There can be no doubt that ridesharing apps greatly impacted transportation, nearly all over the world. These Uber-like apps became everyone’s go to mobile app when in need for transportation. This is due to the many benefits ridesharing apps provide for customers, drivers and even for the fleet management system.
Transportation is a necessity that people will always have to rely on. The demand on transportation will always be high and so on-demand ridesharing apps will continue to flourish and grow, year by year. That is why investing in a ridesharing business is one of the best choices that any entrepreneur or company may want to invest in.
What are Ridesharing Apps?
A ridesharing app allows customers to order or book a ride via a mobile app. The customer can share the ride with another passenger who is heading to the same destination and split the ride fare with them. This is more cost effective for both passengers and more affordable than using a regular taxi.
Many ridesharing startups are starting to arise and become more visible to the public. Behind those emerging companies are even more ridesharing businesses that unfortunately don’t make it. So, what leads to the success of a ridesharing company and what features does the mobile app include to help it stand out?
Here, we are going to discuss some of the must have key features that any ridesharing app should have. So, make sure to include these features in your mobile app development for a fast-growing, successful ridesharing business.
10 Must Have Key Features for Ridesharing Apps:
1. Accurate Location Tracking
One of the main features that distinguish ridesharing apps from other transportation methods is that they provide you with live location tracking of your current position when using their mobile app. This can be done by implementing a GPS (global positioning system) for location tracking during the mobile app development process.
Accurate geolocation of the car’s position has many benefits. One of them is that drivers have a clear idea about the customer’s current position and so they don’t have to worry about ending up at a wrong place when picking customers up. Also, both drivers and customers will save time as there is no need for long phone calls to question about a route to the customer’s current position.
Moreover, location tracking makes passengers feel safer during their ride since they’re able to ensure that the driver is following the same route that’s displayed on the map by their mobile app.
2. Facility to Book a Ride in Advance
A lot of people find it more convenient to schedule a ride for sometime later in time so this feature is an essential for them. Transportation booking helps the customers ensure the availability of a ride at the time that they want and prevents the possibility of a hassle occurring when ordering a ride last minute.
3. Sharing your Geolocation with a Trusted Person
Including maps integration in your software development to help with location tracking can be used for another feature which is the facility to share your ride track with someone you know for personal safety reasons.
For example, this can be useful for parents who feel worried about sending their children somewhere alone, but have no time to drive them in person. The real-time sharing feature makes your mobile app more trustworthy and safer to use.
4. Develop a Multilingual App
If you want your ridesharing business to expand and be well noticed by people from outside your country, then this feature is a must. Including more than one language in your ridesharing app will increase the scalability of your mobile app and contribute to its growth in more than one region.
5. Addding More Than One Drop Off Point in one Ride
Many friends go on rides together, but each end up at a different destination. Allowing users to enter in the ridesharing app multiple drop off points is beneficial for both the driver and customers.
The driver will have a clear idea about the full details of the trip before actually starting the ride. The passenger group can split the ride fees equally therefore it is more cost effective than when each person orders a separate ride.
6. Build Your Mobile App for More than One Platform
People own different smartphones of different platforms. Focusing on one platform only will limit the number of users who can use your ridesharing app therefore it is important for your mobile app to be platform independent.
Android and iOS are the most commonly used mobile platforms thus make sure to focus on your Android app development and iOS app development.
7. Build a User-Friendly Sign-Up Portal
A user-friendly interface is a must for any application, specially when it comes to on demand service applications like ridesharing apps. The sign-up portal is the very first thing that the user interacts with after installing your mobile app. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to find it eye-catching and easy to use.
This will create a good first impression, leaving the user pleased and willing to continue navigation through your mobile app. To create an attractive and simple user interface, make sure you hire skilled mobile app developers that will focus on the UI/UX design and development of your ridesharing app.
8. Add an App Help Centre for Reports
This feature allows users to report about any issues they went through or a bad experience, whether it is a technical issue with the mobile app or some unpleasant event that they encountered during a ride.
As a ridesharing business owner, this helps with giving you an idea about the quality of the service you provide and how to improve it. It shows the customers that you care about providing them with optimum quality service and that their opinions matter.
Moreover, it helps you know if there are any bugs with your mobile app that might’ve been left unnoticed. To avoid such an issue, it is important to carry out software testing to identify any errors or missing requirements before releasing your product.
Working with an experienced software company can lessen the chance of bug occurrence, so make sure you contact one to help you with your mobile app software development effectively.
9. Facility to Cancel Rides
Users should not feel forced to go on a ride that they do not want anymore. Building this feature will create a flexible platform that people feel comfortable using. Users should not be charged for cancelling rides unless the cancellation took place after a specified, considerable amount of time.
Moreover, drivers should also have the right to accept or reject rides. This will make them feel included and that they are as important as the customers.
10. Virtual Wallets
One of the main key features in Uber-like apps is the presence of an in-app payment method. It is hard to always have physical cash change and so drivers may be unable to give customers back their change due to the shortage of physical money.
The wallet feature is used to solve such inconvenient situations. Drivers can add the change to the customer’s personal wallet and the customer makes use of it in later rides. This improves the overall experience when using your ridesharing app.
Conclusion
Ridesharing businesses are definitely one of the most successful and prominent so, if you’re someone who plans on starting one, get in contact with a professional software company that can create you the ideal ridesharing app that you desire, with all the necessary key features that will make your mobile app outstanding.