How to create an app like Uber: React Native app development cost

Such applications as Uber look like an insurmountable goal for regular people. Once it was launched, it stole the show. And it changed everything in the taxi world.

The good news is that you can create an app like Uber in just 1,500 hours. Sounds impressive but it makes the goal measurable and achievable. All you need is a company providing React Native services and an outstanding development team who know exactly what they’re doing.

Before planning your budget, let’s see why Uber is so popular and discuss what you need to develop a React Native app like it.

Typical Features of a Taxi App

Booking Rides

This section is the most important because it defines the taxi app as it is. Users should have an opportunity to book the ride in just a couple of seconds without the necessity to provide a lot of details. Just type in the destination address, and the app will plan your ride.

Fare Calculations

The next important feature is the price calculations, considering all factors that affect the final cost: ride options (UberX, Comfort, Green, Van, Shuttle, etc.), weather conditions, demand, discount opportunities, etc.

Displaying Trip Details

To attract customers to your side, you need to provide them with information in advance about the different types of taxis, fares, estimated travel times, etc. This will give users all the options available to choose the most suitable one.

Finding a Driver

If the customer agrees with the trip details and confirms their order, the app sends the request to the nearest available drivers. It is important not to miss the client’s attention at this moment so one can observe the map of the nearest cars. Knowing that there are several cars nearby, the client will not give up on the search. Besides, these interactive elements are fun and pleasing to the eye.

Ubers shows available cars even before the user confirms a ride. Arresting their attention 🤷🏻‍♀️

Confirming the Trip

As soon as a passenger and a driver receive the ride details, they both have an opportunity to confirm or decline the trip. The apps’ business logic should work in such a way that users can’t cancel a large number of rides in a short period. They should also be aware of possible penalties, e.g. a partial payment if the driver is already on one’s way.

Connecting Passenger to Driver

Once the trip is confirmed, the passenger and driver can contact each other. They receive contact information, as well as other useful information such as license plate number, car make, location on a map, etc. They can also chat or call to clarify some details.

Payment

When registering, the user indicates the most comfortable payment methods. The more features your application provides, the better. The required minimum is bank cards and cash. But you can also add the ability to make payments using mobile wallets, online banking, QR codes, etc. The React Native app development cost will depend on how many of them you’re going to implement.

Rating

At the end of the trip, both parties can rate each other. When developing an application, it is important to ensure the transparency of this system to avoid bias and negative comments. Think about what algorithms will be incorporated into this process to motivate drivers. For example, a bad rating can affect the number of orders and the size of the commission, and sometimes even the dismissal.

Uber allows its users to give compliments (for nice talk, good music, or keeping silent 🙃) and add tips

This also works the other way, as passengers with high ratings from drivers can get preferential treatment and good deals.

Tech Support

This option is necessary to stay connected with both passengers and drivers regardless of their rides. It is an opportunity to leave a claim and share new ideas on improving the app, or lost search ads. The tech support menu makes an application more ‘human’, it shows your user-focused attitude and real care.

How does Uber work?

The first thing that makes Uber so popular among 80 million users is its outstanding service. One tap on the phone and you have a personal driver who will pick you up in a few minutes.

Automation of all standard functions has reduced the cost by 35-50% in comparison with conventional taxi services. On the one hand, this influence on the market is called destructive. But Uber has set the bar high that other companies are just trying to reach.

And if you want to figure out the development of your app that will compete with Uber, you should start not only with a budget estimate. Try to understand the flow that app users, both passengers and drivers go through — yeah, don’t forget to develop a version for drivers. This will increase the React Native app development cost but you cannot start without it.

Passengers’ app

• • Register/login: It all starts with a simple registration via email and/or social media, filling out a profile, and adding credit cards.
  • Booking interface: As soon as the user opens the application, he sees a screen with a field to enter the address, choose the type of taxi, and set a specific landing spot.
  • Price calculator: If one wants to know the estimated cost from point X to point Y before ordering, the price calculator is here to help.
  • Tracking: It is important to track the driver’s location, as well as provide updates during the ride.
  • Payments: There are several payment options such as credit cards, cash, Uber credits, and certificates.
  • Push notifications: Users stay updated on their order status, taxi arrival, and other important details like car model, driver’s name and photo, etc.
  • Messaging, ratings & reviews, booking history. Any time one needs, one can check previous bookings, rate them, and leave a review. There is also an opportunity to see one’s own rate set by different drivers.
  • Customer support. If users have problems with payment, registration, or something else, they need to connect to tech support and get help.

There are some additional features that will take your taxi booking app to the next level. React Native development cost increases if you want to add these features.

• • Location tracking. With the help of this feature, users don’t need to type their pickup address manually because the app finds it via tracking.
  • Ride cancellation. Users can cancel a ride for free but only 5 minutes after placing a request. If users cancel later, they have to pay a fee.
  • Split payment. If you get a taxi with your friend, you will have an option to split the payment.
  • Live map. Users can track the driver’s position or other cars with the help of this live map.
  • Booking for another person. Users don’t need to change their accounts to book rides for other people
  • Voice input. Integrate the recognition of voice commands and make your app convenient for ​​people with reduced capabilities.
  • Preferred driver. Users can select a certain driver if this person is working at the moment.

Drivers’ app

• • Register/profile/status: If the user should verify one’s phone number and email only, the driver has more options. One should verify the tax number and wait for approval by an administrator. Uber app also provides drivers with online status and schedule.
  • Booking: Drivers can accept or deny incoming orders, depending on the customer’s current location and destination. They also have access to the booking history.
  • Push notifications: They are necessary for order updates and their completion.
  • Navigation: Drivers do not need to install other navigation apps because Google Maps or Google Places provide them with optimal directions just in the Uber app. They could also be voiced.
  • Cost estimation, reports, messaging, support: If one needs to submit any report, or to get the users’ support, just go to the appropriate app section.

These are the basic features. Your app developed on React Native can include some advanced features.

• • Preferred destination. This feature allows drivers to select a ride with the destination that they prefer.
  • Passenger density. The ability for drivers to plan their routes based on passenger throughput.
  • Forward transporting. Drivers can accept a new trip while performing a ride.

Technologies are used to build an app like Uber

You probably know that Uber does not hide its API at all, and therefore there is no difficulty in building a similar application. You will need three giant basics such as server, mapping, and payments. These affect React Native app development costs.

First off, it is impossible to process all user requests, driver routes, and other data without your own server.

To develop the backend, you may use Node.js, Python, Java, PHP, Ruby on Rails. OpenStreetMap API is the best solution for GPS. Take care of the tech stack for push messages as well. As for the payment systems, you may use Stripe, BrainTree, Paytm, or PayPal mobile SDK gateway adapters to develop an app.

When choosing the solution for the app development, we would recommend you rely on React Native primarily. It has a lot of advantages, and you can:

• • Create your app fast. Java and Swift / Objective-C require you to develop two standalone apps. But if you opt for React Native, it will allow you to share up to 95% of your codebase and bring a high-quality product to market pretty soon.
  • Save money. Saving time, you also save money that would be needed to develop separate applications. You get two products that cost just over half of one version. There’s no need to think about choosing between Android or iOS because of a limited budget. Start right away and save on maintenance and updating your product as well using React Native.
  • Achieve great performance. The React Native programming language is optimized for mobile devices and therefore, applications run as fast as native ones developed for a specific platform.
  • Enjoy increased flexibility. Your developers will appreciate the ability to easily jump to where someone left off and continue developing. React Native flexibility simplifies the testers’ routine as well, as they can create test scripts with fewer hurdles.
  • Immediately view changes. One of the essential React Native advantages is “hot reloading”. It allows developers to instantly preview changes made to the code, at the same time in another preview window. Sounds impressive, right?

The good React Native team is your chance to cut down operational costs, reduce risk, and meet any challenges head-on!

But there is the last question: how to estimate React Native app development cost?

How to make money on a taxi booking app

The vital question is — how to monetize a taxi booking app developed with React Native? This business can generate profit from three sources: driver’s commission, rider’s fee, promotional partnership, and advertisement.

Advertisement is the most common way of app monetization, and a taxi booking app isn’t an exception. The main point is to make it unobtrusive and non-irritating for users.

The commission earned from drivers and riders is the main revenue source of a taxi booking app. Usually, when drivers accept a ride request, the commission is charged. It tends to be about 20% of the ride cost.

If users decide to cancel their booked rides, they are charged a cancellation fee.

Promotional collaboration helps in making money and strengthens relations between companies. This marketing practice is really popular and creates a win-win situation. Taxi apps get money from promoting content while brands interact with their target audience and offer them coupons, discounts, and other gifts, so they get a wider reach.

Create an app like Uber: step-by-step process

1. Make market research to create a business model for your future app. You shouldn’t miss this step because market research helps to find out the target audience and their needs.
2. Draw a customer journey map. Journey maps give businesses an opportunity to get into their customers’ heads, help them gain insight, and understand common customers’ pain points.
3. Determine the features set. If you want to create an MVP first, you should define a set of vital functions. You can improve your app after deployment.
4. Hire an app development agency. It’s the most advantageous way of app development. Of course, you can hire your own team but it’s a ​​costly affair and in addition to this, you need to wait before they achieve harmony to work. But if you hire a React Native development agency, this problem disappears — the teammates work well together, and it’s certainly cheaper than to maintain an in-house development team.
5. UI/UX design. Perhaps you’ve chosen to outsource. Now what? Designers start to create an easy and clear design based on the collected data.
6. Development. When design is ready it’s the turn of the software development team to start coding. Your manager will keep you informed and show you all the changes in the app development.
7. Testing. The development process involves testing the features to make a final product comfortable for usage.
8. Release. When the app development is done and the product is tested, here comes the release day. It is the stage when the app is deployed on the app store and people can finally use it.
9. Make necessary updates based on feedback. But after release the work isn’t done completely. It’s time to collect feedback and fix small bugs that couldn’t be discovered before release.
10. Start a marketing strategy. You’ve already defined your target audience. Now, based on this information, you can promote your product on social media and start advertising. This ongoing process will help you get new users and retain existing ones.

But there is a last question: how to estimate React Native app development cost?

How much does it cost?

Now that you have a roadmap for your app development, you have the necessary information to estimate the react native app development price. Of course, it all depends on the developers you hire, because some freelancers will cost you much less than an in-house team. The low rate doesn’t promise a decent result, so it shouldn’t be the only factor to consider.

We defined the taxi booking app’s main features and did the math for you. Check it out! 👇

Functions	Design	Development
Booking rides	12 hours $540	200 hours $9,000
GPS navigation
Calculations
Displaying trip details
Finding a driver
Confirming a trip
Connecting passenger to driver	8 hours $360	250 hours $11,250
Payment	6 hours $270	80 hours $3,600
Rating	10 hours $450	80 hours $3,600
Tech support	6 hours $270	100 hours $3,500
Project management	2-4 weeks $300-$600	18-20 weeks $6,300-$7,000
QA	$4,800 240 hours
Total project	$2,190-$2,490	$42,050-$42,750

Looking for a team to implement your project, you should consider a lot of factors. For example, success stories. Look at their portfolio to understand what they are working with and how it meets your expectations.

The next advice is to take care of transparent communication. Regardless of the location, and time zone, you should be on the same wave. Make sure they are ready to provide you with regular reports, relieving you of the need to control the entire process on the up and up.

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