February 20, 2018In big cities, a lot of difficulties are faced due to heavy traffic and lesser parking spots. Hence, it has become a popular trend among people to rely on public transports like auto-rickshaws, rented cars to move around. Car rental services like Uber and Zipcar have gained a lot of prominence in the past few years as people like this fact that they allow them to ride an individual transport while eliminating the parking & maintaining hassles. This is the reason that for the transportation companies out there, it is just a profitable deal to develop a taxi or car rental mobile app. Car Rental app development is a massive success among the population and continues to grow each day.
For instance, there is ZoomCar, which is a company founded in 2013, only with 7 cars while today the number has increased to 1800 cars. Soon it will add 6000 cars more to meet the evolving demands of the user. Thus, it is pretty obvious that car rental services are keen to grab a sophisticated car rental mobile solution to entice their users and deliver them comfort.
Want to build a Car Rental Mobile App? Consult with our business manager – FREE! So, here we discuss the crucial features that must be integrated into the best car rental mobile apps, along with the basic framework through which car rental businesses can aim to enhance their revenues.
Basic Architecture of Car-Rental App
User Panel
Sign-up/Login-up: This is the first page where the user lands on. Here the user sign-up to the app using their email ID or social network accounts.
Multiple Car Option: From here users will be able to choose their type of car which meets their various needs.
Schedule Booking: Once the car type is decided by users, they can then choose the car depending on other information like color, number, etc. & can accordingly schedule booking for the car.
Book Now: Using this feature, users can instantly book a rental car, in case there is some urgency or critical requirements.
Manage Bookings: This feature makes it simple for users to manage confirmed bookings and also the time-span charted just with a single click. Besides, they can also keep track of future bookings.
Fare calculator: As per the distance that has to be covered, users will be able to determine the following KM ranges &hence, the fare charges can be calculated.
Receipts&Payments: When a digital payment system is incorporated, users can easily pay incurred fare charges and get the ride receipts.
Alerts & Notifications: Users receive alerts, SMS, notifications upon booking confirmation or once the milestone has been achieved.
Track for Security: Customers will be able to track the location and share it with their friends in real-time, hence security is maintained.
Cancel car booking: From this section, users will be able to cancel upcoming bookings in case some urgency has emerged, thus making the car rental solution all the more effective.
Door-step Delivery: Cars can be booked by users at their door-step for the stipulated time period. Then on the users can drive them to their desired locations.
Car Pickup Point: A specific landmark or navigation route can be assigned by the user to collect the driving car.
Admin Panel
Dashboard: From this section, Admin is able to monitor all cars linked to the vehicle and also the one that has been assigned to users.
Car Management: Admin will be able to update car and vehicle information and also the user location details, hence optimizing the vehicle management system.
Customer Management: The entire information of users associated with the app can be monitored & stored in this section.
Payment Manager: This section is where the Admin manages and stores payment details, payment gateways, commission amounts, hence making the transaction system quite transparent.
Real-time Reports& Analytics: Real-time reports related to car rental details like the category of cars selected the most, time-schedule, the number of orders accumulated are displayed in report form to streamline the business processes.
Manage Car Category: From here, the Admin manages the car categories and with the help of that, information regarding vehicle availability is updated according to rental booking requests.
Manage Fares/Location-based charges: From this section, the Admin decides and manages fare structure, on-demand charges & rental costs for a specific area or navigation route.
Additional Features
Assign Driver: Through this feature, the user can book Car & Driver whenever required. It proves to be helpful in times when the user has to take a long-distance ride or planning a holiday. Thus, it encourages the user to book your car, in case, the driver was unavailable they had to search for some other alternative to take the ride. After all, often users prefer cars & drivers that belong to the same service provider. Users can also specify driver preferences, on the basis of gender, age, experience, reviews&ratings.
Interactive Statistics: This feature effectively streamlines the entire business processes. Real-time reports regarding distances, base fare, fix packages, time-rates, as well as other settings, are easily generated, so to monitor the business proceedings and to extract the necessary business insights.
Operational Zone Structure: If you are looking to make your business more customized, then this feature is what you need to have in your app. It will help you serve areas that can generate the maximum amount of bookings. It is helpful in making users aware of services offered by you in that particular area. This feature not just attract the users but also encourage them to book rental cars due to the advantages it delivers.
Payment Gateway: Incorporating the digital payment system is critical for car rental app development. Multiple payment options must be integrated like e-Wallet, NetBanking, Credit/Debit Cards so that users can make in-app payment. Thus, it allows users to make payments for scheduled car bookings post the ride while also assuring on-time car delivery. Users really appreciate a transparent payment system as it saves them from payment related hassles.
GPS Tracking: Integrating GPS technology in your app proves helpful when you assign drivers while also aim to meet the travel requirements of users. This feature allows users to track vehicle location in real-time and also suggest optimized routes to drivers. Users can also update their friends about their location as well as can share it with Admin, thus ensuring security. Drivers on their part can also find user pick-up points which make the process more convenient for them.
Cloud Environment: Cloud-based servers are helpful in storing all crucial business data & deals in a way more secure manner. This technology manages information related to users, cars, and drivers in an authenticated way. Thus, it gets easier to handle data-driven operations as well as all necessary information can also be accessed at any desired time & location.
Track Behaviour: User’s search criteria get smart with the use of algorithms. These algorithms store recent bookings which users have confirmed. Hence, when the users use the app to schedule booking next time, the app will display relevant car categories and previous specifications set by users. Thus, users can schedule car bookings and avail services easily.
Promo Offers: When users receive promo code & offer on a regular note, they are encouraged to book your car more often. This also boosts user engagement and app visibility. After all, users love availing services that are delivered to them at a low price.
Rental cost calculator:This is an interesting feature for a car rental application to have as it enables users to calculate car rent. The user is simply required to enter city, time & date of receiving rental car and date of return to use this feature. Thus, the calculator graphs a rough estimate about the rental cost that will be incurred, hence keeping the user aware in advance regarding upcoming rent expense.
Technology Stack
To develop a robust car rental mobile app, it is vital to choose the right technology stack which is able to meet the diverse user & business needs. This right technology makes it possible for the app to sustain itself in the hyper-competitive marketplace.
- Location Tracking: Google Maps & Apple Maps
- Database Management: MongoDB, HBase, Cassandra, Postgres, MySQL
- SMS, Voice, & Phone Verification: Facebook SDK or Google sign
- Real-time Analytics: Google Analytics, Flurry, etc.
- Cloud Technology: Amazon Data Servers & Google Cloud servers
Required Team Structure to develop a Car Rental App
- Project Manager
- Developers
- Designers
- Testers
Cost Estimation for Car Rental App Development
Lastly, it is about deciding the cost of Car Rental Mobile App development. As per the app’s complexity & features that are to be incorporated, the cost of a car rental mobile app is determined. An app development goes through the following processes:
- Designing (50-80 hrs)
- User Panel Development (350-400 hrs/each platform)
- API Development (90-120 hrs)
- Admin Panel (130-190 hrs)
Hence, the development of a sophisticated mobile app will cost somewhere $12000-$15000. However, if you choose to integrate more advanced features into your app, it will accordingly exceed the total cost.
