Build an On Demand App Like Uber: 7 Things You Need to Know

By Jagdish Bhatt
Build an app like UBER

The success of uber app has appealed to many business owners, setting them on the pursuit to build app like uber.

And why wouldn’t any mobile app owners like to replicate the success of apps like uber?

Uber cab app has been rated 2nd most disruptive companies in the world in 2018 by CNBC, beaten only by SpaceX. It is available in 70 countries and more than 600 cities worldwide and holds a track record of completing 14 million trips each day.

It would be simplistic to say that uber has no competition; Lyft, Grab, Didi, Gett, and Hailo have been continually challenging the Uber’s leading position in the market, but none has been able to achieve even half of what this taxi booking app has achieved.

But a reason to cheer is that the uber like apps trailing behind the giant Uber driver app have been doing more than a decent business.

For instance, Lyft has 23 million users, Grab has 36 million users—mainly from Singapore, and Didi—the uber like app that covers 400 Chinese cities, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, and Hong Kong has registered 550 million users.

So, if you are exploring the prospects of building an app like Uber, maybe you are an inch away from building a billion dollar business.

Building an App Like Uber But For a Different Industry

You can also build an app like Uber but for a different industry. Here, you can take a look at how to build an app like Uber. You can create a baseline, similar to Uber cab app, and build a mobile app integrated with key features such as on-demand service and real-time information for your specific requirements.

On the similar lines of taxi booking app like Uber, you can develop on demand restaurant booking app, catering app, grocery app, or a delivery app.

But to do so, you have to keep certain factors in mind—specifically the cost to develop an app like Uber. It is because building even the basic features of this passenger app involves advanced technology, also the complexity yet simplicity of the software requires higher level of planning and requirement analysis.

To explore uber like app development in detail, you need to delve a little deeper and begin from the very beginning.

1. How to Make an App Like Uber—Planning the Structure

Uber is a technology platform that connects drivers and riders. From taxi app development perspective, there are key functionality that you have to focus on:

Key Elements

Passenger App | Driver App | Admin Panel | Analytics

Flow of the Uber App

Trip Request—Order Confirmation—Order Matching Process—Ride—Promotions & Discount—Payment Procedure—Rating and Review

In order to make an app like Uber, you have to understand the purpose of each element in the app and how each element interact with others to push the process ahead and ensure smooth flow.

Your strategy on how to make an app like Uber must be based on stringent planning and requirement gathering process so that you can perform a cost analysis and arrange for the requirements.

2. Technology Behind the App Like Uber

While Uber app serves a million travelers every day, there is a lot of technology works going behind the app to support its systems. One of the key technologies used in this taxi booking app is Geolocation and since it is built on both iOS and Android platforms, it uses different technologies for both the mobile application platforms.

Function Technology on iOS Technology on Uber Android
Identify device location CoreLocation Framework Google Location Service APIs
Provide directions to the drivers MapKit Google Maps Android API
Integration of Maps Google Maps Google Maps
Payment Gateway Integration Braintree, Stripe PayPal’s SDK Apple Pay Braintree, Stripe PayPal’s SDK Google Wallet
Push Notifications & Management Apple Push Notifications Service (APN) Twilio, Nexmo, Plivo, Sinch Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) Twilio, Nexto, Plivo, Sinch

Changes in technology make systems vulnerable for small businesses from the cost perspective. So, if you are planning to build a mobile app like Uber, make sure your software development company uses the latest technology so that you don’t have to keep updating the technology in a short span of time.

3. Build An App Like Uber-How Does Uber App Calculates Fare

Another crucial function that you have to understand when it comes to Uber like app development is how does this taxi booking app calculates ride fare. The app combines time and distance indicators, means if the vehicle drives less than 11 mph (18km/h), the rider is charged per minute.

There are three key factors that constitute the price of the ride:
  1. Base Rate: It is determined by time and distance of the trip.
  2. Booking Fee: A flat fee to support operational, regulatory, and safety costs.
  3. Dynamic Costs: When there are more riders than drivers or the routes in the area is busy.

Here you can check the details of how Uber calculates the prices and devise something similar for your app.

4. Core Passenger Features to Build An App Like Uber

Here is the list of top 10 Uber features designed to provide a pleasant ride for the passengers while ensuring smooth flow of communication between Admin, Passenger, and Drivers.

  1. Registration: A passenger can register on the app through email, Facebook, and phone number. This type of registration process is commonly followed by the mobile apps to verify the user’s identity.
  2. Taxi Booking: To book a taxi, users can type the address of the destination and pick-up point (the Geolocation feature of the app automatically fills the pick-up location).
  3. Booking Confirmation: Once the user fills all the relevant details, a list of the car types shows on the screen along with the prices. User can select the one and confirm the booking.
  4. Ride Cancellation: Within a predetermined period of time, users can cancel the ride as well.
  5. Driver Tracking: Through this feature, Uber app users can track the movement of the driver. They are provided with details such as the name of the driver along with photos, vehicle number, and their location in real-time.
  6. Push Notifications: This feature helps to keep the users informed about the current status of the trip.
  7. Payment Options: There are multiple payment variants available on Uber app for the users, from in-app payment via. credit card to services like PayPal or cash.
  8. Driver Rating: User can rate the service experience based on driver’s behavior, quality of vehicle, or any other factor that influence the trip.
  9. Travel History: Users can explore their travel history to verify any details for references.
  10. Customer Support: Uber provides 24X7 customer support to its users. It does not matter whether the user is off the road, trained agents provide consistent customer support to its users.

Apart from these key features, there are several other advanced features such as Split Payment that allows users to split the payment seamlessly with fellow travelers, book trip using Later Ride, and Book for Other from their own account.

Besides, there are stars, badges, offers, and coupons, or codes available to boost customer acquisition and retention.

Uber has recently launched new safety feature other than Panic button that reminds riders to check crucial details related to the ride such as license plate, make, and model of the vehicle as well as driver’s name and picture, before entering into the vehicle.

5. Core Driver App Features to Build an App Like Uber

On your road to building an app like Uber, this stage would be an important milestone. A right driver functionality app is essential to maintain a smooth flow of communication between passengers, drivers and the company.

Drivers are usually referred by Uber as partners, and why not, after all it is they who represent the company to the customers. While creating Uber Driver App, you have to keep user-friendliness of the app on the top your agenda.

If you are wondering what functions to consider while building an app like Uber, here are some things to help you with. Below you can find 5 key driver functionalities for an Uber like app.

  • Driver Profile: This feature will help you to verify the credentials of the driver. You can also share this profile with your riders to inform them about the driver.
  • Trip Alert: It will alert the driver about new trip order with details about the passenger, that they can accept or deny.
  • Push Notifications: Driver will receive booking information, including location, route, payment, trip changes, and completion.
  • Messaging: Provide ability to text or call passenger from the app to reduce wait time.
  • Navigation and Route Optimization: Provide trip routes, meanwhile also track the route taken by the driver for safety and monitoring purposes.
  • Driver Delivery Reports: Provide detailed report about trip earning on daily or monthly basis.

In your quest to know how to create an app like uber, you can explore the complete driver functionality that keep the system updated and helps to manage the administrative side of the mobile app.

6. Building an Admin Panel for An App Like Uber

Building a web-based admin panel for an app like Uber is essential to manage partners and users. The panel should contain all the functions in the Uber taxi booking app and Uber driver app to oversee the processes. Key functions that should be in the Admin panel are:

  • Order management
  • Location & fare management
  • Driver management
  • User management
  • Vehicle management
  • Rating and review management
  • Support management

Apart from these functions, your Uber like app should have system to provide information to both users and drivers, offer promotions and discounts, and ability to generate insight from the orders.

7. Understanding the Cost Components

In order to build Uber-like clone applications, you have to consider a range of cost components such as gathering user requirements, market gap analysis, and hiring a software development company. When it comes to Uber like app development, the general cost components are:

  • UI & UX development
  • Backend development
  • Web development
  • Native app development
  • Quality management
  • Maintenance
  • Analytics and Insight

Now that you have to build mobile app for both platforms and web-based admin panel for management and insight, the cost of development will be ultimately high.

Key Takeaways

Summarizing all the factors, here are the key considerations:
  • It is not necessary to create an Uber clone app instead you can use its business model for your industry.
  • Define your target audience, generate user requirements, and understand your market.
  • Create an MVP and scale the project only if you are satisfied.
  • Hire reliable software development company and skilled software developers with experience in creating apps like Uber.
  • Uber-like app development is a difficult task that requires long term engagement with your technology partner, so make sure the offshore software development company that you have hired works with a partner mindset.
  • Create a monetization strategy that help you gain profit. For example, Uber charges 20% of the price of all rides booked through its app. Price of the ride vary from the vehicle type selected by users and service cost in the particular city.
  • Uber has recently debuted into different branch of services, relying on their vast network of drivers to pick and deliver food.

Take this Uber quiz & we’ll reveal how Uberian are you

Welcome to your Take this Uber quiz and we’ll reveal how Uberian are you


Which technology Uber uses for location services?

1 out of 7

Which map Uber app uses to direct the location?

2 out of 7

Name the technology Uber uses for push notification?

3 out of 7

Which combination Uber takes for calculating fare?

4 out of 7

What is the ideal payment option for Uber?

5 out of 7

Which factors affect Uber ride price?

6 out of 7

Which navigation app does Uber use for its rideshare drivers?

7 out of 7

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