Carpooling is on the rise due to factors such as poor public transport, unavailability of first and last-mile connectivity, stress due to driving in heavy traffic, and rising awareness regarding air pollution. Statista estimates that in 2023, ride-hailing services in the U.S. should generate around $97 billion in revenue.
Carpooling offers multiple advantages over other means of transport as it is more affordable, especially for longer distances. Carpooling is also more eco-friendly, as sharing a car reduces traffic and cuts down emissions.
Entrepreneurs can start their own carpooling business with just a little bit of creativity and choosing the right business model. BlablaCar clone app development is just what entrepreneurs and businesses can aim for considering the BlablaCar App success.
Features To Be Included In BlaBlaCar Clone App Development
BlaBlaCar earns revenue via service fees, sharing revenue with bus operators, and charging referral and subscription fees. Rideshare platforms usually collect around 10 to 15% of the total ride cost from the ride provider. These are the different features that can be included during BlablaCar Clone App Development.
User Features
Messaging: After a driver accepts a ride request, both the driver and riders can communicate via text message using the messaging feature.
Classification of Vehicles: Hatchbacks, sedans, minivans, and SUVs are available to users.
Pre-departure OTP: The passenger must provide the driver with a five-digit number that he receives in his smartphone before the ride commences.
Vehicle Rental: Users can reserve a car by the hour or for the whole day, saving them the trouble of arranging for numerous journeys separately.
Outstation Bookings: This feature allows users to make reservations for taxis or cabs for travels that take them outside of the city.
Real-time Tracking: Through live monitoring, the rider will be kept informed of any changes to the ride’s status, including the acceptance of the ride, the arrival of the driver, and the start, end, or cancellation of the journey.
Driver Features
Driver Verification: The driver’s uploaded documents, including identification, a licence, and car registration details, will be reviewed and approved by the admin panel.
Earnings Report: Drivers have access to comprehensive earnings reports that detail their work for the day, month, and week, complete with payment options.
Driver Availability: A driver can turn their availability on or off whenever they want to work or not from within the app.
Multiple Shifts: In order to increase their income, drivers have the option to work multiple shifts.
Accept/Decline Rides: Within thirty seconds, the driver has the option to accept or reject a ride request.
Professional Messaging: Passengers and drivers may share business related information professionally without sharing contact details thanks to our in-app chat and call features.
Admin Features
Revenue Management: Using Revenue Manager, an administrator can track earnings on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.
Document Approval: As part of the driver verification process, the administrator will give their approval to any documents that the driver has uploaded.
Create Roles: The role management feature can be used for creating sub-admins and assigning them certain tasks like handling more complicated driver management and monitoring.
Get Reports: Utilising a wide variety of filter options, the administrator will be able to monitor daily reports regarding number of trips, fuel spent, and other analytics that can be used for improving the service.
Manage Trips: Admins can configure the dashboard for listing each trip in great detail, including the cost, the driver, and the numbers of passengers.
Payment Tracking: Allows to track and get reference numbers of payments made to the carpooling service – payments for the ride, tips to drivers etc. Can also be used to release payment to the drivers on a weekly or monthly basis.
Steps For A Successful BlaBlaCar Clone App Development
Building a carpooling app like BlaBlaCar requires a multi-stage process that starts with conceptualization and ends with deployment. A brief outline of the procedure is as follows:
Concept & Ideation: Establish the parameters of your app’s functionality and scope. Find out what others think about current carpooling applications by researching them. Look for things that set you apart from the competition or that you can improve upon.
Analysing the Market: Conduct a market analysis to gain an understanding of your target audience, including their preferences and requirements. Seek out areas where current solutions fall short and see if your app can address those.
Design: Create the app’s user interface (UI) and its UX. Make mockups and wireframes to see how the app will work. Make sure the layout is simple and easy to understand.
Features: Identify the essential functions of your app. Some of these could be:
- Signups and Profiles for Users
- Booking and Posting of Rides
- Location-Based Services
- Integration of Payment Methods
- Reviews and Ratings
- Notifications
- Search & Filters
- In-App Chat or Call
- Integration of Social Media
- Multilingual Assistance
Technology Framework: Pick the tools you’ll use to build the database, front end, and back end. Typical technology stacks consist of:
- Frontend: Native development (iOS: Swift, Android: Kotlin) or React Native, Flutter
- Backend: Frameworks like Django, Ruby on Rails, or Node.js
- Database: MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL
- Payment Processing: RazorPay, PayPal, Stripe
Development: Make sure you build the app’s frontend and backend. While putting an emphasis on clean code and scalability, implement the features that you highlighted thus far.
Testing: Find and solve all bugs, malfunctions, and usability issues by thoroughly testing the software. Verify compatibility by running tests on different hardware and OS versions.
Safety and Privacy: Take precautions to safeguard user information and prevent unauthorised access. Protect sensitive data by utilising authentication and encryption methods.
Release and Deployment: Launch the app on the App Store and the Google Play Store. Be careful to adhere to the specifications and rules of every platform.
Promotion & Marketing: Develop an advertising plan to get the word out about your app. Promote your service to potential customers using various internet mediums, including social media and digital ads.
Ensuring Compliance with Regulatory Standards: Make sure your app follows all the rules and regulations that are applicable in the areas you intend to market it. This may include data protection and transportation rules in some places.
Stability and Efficiency: Make sure that the app can manage more users and traffic as it becomes popular. Prevent app errors and slowdowns by optimising its performance and scalability.
Customer Service: Respond quickly to user questions, concerns, and complaints by providing customer service. Satisfaction and loyalty among users can be enhanced with a dependable support system.
Collaborations & Partnerships: To provide more comprehensive services, you might want to look into partnering with other companies or transportation providers. Partnerships with public transportation agencies, automobile rental agencies, or taxi firms are all possibilities.
Analytics and Insights: Use analytics tools to monitor engagement, user behaviour, and other key performance indicators. Make educated judgments on app upgrades and changes using this data.
How To Make Money With BlaBlaCar Clone App
Here are some common monetization strategies for a carpooling app:
Commission-based Model: The app charges a commission or transaction fee from the drivers for each successful ride or transaction. This is a popular method used by many ride-sharing platforms.
Subscription Model: Offer premium features or benefits to users who subscribe to a monthly or yearly plan. Premium features could include priority booking, access to exclusive ride options, or enhanced safety measures.
Advertising: Allow third-party advertisers to display targeted ads within the app. This can be done through banner ads, sponsored content, or promotional partnerships with relevant businesses, such as gas stations or car wash services.
In-app Purchases: Offer additional services or add-ons within the app for users to purchase. For example, users can buy credits for discounted rides, extra insurance coverage, or the ability to pre-book rides in advance.
Corporate Partnerships: Forge partnerships with companies or organisations that value carpooling as part of their sustainability initiatives. Offer special rates or incentives to their employees or members, and charge a fee for facilitating these partnerships.
Conclusion
BlaBlaCar clone app development can be a lucrative venture considering the rising demand for carpooling services and the success of the original BlaBlaCar platform. With the right app development solution, entrepreneurs can tap into this market and offer reliable and efficient carpooling services to users.
If you are looking to launch a ridesharing venture, our ridesharing software solution ‘Karry’ is a highly recommended option. This powerful script offers a range of features that can help you create a seamless carpooling experience for your users, with a user-friendly interface, secure payment processing, real-time tracking, and all the features mentioned above. Connect with us today!
