Developing an app like GrabTaxi: Complete guide to create a plethora of apps for transport like Grab

There are a lot of things that have changed in our perception ever since the introduction of technology. We can quote a lot of examples like communication, food, fitness, photography, and a few more. However, if there is one thing that stands out from the rest, it has to be transportation, and more specifically, cabs and taxis.

There was a time when there was quite some randomness and uncertainty associated with booking a cab. You either had to call a cab by waving your hand, or at the best, call a cab operator and book a cab. It also meant that there was a lot of hassle involved in coordinating between the driver and the passenger to ensure that the driver accurately reached the pickup point.

With the introduction of smartphones mobile apps, GPS technology, it has become extremely easy and efficient to book a cab. All you need to do is take out your smartphone and open an app and call for a cab by making use of the choices provided to you on the app. Today, it seems like a simple process that we take for granted. This paradigm shift has to be credited to the small cap company that was once started in San Francisco standing today at a staggering value of over $70 billion and having its operations across 600 cities in the world – Uber!

The creation of Uber was not a mere evolution but a revolution in the field of transportation. The success of Uber has prompted a lot of aspiring business people to invest in an app like Grab and Uber. Some of them have created apps that exclusively cater to a specific geography or a specific demographic group. Some of them have replicated the success of Uber and expanded beyond what Uber offers. One such app is GrabTaxi.

A little about GrabTaxi

GrabTaxi can be called Singapore’s own Uber. It started in Malaysia but it shifted its headquarters from Kuala Lumpur Singapore 2014. It operates in a lot of Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. It is the first decacorn from SEA – valued at over $14 billion. In addition to the usual taxi business, GrabTaxi also offers nine other services within the realm of transportation: 

• GrabCar – you can hire a car for an extended period of time along with the driver to visit multiple places. This comes in handy when you have to shop or go out on a day-long date.
• GrabHitch – this service is as little as it sounds. If you would like to get to your destination, you can hitch a ride along with other people who are not even acquainted to you.
• GrabShare – this is similar to carpooling. You can share your ride with your friends and the cost of the ride is also equally shared.
• GrabCouch – if you have to transport a considerable number of people, you can avail of this service. This service helps you plan rides for right from groups of 10 up to two groups of 40.
• GrabShuttle – this service is quite similar to public transportation services. However, it also comes with the added advantage of enhanced comfort and safety.
• Family – as the name suggests, this service is useful for people who would like to ride along with their families with children.
• JustGrab – this service is quite an innovation. It brings together the concept of ridesharing and carpooling. Regular car drivers can cater to your demand for rides at a place and time of your requirement.
• GrabNow – this enables you to instantly order taxis for special rewards.
• GrabRental – instead of ordering a car with a driver, you can rent a car to be self-driven. The rental period can be anywhere within a day or even an entire year!

In addition to the usual transportation services, GrabTaxi also provides food delivery and digital payment services.

The way it operates

Just like any other app-based taxi service, GrabTaxi also operates by bringing in GPS, navigation and mapping. Once a user downloads the app and book a cab, the request is sent to the drivers in the vicinity. A driver accepts the request and using the GPS navigation assistance, they can drive to the pick up location. The user can get transported to their destination, and make the payments by cash or through digital methods. After the trip is completed, both the driver and the passenger can get to write to each other based on their behaviour.

The features

The way in which these apps like GrabTaxi operate mandates that three different apps need to be created for the different entities involved in the functioning – the user, the driver, and the administrator.

The user app

The user should be able to easily register through email and social media logins. They should be provided with a menu to place orders, to specify the pickup address, the destination location, and even to pick a driver in the vicinity. Once the cab is booked, they should be able to track the location of the driver in real time, and they should also be notified about the estimated price of the ride. To ensure seamless payments, a robust payment gateway that accepts multiple payment methods has to be integrated with the app. Above everything, the user should be able to provide feedback on the driver based on their behaviour.

The driver app.

Just like the user, the driver should also be able to specify their areas and times of operation, and their choices. The driver should be able to transfer their earnings to their bank account if the payments are made by users using digital payment instruments. They should be able to easily register for providing their services, and they should also have a facility to authenticate their identity – it ensures that the trust on the business is kept aloft. Just like the passengers, the drivers should also be able to rate the users based on their behaviour.

The admin panel

The administrator functions like the big daddy of all the activities that happened on the app. The administrator should have the facility to View statistically significant information like the income of the driver, the information on the customers, and their complaints. The admin controls the content on the app, and also has the power to push discounts and offers. They also control the commercial elements of the app, like the driver commission. They also have the responsibility to suspend or terminate drivers and users based on their behaviour and feedback.

Creating the app

An app like GrabTaxi is a grand confluence of a robust backend, a high-performance server and an interactive front end. The communication between these players is facilitated through application programming interfaces (APIs).

In most cases, the apps are created for both the major mobile operating systems-iOS and Android. Your app launch should also include the essential elements of the App Store like the icon, the description and the screenshots of your app pages.

Conclusion

On the surface, it might seem cumbersome to create an app like GrabTaxi. However, the saving grace is the fact that most of the taxi booking apps are similar to Uber in their form and functionality. This makes it an ideal choice for you to go for white-label Uber clone apps. These Uber clones can be customised according to your brand and business requirements. Using these clowns also ensures that you save quite a lot in terms of both the time and money. Since the basic structure has been perfectly built by the Uber clone development company, you can also be assured that there are no basic glitches in the app.

All that is left for you to do is to get in touch with an Uber clone app development company and let them know of your requirements. They will take care to not only develop but also customise the app and have it delivered to you in the quickest possible time.