If you’re aware of current technology advancements, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the huge increase in the popularity of ridesharing services. When we look at the incredible success had by ridesharing/hailing companies like Uber, Lyft, and BlaBlaCar, it’s only natural to wonder how to create a ridesharing app.
A ridesharing company basically puts drivers and passengers in contact in a very short amount of time, allowing them to share a ride to a certain destination. Below, we’ll be looking at five factors you need to keep in mind when planning your first ridesharing app.
Note: Ridesharing can be a hugely profitable business if you know how to do it right!
1. Trust Is Essential
In spite of the super-technological era we live in, the old “don’t get into cars with strangers” saying still rings true. So any app that requires you to essentially get into a car with a stranger will need some very strong trust policies, to allow you to do this safely.
So when you, as the designer of the app, are in the planning stage, you need to figure out the (hopefully) rigorous filtering you’ll use to decide which drivers are trustworthy and which are not. You will also need to invest some time in designing a smart and easy-to-use rating option, to allow riders to express their issues (or alternatively, praise) when necessary.
Also Read: 8 IT Tools and Policies That Are the Need of the Hour
2. Ease-Of-Use Is Key
I don’t think I’ve manually signed up anywhere for the last few years. Why? It’s more convenient to just log in through the OAuth protocol with my social media accounts. And, if you want your ridesharing app to become popular, you need to keep this in mind.
Onboarding is a great struggle for many companies, and if the sign-up process requires the user to spend 5 minutes waiting for that confirmation email, they might just hail an Uber instead, you know?
3. Geolocation Should Be a Priority
When designing a ridesharing service, you need to establish an immediate bond between the driver and the passenger, as soon as the virtual connection is made. In order to do that, you need to have a strong geolocation game, which allows the passenger to know where the driver is while they wait, but also to track the ride’s progression in real-time.
4. Payment Variety
It’s convenient to allow in-app payments by enabling users to link their credit cards. This eliminates that awkward moment when money is exchanged, and makes the trip more smooth. However, it may be a good idea to still keep the cash payment option available, because it will diversify your client pool. Not everyone has ready funds on their credit card, and not everyone wants to link their card to every app they use.
5. Ride-Hailing Is Not Ridesharing
We know it gets confusing, but one last thing to figure out is what sort of app you want. A ride-sharing app is more similar to an old-fashioned taxi service. The driver takes you to a certain place but has no personal incentive to get there. That’s Uber. A ride-hailing app, on the other hand, puts you in contact with a driver who’s already going in your direction but takes you along for the ride.
Are you ready to build your very own ridesharing app?
Also Read: Learn How To Create Uber-Like Applications?
