Ever had trouble hailing a cab? Standing out in the rain like a wet kitten, looking miserable, watching cab after cab drive by and not one stopping. Does that sound like something you’ve experienced? We share your pain. In this day and age, traditional taxi services and companies can seem pretty expensive, and this is where taxi apps like Uber came in to save the day. Looking at Uber’s popularity, you get the urge to look into developing your own app. But how much does developing something so complex cost?
How Uber became the king of taxi apps
When you think of taxi apps, the first one that probably comes to mind is Uber. Thanks to a sound business model and high customer demand, Uber has seen near-exponential growth in revenue and in its user base. Just last week, Uber celebrated the 2 billionth ride given through their app. To understand what that really means, the first billion was achieved only 6 months ago in December 2015 after nearly 5 years on the market.
Related: Key components of a successful mobile product
Apart from the business angle, there appears to be an apparent demand for a product like Uber. Efficiency and convenience are the main reasons taxi apps have taken off as much as they have. Uber currently boasts a presence in over 480 cities worldwide. Getting a car right to your location by GPS and not overpaying for expensive medallion-toting cabs is super easy with Uber. Plus, the fact that there’s a driver rating system means you’ll never have to get a ride from a grouchy, mean, old guy.
How much an app like Uber is likely to cost
Estimating the cost of an Uber-like app is kind of moot, unless you specifically know where it’s going to be developed. Are you going to outsource? Developing an app in North America will cost you a lot more than the same project done in Eastern Europe or India. Quality is generally a concern, but countries like Ukraine have shown uncompromising consistency in regards to quality.
Related: How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App?
To make sure your money is well-spent, you need to either draw up a spec, or have us do it. Also, your budget and your expectations need to be aligned so that the entire process is more streamlined. The amount of features you add has to be
Uber has 4 main components:
- Passenger app
- Driver app
- Admin console
- API
The main features of an Uber-like app are:
- GPS navigation and routing
- Registration and matching
- Notifications and communication
- Payment system
- Car and user details
- Rating system
Indeema’s experts estimate that it would take approximately 1 year's time to create a fully viable product with a team of 2-3 developers. Factoring in the development costs, design, testing and project management, you’re looking at a figure close to $70-80k. It’s important to keep in mind that this estimate is only for the mobile version of the app. Front-end and back-end would take about the same amount of time to finish.
Here’s a breakdown of the approximate costs by region:
Developing an app for a certain region is one thing, but scaling it out to cover countries around the world is a completely different beast. When we talk about development costs, it really depends on where you develop and who’s doing the developing. In Ukraine, the cost of developing an app like Uber will cost you around $70-80k for the mobile version of the app. The price tag will also reflect any additional features and add-ons you may require. To get the most accurate quote possible, and to learn more about our expertise and experience, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
