How Much Does It Cost to create an App like Uber

Uber's success is great and overwhelming: UberCab was founded by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick in 2009. It was officially established in San Francisco. It happened in 2011. The name was changed to Uber the same year. Company has become larger: its service was used in 390 cities globally in a few years.

According to Statista, the global net Uber revenue of the first half of 2016 the mobile transportation network company generated net revenues of more than 2 billion U.S. dollars worldwide as shown below:

Story of Uber’s success encourages people to think about establishing their business with a similar idea. So if you are going to run a taxi business, then developing Uber-like application is a must for earning income. The core features, technologies, Uber-like app development rough estimation are provided in the article.

The key reasons of Uber’s popularity

1. Using credit or debit cards that were a great innovation in transport industry was a huge benefit provided to the users.

2. Riders can get great discounts by using promo codes that leads to cheap fares in comparison with other taxis especially.

3. By applying Uber drivers can do their jobs at flexible working hours, earn more in comparison with usual drivers.

4. Similarity in becoming Uber driver, as little credentials and experience are required in comparison with taxi drivers.

5. Friendly technology appliance makes travel application very easy, safe, convenient.

Stack of technologies to build an app like Uber

• Server, mapping, payments are key pillars we lean on to build the clone application. Programming languages: Node.js, PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, Python.
• OpenStreetMap API, Google Maps, Google Location Services API, CoreLocation, MapKit.
• Paytm, BrainTree, Stripe, PayPal mobile SDK gateway adapters.
• Google Firebase, Apple Push for the push notification building.
• Cloud communication platforms Nexmo,Twilio, Plivo, Tropo can be used for SMS sendouts.

How Uber works

The general Uber logic is presented below in five simple steps:

1. Request. Vehicle can be ordered instantly, or on schedule, the nearest driver gets the details about the forthcoming ride.

2. Acceptance. The forthcoming ride can be accepted or declined. After rejecting, another available driver receives it.

3. Ride. The coming car is tracked, the evaluated arrival time is known for passenger.

4. Payment. It can be made cashless or through the app based on previously calculated price that simplifies the process.

5. Rating. This vital component increases reliability of Uber's service.

Also, you can read: How Much Does It Cost to build a Chat App like SnapChat

Driver application features

The main functions are provided below:

• Registration. It is essential for making payments, viewing rating, history, etc. Passenger should register or sign in for acting within the application.
• Booking requests reply. If a driver is able to pick up some passengers, their requests should be rejected/accepted.
• Push Notifications. Reminders about available requests for riding, visibility on the map, activity status.
• History of bookings. Visited places, checked income, the amount of the work done are kept in the application.

Passenger app features

Passenger app is more comprehensive, because the client uses more activities for finding, hiring a comfortable type of vehicle. The mandatory functionality is performed below:

• Registration. User should register by using email address, phone number, any social networks.
• Booking a taxi. A user can call a taxi by entering the address, select a car type or specific driver, provide location information for pickup.
• Fare calculator. The cost with certain car type is calculated before placing an order.
• Driver tracking. The coming car can be tracked on the map by using GPS in order to plan your time effectively.
• Processing the payments. They can be made automatically with credit card, or by cash after an invoice is received.
• Driver’s reviews, rating. Feedback can be made after taking a ride in order drivers become well-motivated to leave impression on passengers.
• Push notifications. This option provides passengers with essential information about riding in order not to miss the car, etc.
• Profile settings. Different profile details can be changed with this vital option.
• Ride History. The common trip location can be reused in a few taps, or recalled based on the visited places.

Admin Dashboard

All the useful data about passengers, drivers, trips are kept in one place enabling to view analytics, details about vehicles, trip invoices, to track the drivers’ activity. The scope of admin features depends on the requirements and can vary.

Uber rough estimation

The top-of-mind concern how much does an Uber cost will become applicable if there is a first-rate idea to work out a successful product similar to Uber. According to Statista report, the mobile development average rates per hour are highlighted below:

• North America: $60-$250;
• Western Europe: $40 -$120;
• United Kingdom: $60- $150;
• Eastern Europe: $20-$100;

Frontend part for iOS will cost min $6.280 and/or $7.240 for Android. Backend will cost about $2000, design (wireframing, UI/UX) will cost around $3.480. Uber app rough estimation has been presented  based on the statistically average rates.

Feature-oriented method, work breakdown structure, expert judgement were applied to evaluate efforts and time. If you want to implement your own idea, more accurate evaluation can be provided for being aware of the cost to make an app like Uber.

Bottom line

The prime importance should be considered while thinking how to create an app like Uber: it consists of two individual applications: passenger and driver ones. Passenger app is for people who book a taxi, a driver app is for people who get orders, then ride you to the desired location. DDI Development company has an experienced team of highly skilled mobile engineers who are ready to implement your idea into digital solution.