There are five different taxi app development approaches to creating a taxi app from scratch. In this blog, learn to differentiate between each of them and see which one suits your business the best.
Introduction
Creating your app to start a business or digitally transforming an existing traditional business requires comprehensive knowledge. Only with a clear understanding of the development process can you guide your developers to perform at their best. You can also look up the top functioning apps and understand their development approaches as well. However, each business is unique, and you’ll have to find the best approach that fits your taxi business perfectly.
Popular Taxi App Development Approaches
Like any other app development, a taxi app has the same development approach. The only difference lies in the features of the app along with the sub-development of its sub-interfaces. Moreover, the purpose of the app is to connect users to nearby taxicabs quickly without affecting their performance.
Let’s learn about popular app development approaches to starting your online taxi business.
Native App Development
One of the most popular ways to create taxi apps is to make them natively. Native app development means creating a mobile application that is tailored to a specified platform. Currently, Android and iOS are two essential platforms for mobile users worldwide.
Native programming languages and tools are used to create the application for the single operating system. In other words, the Java or Kotlin language is used to develop an Android app. At the same time, Swift and Objective-C are used to build iOS apps.
Because native applications are built specifically for these two operating systems, they provide higher engagement than other app development approaches. Not only do they generally perform well, but they also look better than those that serve numerous platforms. Moreover, an app with native capabilities creates a richer user experience while implementing new features.
However, native apps do not operate in the browser and are more complicated to create than web apps. As a result, they must be downloaded from platform-specific stores like the App and Play Stores.
Cross-Platform App Development
Cross-platform apps are compatible with multiple operating systems. They can be used regardless of the OS present on the device. As a result, cross-platform apps are developed a bit differently than native apps. Their source codes can be shared across platforms, such as Android and iOS.
Therefore, creating a cross-platform app is much easier since the developer doesn’t have to code for different platforms. No extra coding effort is needed, thereby reducing the time and cost of development. Programming languages such as Objective-C or Swift are used for the development of iOS apps, and Java, C, or C++ are used to develop Android apps.
However, single-code cross-platform apps need more performance and adaptability to newer and more dynamic environments. For taxi apps, specifically where language flexibility and speed are essential, cross-platform apps might hinder the scalability of the business in the long run.
Progressive Web Apps
A progressive web app is developed using web platform technologies and can run on multiple devices from a single codebase. These web apps are called progressive, as they download the content while the user accesses the device’s browser.
Moreover, these web apps are developed with progressive enhancement, allowing the user to work offline or on low-quality networks. Most entrepreneurs build web apps so that they don’t have to deal with submitting their apps to app stores.
The functionality of a web app creates a user experience similar to a website and a platform-specific app. One of the critical features of a progressive web app is that it can operate offline in the background. Moreover, a web app can also integrate, if needed, with the installed apps on the device. Just like websites, they have their dedicated windows, similar to native apps. They can define how they appear when the user launches them. Overall, progressive web apps are quick, provide content to users quickly, and boost things like visibility and search engine optimization.
Hybrid App Development
Hybrid apps are written using web technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript), which are then nested within a native app. In simple terms, the source code of hybrid apps can also be used to create and publish true native apps.
Using a native application solution, hybrid apps can also act as web apps and platform-specific apps. All of this happens because of a specific plugin system that extends the limitations of the ‘browser’ and accesses the full suite of features of a mobile device.
Therefore, it can also be said that the development of hybrid apps is essentially web apps without any limitations. In other words, a web app can be used in any web browser, regardless of the operating system. Similarly, a hybrid app can be used on any mobile device, whether it is Android or iOS.
However, some things could be improved with this approach. As hybrid apps are a combination of both native and web apps, their UI library must include native components as well as web app components. Therefore, the development cost of a hybrid app varies drastically, as it takes time to build the app from scratch.
Rapid Mobile App Development
Rapid mobile application development, or RMAD, is a new category of software that develops business apps quickly and easily. The RMAD development process combines the use of software platforms, graphical user interfaces, or web applications that take less time to produce than hand-coding native applications.
Essentially, RMAD tools allow developers to do cross-platform mobile app development faster than ever before to help bridge the gap between mobile app demand and supply. Moreover, these no-code or low-code solutions do a lot of the work for app builders. They are often used by experienced developers or entrepreneurs who cannot do native development and have never coded before.
In other words, the RMAD development approach offers high productivity for developers and non-developers alike. Popular development methods to create apps without codes include drag-and-drop editors, virtualization, process mapping, component assembly, and much more.
How To Choose The Best Approach?
Remember that you are building an online taxi business that takes countless orders and partners with an unlimited number of customers and drivers. Needless to say, the app should be scalable and perform well under heavy user traffic. Moreover, consider the timeline and budget of your project, considering the current taxi market in the region in which you are about to launch your taxi app. Therefore, you must run a taxi business like Uber, which is a native app. In essence, going for native app development will take time, as you will be developing two different apps for Android and iOS devices. Apart from this, an admin panel, a user app, and a driver app must be present to run a taxi business successfully.
However, you don’t have to go for native development. Instead, buy a native mobile app package. This is a prevalent approach among new-age entrepreneurs who don’t have the time or the budget to create a native app from scratch. Such pre-built apps are called clone apps like Uber Clone, Lyft Clone, etc. The market is filled with clones, so you have to be careful while choosing the best white-label firm to start your taxi app development journey.
For starters, you can list down all the features you need in the taxi app and find a clone app accordingly. Moreover, you can check whether the source code of the app is licensed or not before buying the whole clone package. If everything goes fine, you will have your taxi business up and running in just 1-2 weeks at a cost that was only a fraction of the budget you initially thought of spending on an app.
Conclusion
Taxi apps fall into the on-demand category. Therefore, you’ll need a fast and scalable app that is not affected by heavy user log-ins or bookings. Your taxi business will expand its boundaries in the long run. For that, you must be prepared in advance. Hence, choosing the app development approach is critical to getting loyal customers and multiple revenues in place. Once confirmed and done, you cannot go back to starting from scratch. For top results, estimate the app development timeline and budget and decide on a development approach best for your business needs.