. Latter aims at determining the reliability, currency, and validity of information.
The map is immensely helpful when compared with the outcomes of user persona. You can realign your marketing strategy to target the most pertinent potential users first followed by the less preferred ones. Studies indicate that developing a correct user journey map increases the revenue by 52% on average.
Design App Navigation Blueprint
Prior to taxi app development, it is essential to sketch a blueprint of the app. In essence, a flowchart should be developed indicating the root pages and each of the subpage. For better user experience, it is advisable not to go beyond fourth level of hierarchy.
The design should be interactive enough to facilitate the non-technical users. At the same time, it should be pleasant as well with attractive color schemes and unparalleled branding.
It is advisable to come up with various designing options and choose one of them later. To evaluate each design, you can develop wireframes and prototypes of app. Wireframes are static images which show the appearance of pages once the app would be developed. Prototypes demonstrate the behavior of buttons, links, and other elements.
Ensure Uniform Driver Distribution
One of the most prevalent problems with Uber clone app systems is the deficit of uniform vehicle distribution in geofence. Some regions have more vehicles than required whereas others have a shorter availability.
Consequently, a considerable proportion of passengers struggle to find a vehicle on time. Besides, shortage of drivers in an area also results in price hike due to increased demand.
The driver side app should show nearby drivers so that each driver can relocate to an area where the demand is relatively higher. Moreover, depicting the areas in the vicinity with higher demand is also vital. It is notable that drivers do not have to travel miles for relocation. Instead, a distance of up to 500 meters is sufficient in most cases.
Provide Real-Time Features
Time is a crucial factor for on-demand services. Many consumers adopt on-demand models to save time otherwise consumed in getting services traditionally.
An app for taxi service should ensure provision of real-time features including vehicle tracking for passengers and route optimization for drivers. Moreover, it should also reveal the location of drivers in the proximity in real-time as mentioned earlier.
The option for real-time messaging is indispensable so that drivers and passengers can communicate if needed. A choice to call driver should be available too but most passengers are comfortable with communicating through messages.
Furthermore, push notifications also enhance user experience in mobile apps for taxi services. They keep passengers updated with estimated arrival time and promo codes. Drivers also attain better user experience by staying updated with pending and ongoing rides.
Prototype Development and Testing
While you develop the app, it is immensely important to test it in parallel to development with small prototypes. The testing should not be confined to the business owners and employees. Rather you should acquire services of a group of potential customers who could take independent audits. You should test following aspects.
Users should be able to navigate easily to the desired page of the app.
App for taxi service should not take more than 15 seconds to schedule a ride.
Latency time – the time an app takes to load after user opens it – should be minimal.
Efficiency of real time updates including tracking, route planning and messaging.
Appearance of app should be pleasant to users.
Meet Standard KPIs
There are undeniable performance indicators which influence the success of mobile apps for taxi services. Most independent evaluators believe that app loading time is one of the most crucial aspects.
Research indicates that around 70% of users would quit an app which takes over six seconds to load. This test takes greater significance when tested for peak usage hours.
Another major factor is the size of an app. A proportion of users prefer to keep lightweight app for taxi service. For this reason, Uber offers Uber Lite – the lightweight version of main app with limited features.
Even this Lite app for passengers ensures to provide essential features including unique profiles and ETA. The map is not real-time but updates approximately every 10 seconds. The developers should ensure that passengers should be able to schedule a ride in at most three clicks.
CabStartup is a proud technology partner for dozens of startups and established businesses around the world. You can rebrand our Ride-hailing dispatch platform including white label taxi app for drivers and passengers. The platform also features cloud-based dispatch and admin panels. Start the free trial right now to build your ride-hailing business.
It has been over a decade since the ride-hailing companies started to emerge. The types of businesses and approaches of various companies differed resulting in rise of multiple business models. However, each of these businesses including Uber, Lyft, Via, and Juno have one common factor – the entire business stands on rideshare software systems with mobile app-based interfaces.
The swift developments in rideshare systems introduced certain business models. However, there is no standard nomenclature which can classify the models into distinct kinds. CabStartup makes this classification so that we can precisely explain the aim of every feature of our rideshare software to clients.
Following are the three most generic models. Every ride-hailing business on planet falls into one of these three kinds.
On-demand Rides
Uber introduced first ever globally recognized rideshare services in 2009. The initial services model offered on-demand taxi only. The notable distinctions of this model from traditional taxi businesses include:
Booking a taxi through mobile app
Privately-owned vehicles
Ensuring pickup at passenger’s doorstep
Uber with its on-demand taxi business went on a taxi disruption spree. Every state capital and other metropolitan areas adopted Uber quickly. As the competition heated up with the advent of Lyft in the US and other apps elsewhere, Uber incorporated more features. While initially it offered payment through credit card only, the service integrated multiple payment gateways later.
Although the business model remained same for roughly the initial three years, yet the rideshare giant expanded its targeted niche with Uber Black, Uber Select, UberXL, UberSUV, and a bunch of region specific services.
Out of all the services, on-demand Bike Rideshare Platform is or simply Uber MOTO deserves a separate. The service enables passengers to schedule a bike along with qualified rider who drives the passenger to desired location. Bike rides are gaining attraction for their small cost of operation allowing drivers and service provider to earn more. They are also ideal for customers who intend to save money.
Lyft started with the same business model offering on-demand taxi as Uber in 2012. However, this startup based its marketing on touting its social responsibility efforts regarding assistance to drivers. This was significant because Uber drivers earned lesser while they worked more than Lyft drivers.
Carpool App
Uber remained an undisputed ride-hailing giant for three years. It was impractical for a new startup to outperform Uber with the same business model and marketing. Thus, the model of Via was based on carpooling. In essence, it allowed passengers to book a seat in a ride instead of booking the entire vehicle. This idea worked for the following reasons:
The average fare is lower as it is divided among each passenger in a ride.
The average car occupancy in the US and UK is 1.67 and 1.59 persons, respectively. Carpooling earns support of administrations due to its ability to significantly reduce traffic.
All of the on-demand taxi features except pickup from passenger’s doorstep.
Routes are not fixed. Instead, they are dynamic depending on the pickup points and final destination.
Although carpooling does not ensure to pick passengers precisely from their location every time, yet it does pick them from a nearby pickup – mostly located in a 500 meters radius. It rests on service provider of rideshare software to change the size of this radius. In some cases, customer’s location falls in the way of vehicle’s route.
Dynamic routes imply that the path of ride would update each time when it accepts a request from a passenger. This feature ensures that a vehicle follows the most suitable path despite the fact that the pickup locations of passengers are spread.
Carpooling model remained highly successful as it prompted Uber to adopt it in 2014. Uber branded its version as UberPOOL. Although Lyft introduced mobile app-based carpooling years later, yet its founders offered interstate rideshare pooling even before existence of Uber through Zimride.
Rideshare Software for Rental Rides
Considering the success of on-demand economy, some of the existing rental companies as well as startups launched on-demand car rental services. These services differed from carpooling and taxi services in a number of ways:
Vehicles in on-demand car rental model are used for short spans. A customer can acquire it for as low as 30 minutes.
The driver is unavailable. Requesting party is responsible to drive the vehicle. However, some services offer driver upon request.
Customers are able to unlock the vehicle using personal machine readable cards.
Geo-fence or operational area is excessively large as compared to carpool or taxi services. Thus, customers can take the vehicle outside the city too.
Enterprise CarShare, Cars By Hour, Zipcar, and Turo are some of the notable examples in the US which have implemented this model. There is a massive market for on-demand car rental services because people often require traveling to multiple locations within a relatively small time. If instead they choose to travel by taxi, the cost would be substantially higher. Choosing carpool would take far more time on average.
Rideshare Software App for Bikes provides another variant. The only difference is that of type of vehicle. The bikes in rideshare businesses do not offer rider unlike on-demand bikes. Moreover, it is impractical to use bikes for long distance rideshare. This model gained immense popularity after the introduction of electric scooters. Both Uber and Lyft offer e-scooters now.
Ridesharing Management Software
With rideshare businesses operating at such a broad scale, it is essential for service providers to have a flexible underlying rideshare platform. The providers would require scale up and integration of more features in future.
For instance, if your company currently offers on-demand taxi, you would soon need to expand it to offer carpooling and rental rides too. This is because governments are aiming to adopt mobility-as-a-service model which implies integration of various business models into large-scale transportation networks.
CabStartup is at the forefront of rideshare innovations occurred in the past five years. We developed successful startups as well as assisted existing taxi and transportation companies to achieve sustainability. We would love to have you as one of our partners so that we can innovate together. Start the free trial of CabStartup rideshare software right now.
Dozens of ride-hailing startups make their ways into the market every year. Although only a few of them manage to survive for over a couple of years, yet the competition is still getting tougher. Some essential features are unmistakable while others are complementing the existing features of a ride-hailing app. However, the fierce competition demands proactive approach to add even more innovative features which enable you to outperform the rivals.
This article suggests five features whose adoption is going to be crucial for ride-hailing companies in the upcoming times. Three of these options are already being tested by ride-hailing giants like Uber.
Fullstack subscription
If you own a ride-hailing business, there is a good chance that you might want to introduce another on-demand startup as well in the future. It is advisable to offer various services from same app to prevent customers from multiple-app overheads.
Uber initially offered ride hailing app but started Uber Eats as a subsidiary. The two business models work independently in their respective domains. Each model has its own ride hailing apps to serve customers and drivers.
However, Uber’s recent stint involves offering a range of previously independent services from primary Uber app. In essence, customers can now order food via Uber app originally meant for ride-hailing. This update received decent reception from customers who have lesser apps to manage. Uber successfully experimented mergers of its businesses in the past too.
Apart from facilitating customers by providing all services through a single app, Uber is also starting to expand its subscription offers. With its first such subscription package, Uber offers free food delivery and jump scooter rides apart from discounted rides on other ride-hailing options.
Lite Ride Hailing App
As the competition between ride-hailing businesses is heating up, lite versions of apps are becoming essential. Research at Think With Google reveals that exhausting phone memory is the most frequent reason for users to delete an app. The study also noted same results for rideshare apps.
A lite app is a variant of the original app consuming markedly lesser memory than the original version. For instance, Uber Lite consumes 5MB space on Android devices whereas original Uber app takes 180MB. In all, lite variants of ride-hailing apps offer following benefits.
It consumes roughly 36 times lesser memory considering Uber for Android.
Lite apps are compatible with older Android devices.
Processing speed of lite apps is faster on older devices.
However, lite apps provide only a limited functionality as compared to the regular apps. Still, it fulfills the essential needs of passengers. For instance, it provides a simple interface to book ride. Although the map for tracking drivers does not update in real time as in the case of regular app, yet it updates every 10 seconds or less.
Besides, Uber Lite does not offer feature to change pickup location once added. While it offers communication through phone call, the feature for chat is absent. Nevertheless, feature for change of pickup point can be easily added during ride-hailing app development or later without costing a significant change in size of app.
PIN for public places
Both Lyft and Uber are testing a new feature which is aimed at reducing the wait time at airports or, for that matter, all public places. Instead of usual procedure where a passenger requests the ride and one of the nearest drivers accepts it, this ride-hailing app feature allows passengers to schedule the first available ride in queue at airport.
The passenger shares unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) with the first available driver who then enters the PIN into s/he’s app. This way the two parties connect. Rest of the procedure is as usual.
The feature enables rideshare services to serve passengers at airport in markedly lesser time as the vehicles are already available in queue.
Besides, it would save costs and time of drivers as well who often have to travel miles before reaching the location of passenger. PIN feature is a win-win-win for ride-hailing service providers, drivers, and passengers.
Uber for Healthcare
Ambulances serve as the de facto standard for decades to drive patients to healthcare centers. The cost of ambulance includes patient care staff and healthcare equipment apart from the ride itself.
However, research indicates that most of the cases where an ambulance services are sought do not pose a serious threat to patient’s life. Moreover, the statistics from the US urban areas reveal that time consumed by Uber is half of what an ambulance takes on average.
Regardless of the knowledge about these statistics, urban residents are more inclined toward calling an Uber instead of an ambulance. One academic study supports this claim. It confirms 7% reduction in per capita ambulance seeking volume since advent of UberX. The significantly smaller costs and time consumption of ride-hailing services explain this shift.
Considering the number of people seeking ride-hailing services to transport patients, it would be appropriate to keep a specific section in ride-hailing apps. Although you do not need to keep dedicated drivers to serve such ride requests, yet the driver would be in knowledge that the scheduled rider is a patient. The dispatch bot system for medical transportation software is essentially the same as that for ride-hailing systems.
Cryptocurrency for Ride Hailing Companies
The ride-hailing companies until now – and up to some point in future – are using centralized payment approach. In essence, they use services of third party payment gateway providers. These gateways include credit cards from banks and other online payment systems like PayPal and Stripe. Using this approach, they need to pay a percentage of earning to service providers.
However, they can prevent a share of gateway providers by incorporating decentralized payment approach for your business. Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin offers the most effective decentralized method for ride-hailing apps. The giants in ride-hailing industry including Uber, Lyft, and Via in the US and those elsewhere are planning to introduce Blockchain-based payment.
The adoption of this approach would be a paradigm shift but undeniably challenging. Ride-hailing consumers are using traditional centralized method for over a decade. Thus, the challenge involves encouraging and enabling them to use the service seamlessly.
An effective approach to achieve this feat would be keeping the existing methods while offering payment through cryptocurrency in parallel so that people can use traditional payment scheme as well while they learn the new one.
Start your ride-hailing business today with an unparalleled dispatch platform from CabStartup. You can begin the free trial of platform right now.
There are flexible options for taxi business owners and startup enthusiasts to choose the most suitable taxi management software. A range of software systems and platforms allows customers to acquire one which remains within their financial budget. CabStartup offers taxi dispatch platform as well as Uber app clone. The business owners who intend to acquire one of the modules separately use app clones. The details of platform are shared below.
Dispatch Platform Overview
This is a complete cloud-based platform which includes apps for passenger, driver, a dispatch panel and an admin panel.
Passenger App in Taxi Management Software
The taxi companies and startups utilizing CabStartup platform provide their passengers with an app having easy interface and efficient software. The app has following features.
Two-Tap Booking
Frequent users of ride-hailing apps often travel to some locations more than the other. Thus, it is wise to offer them a quick booking option. The app for passengers allows them to tap onto of the suggested locations which appear once the passenger opens the app. First tap enables them to select the location while second tap confirms the request for ride.
Proximity Search
The app informs passenger about all the drivers located in the vicinity. This feature enables them to pick the most suitable ride depending on time and cost factor. For instance, the nearest ride may not be the cheapest one. Conversely, the passenger aims to schedule the cheapest ride which might be farther than expensive rides. Therefore, proximity feature provides flexibility in choosing the ride with suitable options.
Encrypted Chat
Privacy concerns are peaking for the past few years. Owing to the demands in GDPR for Europe and state legislations in the US, CabStartup offers encrypted chat. Thus, no third-party can access the driver-passenger chat remotely. The access requires acquiring permission from local transportation regulators. This encryption ensures excessive satisfaction for passengers.
Real-time Tracking and ETA
The passengers can track the ride in real-time once s/he schedules a ride. This GPS-powered technology shows the current location of driver with an error margin of less than a meter. ETA or estimated arrival time also keeps on updating as the driver approaches near. Both taxi tracking software and ETA are vital for time management at passengers’ end.
The Driver of Choice
Many passengers are more comfortable while traveling with some drivers than others. CabStartup platform also facilitates passengers to request the driver of their choice. This facility further enhances the flexibility of choosing the most appropriate ride after proximity search.
Automated Fare Estimation
Fare estimate is crucial for every passenger who intends to acquire economical rides. Irrespective of passenger’s intention, CabStartup passenger app provides automated estimation on fare before confirmation of each ride. The app also provides information on surge pricing. In essence, the fare might be higher at times due to excessive demand. In such times, the fare multiplies by a factor which is calculated using number of available rides and distance from passenger’s pickup location.
Flexible Payment Options
The app enables passengers to pay via one of the payment methods. Apart from credit card, the app also offers e-wallet which maintains credit on customer’s and driver’s end. E-wallet allows passengers to top-up their balance and use it until the existing balance exhausts. Ride-hailing companies offer passengers to pay via hard cash in some countries where passengers rarely use credit card. Thus, CabStartup also integrates option for hard cash payment.
Push Notifications for Ride Status
Once a passenger schedules a ride, the app notifies passenger with every update that s/he should know. For instance, the app alarms the passenger when the taxi approaches within one minute of pickup location and once it arrives. Moreover, passenger also receives notification for message from driver and for e-receipt after the ride ends.
Rating and Feedback
Feedback enables taxi and ride-hailing companies to improve services and eliminate the shortcomings. The app allows passengers to rate the driver from 1 to 5 inclusive. Apart from rating, it also allows passengers to leave a feedback. The structure of feedback feature is defined in such a way that each bad review goes to the administration which reassesses it to penalize or acquit driver accordingly.
Accessing Trip History and Receipt
The passengers are able to access history of each of their previous trips. This facility enables them to rate the driver and ride at some later point. Moreover, the feature also enables them to review their trip fare and complaint if they suspect an unjust charge. At the end of each trip, the app generates an automated email and a text message which are directed to the email address and phone number associated with passenger’s profile.
The dispatch platform includes driver app which capacitates drivers to increase efficiency and earn more in lesser time. The most notable features of driver app are as follows.
Real-time Route Optimization
Driver app provides the most suitable route to passenger’s pickup location and then to the drop-off location. This AI-based route planner updates the route in real-time depending on the changing traffic volumes on various roads. The recommendation of route depends on multiple factors including traffic volume, distance to the intended location, and quality of roads.
Eliminating Idle Time
One of the most painful factors for taxi drivers and gig workers of ride-hailing companies is the excessive idle time before one gets a ride. CabStartup driver app informs drivers about other drivers in the vicinity. This ability allows them to relocate to a region within the geo-fence where demand is relatively higher. In this way, drivers can markedly reduce idle time.
Automated Fare Split
As per usual practices, a part of the fare goes to the taxi company while the rest of it is divided between driver and vehicle owner. Instead of grilling the administration in manually calculating share of each stakeholder, CabStartup automatically splits the fare. The app shares the information of split with drivers, vehicle owners, and admins while keeping it hidden from passengers.
Change Availability Status
The taxi management app allows drivers to go offline whenever they intend so. While taxi companies keep full-time employees, ride-hailing startups mostly hire gig workers. The workers in latter case are not confined to serve fixed number of hours. Instead, they can go offline as many times in a day as they want. CabStartup facilitates them by going offline with a single tap on smartphone app.
Drivers in Vicinity
Each driver is able to determine the number of drivers and the consequent degree of demand in an area. The demand varies inversely with number of drivers. An area has more idle drivers when available vehicles are more than number of requesting passengers. Vicinity assessment allows drivers to reposition them in a way that each of them is able to get rides.
Passenger Request Details
The app shows details of passenger who requests the ride. Apart from facilitation in ensuring that driver picks the right passenger, this feature also enables drivers to assess passengers through accumulative of their ratings. Since the app allows drivers to cancel a ride request, the drivers can decide to cancel it at any time before picking up the passenger.
Easy Communication
There are instances where driver is unable to locate passenger due to incorrect pickup location set by the latter. The app enables drivers to facilitate passengers by communicating with them in real-time via messages as well as phone call. CabStartup integrates either in-app chat and call or regular text messages and phone calls. The former requires continuous and fast internet connection. Thus, in-app conversation works well in regions with high-speed internet availability.
Feedback about Passenger
In the early years of ride-hailing industry, only passengers had the ability to rate drivers. This limitation was highly discouraging at drivers’ end since they were unable to share their side of the story in case of a bad feedback. CabStartup driver app ensures that your drivers can also rate passengers and provide feedback about them.
E-Wallet and History
Like passengers, drivers can maintain in-app wallet which keeps them updated about their day-long, week-long, and month-long earnings. They can also seek reports on previous rides with minute details including duration of ride, distance traveled, and amount of earning. This history assists drivers in settling the disputes by providing actionable evidence.
Dispatch Panel Software for Taxi Business
Apart from customer and driver apps, a comprehensive dispatch platform also includes dispatch panel. Apps are completely automated with no requirement for middleman software. However, there are unusual circumstances where dispatch panel is vital. Following are the use cases of dispatch panel.
Ensuring Security of Riders
The panel shows each vehicle in real-time unless the driver goes offline. It is mandatory for drivers to remain online while they are scheduled to pick-up and drop-off a ride. Thus, the dispatcher can monitor each ride inside geo-fence. Moreover, they can zoom-in and out to view details. Even if the rider goes offline during a pending ride, dispatcher can use micro details to investigate the case.
Auto Dispatch
Dispatch panel serves as the gateway between passenger’s request and driver’s acceptance. This gateway ensures that each ride request gets the most appropriate ride depending on one’s choice of vehicle and current location. The search request from passenger app goes to the dispatch panel which connects the request to a driver.
Cloud-based Cab Dispatch Software
The request is served at dispatch panel to prevent excessive load on passenger app. CabStartup ensures that app carries less size as compared to other ride-hailing companies. The cloud-based dispatch panel is scalable. In essence, the dispatch remains active and provides seamless services regardless of the heavy load during peak hours. Thus, both passengers and drivers get a remarkable user experience while dispatch software takes care of all the performance-intensive activities.
Dispute Settlement
Cab dispatch software is capable of sharing minute information regarding rides. This ability enables dispatch staff to settle disputes and address complaints from passengers. Although passengers and drivers get a copy of electronic invoice at the end of the ride through email and text, yet dispatch software allows settling old disputes as well. The dynamic databases provide requisite information within seconds.
Admin Panel
The business owners, executives, and managers need to know the business insights, performance shortfalls, and factors that are contributing to high efficiency. Admin panel is a complete software system which takes care of each of these activities.
Executive Information System
EIS is an information-rich dashboard depicting data visualization of various aspects of business. It shares the number of rides in a specified time period, percentage changes, consumer behavior toward marketing campaigns, and a bunch of other insightful pieces of information. EIS allows owners to evaluate performance, and hence align strategy to regional needs.
Controlling Driver Status
Administration should have the ability to block or reinstate any driver. CabStartup admin panel allows admins to perform this activity in a matter of seconds. Moreover, they can also schedule the reinstatement time. In essence, an admin can block a driver from getting rides and set the panel to automatically reinstate driver after a predetermined duration.
Redefining Fares and Geo-fence
Admin panel enables authorized staff to redefine fares of services. Although the surge pricing automatically applies when the availability of vehicles drops below a threshold, yet admins can change the base fare too. Furthermore, admin panel in this taxi service management software allows admins to modify geo-fence or sketch a new one altogether.
Commission Percentage Calculator
Commission calculation is an automated task performed by an underlying calculator. It saves the information about each ride carried by every driver and continues to calculate percentage. The interface is designed so as to provide commission of every driver separately below one’s name. The panel also provides the ability to share results with relevant drivers.
Access Hierarchy
Entire platform of taxi management software has multiple levels of data. The employees, gig workers, and executives possess different levels of access hierarchy. A driver cannot access information which is irrelevant to one’s job. This hierarchical structure of data is referred to as Access Control Layer or ACL. Multiple security layers protect the data from unauthorized access.
Sending Promotional Offers
Promotional campaigns are crucial for taxi business marketing. Admin panel enables owners to send promo and referral codes to the selection of users. The owners may select the users based on a number of factors. For instance, they can reward a frequent user with occasional discount or an abandoned user to restart using services. Referral codes are intended to target users who have never used the services before.
Selection between Dispatch Platform and Taxi Management App Clone
App clones are specific for businesses which intend to acquire either driver or passenger apps separately. These apps do not have dispatch and admin panels integrated with them. The Uber app clones are complete packages with pre-built features. Following comparison should enable you to decide which option works best for your business.
Pricing Structure for Taxi Booking and Dispatch Software
CabStartup has a diverse but crystal-clear pricing structure with no underlying charges apart from those stated. The owners targeting app clones need to share the detailed features with our experts that they intend to incorporate in apps. Thus, the price range of app clone may vary depending on the desired features. However, the owners aiming to acquire dispatch platform can use one-time enterprise solution.
CabStartup offers all four modules including passenger apps, driver apps, dispatch panel, and admin panel absolutely free for the first two drivers. Besides, you can also access every module of taxi management software free of cost for 14 days. This cost-free offer is aimed at enabling you to evaluate our platform.
One-Time Payment
Alternatively, you may access the entire platform by paying all at once once. The cost of one-time payment solution varies depending on the number of drivers. Mostly, businesses with 100 or more drivers use our one-time payment plan because it is more economical to them. Regardless of the plan you acquire, the platform is scalable. In essence, you can increase the number of drivers to as many as you wish.
Additional Features
Although CabStartup platform and app clone are comprehensive solutions which completely fulfill the needs of your business. However, you may choose to acquire following additional features to gain notable competitive advantage over rivals.
CabStartup apps serve as a white label solution. In essence, you can customize the apps with your business name, logo, motto, and other descriptive details. This customization costs $200 only. As a result of this customization, you will be able to enhance the brand identity while keeping CabStartup platform as the underlying software.
Custom Payment Gateway
Braintree – a notable payment gateway and a subsidiary of PayPal – is already integrated with the platform. However, you can have a gateway of your choice as well or a custom gateway which hides the identity of payment service provider. The acquisition of custom gateway takes additional charges of $3000 while its integration with platform takes $20 only.
Brand Designing
If you are unsure about brand name, the logo, and other branding attributes, CabStartup ride-hailing experts and designers can do this job for you. Our branding professionals can develop logos, icons, app theme, color scheme, and other promotional features. The development of these branding features takes $50 only.
Do I Need Software for Taxi Business
Taxi management software is applicable in a range of business models. If you are uncertain if this platform is going to be valuable for your business or not, consider the following points.
I am an existing taxi company owner
You own a taxi company which operates on traditional practices including manual dispatch and radio call service. The acquisition and integration of CabStartup platform would significantly cut down your operational cost. Moreover, it will increase your market share with marked improvement in services.
If you have already tried a software system but it did not work well, CabStartup can eliminate the problems and pull you out of the crisis. You can use the free trial to find out why CabStartup would work notably better than any other platform provider.
I own or intend to introduce bike taxi services
The densely populated and vast urban areas are suitable for starting bike taxi or scooter sharing service. CabStartup platform does not only help bike taxi businesses but shared mobility startups as well. However, bike-pooling requires addition of few features which enable bikes to have smart devices that can be controlled via smartphone apps.
I want to launch another ride-hailing startup
Ride-hailing and other on-demand startups are gaining remarkable traction from investors. You can choose to launch a startup which targets the same market as Uber and Lyft. Our experts can assist you in crafting an effective idea or sketching the scope of a business model if you struggling in tackling these challenges.
Moreover, you can also use CabStartup platform for launching an on-demand healthcare startup with medical transportation software which enables customers to seek services of doctors and nurses at home. Similarly, a food delivery or parcel delivery service also uses the same technology with few cosmetic amendments.
Let’s Get It Started
The development of taxi management software is disrupting for some taxi companies whereas revolutionary for others. The taxi owners who utilize this software are able to increase their profit margins by manifolds. However, the ones who refuse to use it face disruption sooner or later.
CabStartup is the reason of success behind dozens of startups and taxi companies currently operating around the world. We would love to become your technology provider. If you still have questions, contact us so that one of our experts can assist you. Choose your plan right now and start evaluation of CabStartup platform by using the free trial.
Many entrepreneurs fear that rideshare bubble is going to burst soon. They reason out that the number of services currently operating is already way too high to create room for another rideshare software app. However, the statistics from past two years indicate that rideshare boom is not going to end any sooner. In fact, such business will continue to emerge and sustain for decades.
This article shares market analysis and consumer behavior as studied by credible firms in the past two years. It also reveals some of the rideshare services which emerged in the past two years or less and are on their way to glory.
Consumer Behavior toward Carpool apps
Unlike the widespread belief, average fare is not the only significant factor that drives passengers’ perception about a rideshare company. A number of studies and surveys conducted in the past couple of years indicate a number of factors that rule consumers’ minds while choosing one service over another.
Public reputation. The percentage of Uber riders dropped significantly when the company faced scandalous allegations regarding sexual assault. Besides, the mistreatment of drivers allowed Lyft and other rideshare companies to jump in and build a narrative around ensuring ethical practices in employing drivers. Many companies capitalize on climate change to market their electric car or scooter rideshare services.
Socioeconomic conditions. There is a good proportion of rideshare consumers who would prefer economy over luxury and reputation. Although major rideshare companies have more or less same fares, yet many new startups offer promotional discounts. Uber also heavily subsidized its rides every time when it was hit by allegations. The strategy worked for them as they won back a considerable market share.
Regional Dynamics. The consumer behavior also varies depending on geographical location of a rideshare service. You should not expect bike-pooling or scooter sharing idea to impress in areas where temperatures are relatively high. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California are some of the examples. Besides temperature, population density also leaves huge impact. Carpooling service would most likely incur losses when each of the riders is kilometers apart. It would only be helpful if your business offers long distance ride sharing app.
Market Analysis for Rideshare Software Apps
Private ownership of vehicles is rapidly declining as commuters are adopting rideshare model. Carpooling is not only successful for services with a small geofence. The startups offering interstate rideshare are also incredibly successful.
Reuters reports that global rideshare industry would grow at over 20% between 2019 and 2025 to reach a market size of $220.5 billion. It is notable that this figure does not include ride-hailing market. Despite the introduction of a number of ride sharing services, the gap between demand and supply is growing.
One cause of this increase is the lack of sustainable startups. Thus, the entrepreneurs with carefully crafted business model and efficient set of technology have the opportunity to acquire a part of growing market.
Recent Success Stories
Rideshare companies which started years back are not the only ones generating money. Scores of startups launched in less than two years back are raising millions. Following is a list of some startups which successfully acquired funding. It is notable that these are only a fraction of instances.
Dott
Launched in late 2018, Dott managed to raise $56.6 million across two funding rounds in less than a year. The startup provides an app for dockless electric scooters. It is notable that the company is based in Amsterdam – the city known for excessive use of bikes.
The success of bike highlights the significance of location. This startup might not be as successful as it is in The Netherlands. Young entrepreneurs need to ensure that they perform demographic analysis to identify interests of local population.
Hitch
Many bikeshare startups tried to win a strong consumer-base in Texas but each of those were unwise investments. In the scorching Texas heat, passengers would rarely use bikes. Hitch is providing carpooling for relatively large distances in Texas. The startup offers intercity and inter-county travels.
The first and only funding round raised $0.84 million for the startup since its inception in 2018. This initial success of Hitch rises from its business model which enables passengers to travel between Austin and Houston for $25.
Bird
It is highly rare to find a startup that attains unicorn valuation in less than a year. Electric scooter rideshare startup Bird has done it across four funding rounds. The service was launched in Santa Monica in 2017 and quickly gained a considerable passenger-base. By June 2018, it valued at $2 billion.
One of the top reasons for Bird’s success is its environment friendly narrative. The company has become an apple of regulator’s eyes in California. Its push for biodiversity preservation is selling successfully. Recently, Bird wholly acquired Scoot Networks.
Alto
In a short span of less a year, this Dallas -based on-demand startup raised $14.5 million funding including a Series A round. The company started operations shortly after Uber and Lyft returned from a ban.
It was widely believed that the startup would not be able to survive in presence of rideshare giants. However, it did survive and managed to gain a decent proportion of market share as well.
One factor that helped Alto was its dedicated fleet of vehicles and full-time employment. While other ride-hailing companies face criticism for mistreatment of gig workers, Alto’s fulltime employment boosted its reputation. Moreover, the riders in Alto can customize traveling vehicle experience with multiple options.
How to Start a Rideshare Program?
Following factors are most crucial to start a successful rideshare startup.
Market and consumer analysis for intended region.
A comprehensive business model.
User-friendly interfaces of driver and passenger apps.
Highly fault-tolerant system with unparalleled speeds.
Effective digital marketing with special emphasis to mobile marketing.
The ability of platform to scale up with time for more features and capacity.
Efficient quality assurance teams for occasional audits.
CabStartup experts can help you launch rideshare services with rideshare software app for passengers as well as drivers. Moreover, our cloud-based platform also includes dispatch panel and administration panel. Start our 14 days-long trial for 14 days right now.
Building a taxi business is often a once-in-a-life ambition for entrepreneurs. While the success can lead to a remarkable business, failure can discourages the entrepreneurs keeping them from making ambitious investment. Unfortunately, the failure rate is excessively high because most of the taxi app developers have inefficient software systems.
This article emphasizes the approach to choose taxi app developer by assessing product utilization and efficiency. Besides, it also reveals the role of experience of working with various ride-hailing industries in the growth of a developer. Finally, it shares the unethical pricing strategies followed in the industry before sharing the pricing structure of CabStartup.
Taxi Application Product Utilization
The taxi and ride-hailing businesses have evolved since 2007 to reach the current state with a range of features. The intense state of competition makes some of the features indispensable. There is a considerable probability that the business would fail to grab even the slightest share in market without incorporation of these essential features listed below.
Apart from these essential features, some unique features help you in standing out of the crowd and outperforming the competitors. CabStartup introduced following set of unique features which are enabling startups and taxi companies in topping the charts of ride-hailing market share.
Automation in Taxi Dispatching
Driver and Passenger In-app Wallet
Referral and Promo Campaigns
Payment Gateway Integration
Network Strength
Access Control Level (ACL)
Carpooling or Ridesharing
Developing Brand Identity
CabStartup provides each of these must-have as well as optional features across four software systems including Driver App, Passenger App, Taxi Dispatch Software, and Admin Panel.
Taxi application Product Efficiency
While the range of features defines the utilization of a product, the efficiency of platform reflects its performance. CabStartup offers a number of performance boosters which collectively ensure an outstanding efficiency.
Cloud-based Platform
The cloud hosted on best servers with zero down time ensures that the service never slows down regardless of the number of requests. The engineers regularly test our platform with varying degrees of workloads. These tests confirm that the platform is able to process hundreds of requests per second. It is also scalable so that the capacity can be augmented with increasing number of users.
Besides stability, CabStartup cloud-based taxi mobile app software also provides economic benefits. The companies do not have to necessarily acquire entire suite. Instead, many small businesses are utilizing it for very limited number of drivers. The platform is free for two drivers as the charges are applicable from third driver or more.
Route Planning and Optimization
Regardless of how experienced a driver could be in taxi industry, one must have GPS-powered route optimization. The drivers might know the best routes in usual circumstances. However, there are times when some roads face extraordinary and unexpected blockades. Efficient route optimization software aids big time in such situations.
CabStartup route planner shares information about traffic volume on various roads leading to destinations as well as road closure. It also provides predictive analysis on traffic situation with high precision so that drivers can plan route ahead of time.
It is notable Uber clone apps are strictly-built with a fixed number of features. Many developers offering Uber clone app development face the inability of scaling up the app.
Friendly Interface and User Experience
Most of the users of taxi app platform are unaware of the technical details. It is a commonly occurring problem where an app with fancy interface and a bunch of animations make it tough for users to achieve what they are trying to accomplish with this app. Thus, the app needs to right balance between detailing animations and enhancing user experience.
CabStartup platform ensures that the users have a seamless experience working with it. The driver and passenger apps have extensive interfaces with comfortable navigation. If you intend to rebrand the app, our designers assist in developing the logo and color scheme which is pleasant to the eyes of users.
Taxi App Development for Various Industries
Taxi and ride-hailing industry have multiple use cases. Apart from yellow taxis, black cabs and SUVs, the industry offers bike taxi, private drivers, and paratransit as well. Moreover, three-wheelers, minivans for shuttle services, and water taxis are also gaining popularity.
One of the signs of top taxi app development companies is their experience of working with this wide range of use cases. The experience of working on different business models provides the exposure and insights into the industry.
Moreover, each of these cases poses challenges. CabStartup has the privilege of working on each of the mentioned use cases. The remarkable success rate enabled us to drift on to the top of the industry.
Unambiguous Pricing Model
Many taxi booking app development companies share a vague pricing model when dealing with clients. This strategy allows them to charge massively as the project progresses. While this is unethical practice, it also increases the probability of failure when entrepreneur is facing a financial crunch.
CabStartup has a crystal-clear pricing structure. You can get it through one-time payment. CabStartup does not charge for the first two drivers. The variation in price depends on the size of your fleet and number of additional features that you aim to incorporate.
You can have a redesign of apps including app name, description and logo for $200 to build your unique recognition. The cost of payment gateway integration and customization is $3000 and $20, respectively. Besides, $50 for brand identity can have you attain a unique brand. Each of these figures is one-time payment.
CabStartup offers its clients to test the platform before acquiring it. Access our complete technology suite today for 14 days-long trial.
Every business depends on proper research about the market, product, and competitors, target audience and their presence. A detailed study of all these things plays a major role in your success. In the taxi business, research about your competitors, marketing strategies, and knowledge about customer behavior can help you to build an effective business strategy.
Are you running a taxi business and looking for the best Uber clone script to make your business successful? If so, then you are at the right place. In this blog, we are going to discuss the best Uber clone for your taxi business and its features to grow your business successfully.
Cab Startup taxi dispatch solution.
CabStartup Uber clone is up to the latest industry standards. It offers
· Reliable coding standards
· Attractive UI/UX design
· Additional Unique Features
· 24/7 full technical support until your taxi app becomes live
· Affordable price plans
· Get your app under your Brand Name and Logo.
App under Your Brand Name and Logo:
CabStartup taxi app provides app under your brand name and logo. Passenger app, driver app, admin panel and dispatcher panel are based on your brand color or preferences.
24/7 Technical Support until the taxi app launch:
After signing the contract, a dedicated team will be working with you for app development completion as well as customer support services to guide you effectively in app submission and approval process in Google and Apple play store.
Affordable Price Plans:
CabStartup cloud-based taxi dispatch solution is suitable for small, medium, and large sized companies. We understand your business and suggest the most suitable package for your business needs. We provide:
· Passenger Android app
· Driver Android app
· Passenger IOS App
· Driver IOS app
· Admin panel
· Dispatcher panel
We don’t compromise on quality and our standards that’s why we always upgrade our taxi software to the latest versions and update with exclusive features.
In today’s world, everyone wants to be number 1 which creates a lot of competition to provide outclass software solution and services. Being number 1 takes a lot of time, dedication, and hard work. Below are some significant ideas to stand out from the competition.
CabStartup Features:
CabStartup features are distinctive which makes it stand out from other competitors with similar platforms. Here are some of the interactive features of CabStartup:
Auto Dispatching:
It is a simple, fast and enticing booking software for your clients online that track drivers in real time, fairly distribute jobs, track vehicle route and provides updated reports.
Web bookings:
Allows booking taxi online with our booking system. It is a user-friendly system that helps cab companies to make their business stronger and increase their revenue.
Scheduled bookings:
A feature of scheduled bookings allows to schedule a ride in nearly all cities where CabStartup is available.
Referral Code:
In order for your business to capture overall market share, our package offers you a feature of referral program in which passengers can invite and earn. Users can send invitations to their friends using email, SMS and social media.
Access Control level:
You can assign a different access level to your users. For example, you can allow users to view only driver related information or passenger related information. You can control all these access from your admin panel.
Wallet Feature:
Driver Wallet:
The driver can know how much amount he has in his wallet that he has to pay to admin when that amount is paid it will automatically be deducted from his wallet.
Passenger Wallet:
Wallet for the passenger, where users’ credit will be stored which he/she will be able to use for service requests in the future. Admin will also be able to add or deduct the passenger’s wallet. Passengers would be able to get the updated status if they pay more than the fare that was calculated for the ride.
Premium Support:
The feature of premium support allows the account manager to stay in touch with you and rectify any issue and keep the team aligned as well. As a premium client, your issues will be given highest priority and your issues will be resolved in the minimum time possible.
Geo-Fencing:
Geo-Fencing is a location-based service that allows business owners to send relevant messages to smartphone users who enter a pre-defined geographical area. It allows administrators to create a virtual barrier around a location on a map. CabStartup has adopted geofencing feature by setting up a geofence around the location of a passenger’s pickup, which when breached by the driver, automatically alerts the passenger via SMS.
Route Optimization:
The hired driver would be able to view a route from his current location to the pickup location of the passenger and after pickup can also view the route to reach the drop-off location from the pickup spot. The driver will be able to view navigation using Google Maps.
Payment Integration:
Master card, visa card, Braintree and Paypal are payment integration options for availing CabStartup taxi services.
Access Control:
Business owners will have complete access to advanced features like access control levels, which allow business owners to create accounts for your employees like finance manager, operations manager, business manager, and other people. You can allocate privileges to them, which means that you’ll define which pages/actions of admin they can access and which pages/actions they can’t access.
Promo Codes:
Many new startups are using promo codes and free trials to attract users to use their platforms. It is an exciting feature available in the CabStartup solution. In the admin panel menu, you will be able to see the ‘Promos’ option. If you click on it a new page will open, which will allow to see all the previously created promo codes and their details in a table and you would also be able to add a new promo.
As an admin, you would be able to launch three types of promos i.e. Fixed Price Discount Promo, Percentage Discount Promo, and Free Ride Promo.
Send Notifications:
In the admin panel, there is an option of sending notifications as there would be situations in which you would like to send a notification to a group of app users, passengers or drivers.
Reports:
It allows you to generate reports of passengers, drivers, trips, and payments. You would be able to filter out the data of passengers, drivers, trips, and payments by mentioning the dates and whether you need a report for active or inactive users. Trip-related reports can also be filtered based on the trip status that might include canceled, in progress, missed, or completed. All the generated reports can also be exported to excel.
Advanced Settings:
In the admin panel, you can apply settings according to your needs, like: you can set the Language of the platform (English, French, Spanish), Currency, Date Format, Distance Unit (KM, Mile), Time Zone, Payment Gateway (Braintree, Stripe, Conekta), Support Contacts (Email, Phone Number) and most importantly the Fare Calculation Formula.
Pickup /Drop off:
Passengers can select a pickup point from the search bar and select the desired location from the list. A passenger also has the option to choose a pickup location from Nearby, Recent, Airport, Train Stations, and hotels.
Fare Estimate:
The passenger can review estimated trip fare by providing pick up and drop off locations. The passenger can edit drop off, choose car type to view the estimated fare and can also generate the request from this screen.
Excellency in services matters a lot in business success. Providing excellent service plays a crucial role in any business. Moreover, keeping an eye on your business and competitors and on the latest tech updates in your business is mandatory for your business success. Now, most of the taxi businesses are using online cloud-based taxi dispatch solution for their business. If you want to get a reliable solution, Sign up today! You can get a 14-day free trial.
The taxi application platform of CabStartup has evolved over the time. Working with clients from various industries enabled us to constantly update the platform with new features and performance boosters. The platform primarily consists of four components. Startup enthusiasts and taxi business owners may choose to acquire entire taxi hailing app platform or a part of it.
Moreover, they can access cloud-based model through one-time payment. Following are the four components of CabStartup.
Taxi Hailing App for Drivers
The purpose of building the app for drivers carried the aim of rightful distribution of vehicles in entire operational region. Prior to this app, some areas in a region had more vehicles than demand whereas other areas lacked the number of vehicles. This uneven distribution did not only reduce the revenue but also increased cost of operations.
Driver app reveals the number of vehicles in a vicinity to each driver. Besides, the app also indicates surge pricing as a factor of demand. Apart from these features, the app provides route optimization, in-app wallet, and unique profiles for each driver.
Taxi Booking App for Passengers
The passengers could book a ride through phone call and schedule the pickup at their doorstep even before the existence of passenger app. However, CabStartup enabled taxi companies to find the estimated arrival time through proximity feature before scheduling. Moreover, the passengers can track the vehicle in real-time.
Apart from tracking the approaching vehicle, customers can also share the real-time location with any number of their contacts. This feature provides security satisfaction to passengers once they are onboard. Besides, the app offers quick scheduling by suggesting users about the recently visited locations. Choosing from recent locations ensures booking in only two taps.
Assistance to Dispatch Staff
The passengers and drivers connect and schedule rides directly with their respective apps. However, the presence of dispatch panel ensures monitoring and surveillance of each ride. This Taxi Dispatch Panel shares real-time as well as historical data for each ride. Real-time data provides monitoring while historical data is essential to resolve disputes.
The panel also ensures that each passenger gets the most suitable driver. This suitability parameter is measured in proximity of driver, selected ride type, and driver’s consent. Dispatch software is capable of processing hundreds of requests per second. Moreover, the efficient cloud-based platform ensures to completely eliminate downtime.
Insightful Admin Panel
Knowing the statistics about periodic growth is crucial for business leaders. CabStartup platform offers Taxi Admin Panel which provides tools for data analytics. The tools do not require technical expertise as multiple layers of abstraction ensure easy interface while hiding technical details. Moreover, this panel included in ride hailing app platform features insightful dashboards which visualize performance stats in the form of dynamic graphs, charts, and tables.
Administrative access enables the admins to search registered drivers and vehicles, set geofencing, and offer promo codes. Besides, they can redefine access to various features by modifying access control layer.
Test Our Taxi Hailing App Platform Right Now
The ride hailing companies including startups as well as taxi services are successfully utilizing CabStartup for their business. The growth attained by each of the companies with our taxi application indicates the efficiency. Most of these success stories had struggling past until incorporated CabStartup.
We would love to become your technology provider as well. Start the free trial for our software today.
