11 Best Ridesharing Apps to Consider While Building Your Own Taxi App

top ridesharing apps
  • Ankit Patel Ankit Patel
  • March 28, 2023
  • 8 min read

Technology has transformed practically all sectors. Take for instance the automobile. Thanks to the Uberization of this industry, the transportation industry has observed a transformation. This is in the way it operates. It has also brought about a sense of convenience in people’s lives enabling they can cover Distance A to Distance B with added safety.

If we go by numbers, the revenues made by the rideshare apps have been tremendous. According to PR Newswire, The ridesharing apps market is estimated to be $61.3 billion in 2018 & is projected to reach $218.0 billion by 2025.

These valuations are enough to suggest the overall scope and potential of the apps for the taxi business as a whole.

It is important to add here that these numbers would become unachievable without the contribution of ride-hailing service providers like Uber, Lyft, Ola, BlaBlaCar, etc.

In this article, we introduce you to the top Uber alternatives to consider for ride-sharing app development. Read to educate yourself about the positive impact they have brought about to the rideshare industry and as startups what you can learn from them. Before that let us first enlighten ourselves with the concept of a ride-hailing app.

Read Also: 9 Successful Taxi Apps Inspiring Startups

What Do You Mean by Rideshare Apps?

Rideshare apps are different from traditional taxi services. They give drivers and riders the desired aid to connect, alongside helping the latter to locate fellow co-passengers who may be taking the same route as them. It alternatively also helps them to split the fare with others, thereby ensuring the services remain affordable.

What Are Ridesharing Apps?

Rideshare apps are different from traditional taxi services. They give drivers and riders the desired aid to connect, alongside helping the latter to locate fellow co-passengers who may be taking the same route as them. It alternatively also helps them to split the fare with others, thereby ensuring the services remain affordable.

11 Popular Taxi Apps Your Ridesharing Industry Should Emulate

To ensure customer satisfaction remains at prime when riders commute from one place to another, these rideshare apps connect them to the most professional drivers. We have enlisted the top Uber alternatives that you can consider while developing your own taxi app.

1. Uber: The Rideshare Giant

uber app

Year of Launch – 2009

Founder – Travis Kallanick, Garrett Camp

Number of Downloads – 500 million+

Valuation – $61.72 billion

Keeping up with its motto to re-imagine the way the world moves for the better, Uber since its launch in the year 2009 has made ride-hailing services take place conveniently at the tap of a few buttons. With the functionality of the platform being simple, it enables passengers with a wide variety of ride choices so they can easily cover distances.

It alternatively also provides drivers with the ability to provide rides as per their flexibility and earn while doing so. This is something budding taxi startups have made note of and has enticed their attention. In case you are among those who are also in the plans to gain a competitive advantage like this ride-hailing giant, the Uber clone app is here to your rescue. Here are some inherent features that the solution has which in fact help it stand out.

  • Book a ride now or schedule it for later
  • Share ride details with friends and family
  • Add multiple drop-off points
  • Heat map to know locations where maximum ride-hailing takes place
  • Split Fare
  • Multiple payment modes
  • Know the real-time location of drivers

2. Lyft: Friend with a Car

lyft app

Year of Launch – 2012

Founder – John Zimmer, Logan Green

Number of Downloads – 50 million+

Valuation – $3.73 billion

Built with the motto to enhance the way ride-hailing services take place, Lyft makes its offerings available to over 95% of people in the US and select places in Canada. This is by enabling them with shared rides, followed by bike-share, electric scooters, food delivery, and public transit. Alongside these offerings, the app also implements a dynamic pricing model. This is to ensure that commuters are aware of the price in advance before availing of the ride. Here are some qualities that the Lyft app has that allow it to stand out.

  • Get a fare estimate
  • Schedule rides in advance
  • Earn rewards after every successful ride completion
  • Destination mode to find rides within your route
  • Two-way rating for driver and rider both
  • Heat maps for surge pricing
Read Also: Know The Cost of Developing a Ride Sharing App Like Lyft

3. Cabify: Spain Leading Ridesharing App

cabify app

Year of Launch – 2011

Founder – Juan de Antonio

Number of Downloads – 10 million+

Valuation – $1.49 billion

Spain-based ride-hailing services provider, Cabify, since its launch has enabled passengers to conveniently avail private rides within the city, alongside getting access to outstation rides as well. By presenting a new concept of corporate transport, the platform enables riders to have a safe and comfortable ride experience. This is courtesy of the inherent characteristics of the app such as:

  • Affordable pricing for every trip
  • Different ride options
  • Accessibility to highly professional drivers
  • SOS to alert contacts of crises during the ride
  • Know the estimated price for the trip
  • Secure payment modules
  • Share your journey

4. Ola: Best Indian Ridesharing Company

ola app

Year of Launch – 2010

Founder – Bhavish Aggarwal

Number of Downloads – 100 million+

Valuation – $7.3 billion

An Indian rideshare app that has become a source of inspiration for those who want to invest in building an Ola clone app, Ola makes available rides, alongside easing the way customers order meals and get access to financial services as well. The platform is known for presenting commuters with many ride options, enabling them the flexibility to book a ride for later. All these factors and more such as the ones enlisted below help the platform gain a competitive edge.

  • Set multiple stops
  • Get up-front pricing for rides booked
  • Accessibility to different ride types
  • Book a ride for someone else
  • Push notifications to get updated on rides or other services availed
  • By-the-hour pricing
  • Panic button

5. Careem: Dominating the Middle East & North Africa

careem app

Year of Launch – 2012

Founder – Mudassir Sheikha, Magnus Olsson

Number of Downloads – 10 million+

Valuation – $3.1 billion by 2020

Dubai-based ride-hailing services platform, Careem (acquired by Uber) helps riders and drivers easily connect, alongside presenting the former in particular with different ride options. This is to ensure they can easily cover distances with a level of safety and convenience added to it. Alongside the option to find cabs, the platform also helps customers to order meals and groceries. It alternatively also has these features within that in turn make it stand out from the rest.

  • Repeat booking to enable riders with a scheduled car at the doorstep
  • Split fare with friends or family
  • In-app chat/call to enable a smooth connection between driver and rider via app
  • Heat map to know real-time locations where ride requests are maximum
  • Get a fare estimate before the ride begins
  • App wallets
  • Multi-currency support

6. BlaBlaCar: Share Your Ride Costs

blablacar app

Year of Launch – 2006

Founder – Frederic Mazzella, Nicolas Brusson

Number of Downloads – 50 million+

Valuation – $2 billion in 2021

French-based carpooling platform, BlaBlaCar is known for its community-based travel network. Enabling riders with bus and carpool options, the ride-hailing app ensures they can easily find rides and commute from Location A to B without any difficulty whatsoever. This follows next by aiding passengers in also sharing the cost of the journey. All these areas are what have prompted the conception of the BlaBlaCar clone app to enable budding taxi startups to digitize their operations.

  • Peer-to-peer carsharing to allow car owners to rent their car to others for a particular time
  • Advanced search filter to easily find drivers and rides
  • Accept/reject ride requests received from riders
  • Get a review of other passengers
  • Receive payment for the ride after successful trip completion
  • Ride cancellation
  • Set favorite locations

7. Curb: Best Rideshare App For Long Distance

curb app

Year of Launch – 2007

Founder – George Arison, Keith Forsythe, Sanders Partee, Toby D. Russell

Number of Downloads – 1 million+

Valuation – $1.5 billion in 2019

Curb, reputed as the #1 taxi app in the US has inculcated the Uber-like taxi app development strategy in their solution to enable smooth ride-hailing and sharing services to take place through its platform. Providing services in over 65 cities in the US, the platform has these inherent characteristics that enable commuters there with a safe and convenient taxi experience.

  • Know the ETA of the cab after booking the ride
  • SOS button to alert contact of danger from the app itself
  • VoIP to enable smooth communication between rider and driver
  • Live chat to help passengers resolve queries related to rides from the app
  • Upfront pricing to enable a transparent pricing strategy for riders before the ride begins

8. GoJek: Southeast Asia’s Best Rideshare App

gojek app

Year of Launch – 2010

Founder – Nadiem Makarim, Kevin Aluwi, and Michaelangelo Moran

Number of Downloads – 100 million+

Valuation – $10 billion

Through the incorporation of the multi-service model, Gojek makes available rides, deliveries, and on-demand services like car washing, fitness, etc. to its users. Available on iOS and Android, the app is extremely popular among those living in Indonesia and other places like Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, etc. The platform alternatively has these elements that in turn give it a standout image.

  • Schedule booking for a later date
  • Multi-payment options for a smooth and convenient payment experience
  • Safe trip kit to allow commuters to report about impending danger in ride
  • Get notified of new discounts or offers through push notifications
  • Feedback cards to enable riders to provide feedback for rides during the trip
Read Also: How to Build an App Like GoJek?

9. Gett: Israel Based Ridesharing App

gett app

Year of Launch – 2010

Founder – Shahar Waiser, Roi More

Number of Downloads – 10 million+

Valuation – $1.5 billion

Providing riders the support to book rides for now or later, Gett is known for supporting them with thousand of ride types. This includes standard and executive car providers, taxis, and limo options. It alternatively gives passengers the help to revolutionize the way they avail cabs. Gett is the next biggest Uber alternative in the USA. This is thanks to these features:

  • Ride now or later
  • Get the best price for rides booked
  • Connect to background-verified drivers
  • Track the real-time location of rides
  • Know the estimated wait time for the ride
  • Accessibility to different payment options
  • Vehicle categories
  • Multi-currency
Read Also: Cost to Develop a Taxi App Like Gett

10. Via

via app

Year of Launch – 2012

Founder – Daniel Ramot, Oren Shoval

Number of Downloads – 500,000+

Valuation – $3.5 billion

Via is popular as a shared shuttle system that allows passengers to enjoy a smooth booking experience to ensure they get picked up within a duration of a few minutes only. Coming with some of the best sets of features and having extremely easy operations, the app enables riders to enjoy a unique ride experience when they book from it.

  • Know the ETA for the ride booked
  • Get a fare estimate based on the pickup and drop location provided
  • Be aware of reviews of other passengers
  • Share ride details with friends/family
  • Free ride credits for new riders

11. Bridj: Long-Distance Ridesharing App

bridj app

Year of Launch – 2014

Founder – John Langford-Ely

Number of Downloads – 10K+

Bridj is a popular long-distance ridesharing app for those who want to travel in the same direction. With Bridj, travelers are facilitated with a smooth bus journey. Having features like generating an e-boarding pass for the ride, followed by providing booking confirmation for the bus booked, the platform ensures that commuters can travel to and fro with the utmost level of convenience. It alternatively also maintains a huge level of safety for them through the app. This is thanks to the below features:

  • Track buses in real-time time
  • Know the time when the bus arrives
  • Get an e-pass for the bus
  • Know different routes
  • Pay via the app to prevent cash woes

Lessons You Can Learn from These Ridesharing Apps

The rideshare apps listed above have enabled riders to get access to a safe and convenient ride experience alongside providing a source of livelihood to millions of drivers worldwide. It has alternatively also given aid to taxi aggregators to get their brand value boosted. Hence, they have provided a huge potential to the drivers and the taxi business. So, as a startup owner, in case you want to stay ahead of the competition like these solutions, you need to make sure that you know about the concerns of your customers when they want a ride. This follows next by having a good idea of your competitors’ activities. With these kept in focus, you can earn a competitive advantage and gain huge value for your taxi business.

develop taxi app

Choose PeppyOcean to Develop Your Taxi Booking App

Do you wish to build your own ride-sharing application like Uber or Lyft?

You can never be late to get rolling! Regardless if you are a startup or an established business, PeppyOcean is here to your rescue. Reputed as the best taxi app development company in the globe, we will partner with you to beat the Uber alternatives by creating a custom taxi-hailing app solution.

Ending Words

Uber, undoubtedly has taken the transportation industry by storm. However, over the years, the advent of these top taxi-booking apps has brought about a revolution in this sector as well. Courtesy of the platform including the best set of features within for convenience and safety, it has enticed the attention of those who wish to also make their presence felt in this field. If you are planning along these lines, get in touch with a reputed Ridesharing app development company like PeppyOcean today. They will channel their expertise in rideshare app development services to build a solution that assists you to keep the cost to build a ride-sharing app within balance. They will alternatively also ensure that your brand value goes up in a reasonably short time.

About: Ankit Patel

Ankit Patel is a Sales/Marketing Manager at XongoLab Technologies LLP and PeppyOcean, A leading mobile app development companies. As a hobby, He loves to write articles about technology, marketing, business, web, and mobile. His articles featured on Datafloq, JaxEnter, TechTarget, eLearninggAdobe, DesignWebKit, InstantShift and many more.

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