So, you’re in the big leagues now! Having your own on demand online taxi booking solution is not a small thing. With a market desperate for a convenient Uber Clone solution, there can never be enough apps to support the demand of smartphone-based taxi booking apps.
For years, we have built and delivered on demand taxi booking solutions and the one thing that that been a predominant theme amongst all the companies that approach us for their app, is a lack of knowledge with respect to the safety features that actually make your app usable and preferred.
This blog post is aimed at compiling some of the top safety features that you must ensure to include in your on demand white labelled smart phone app based taxi booking solution.
1. Panic / SOS Emergency Button
What It Does
This one is a no brainer. You probably know about this, but still, since we are on the subject of safety, the panic button tops the list. Having a panic button on the app is an absolute must. This allows both, the user as well as the driver to initiate predefined emergency protocols.
What All Does The Button Do?
- Call local emergency services (e.g., police)—numbers can be configured per region.
- Send SMS alerts to up to three trusted contacts saved in-app.
- Notify the system administrator or support team, sharing the phone’s GPS coordinates
Why Is It So Important?
Regardless of whether it is a health emergency, a total car failure, or any threat, external or internal, having an SOS tool within your reach is critical. The button is meant to send real time alerts to both social contacts and backend responders, improving chances of rapid assistance.
2. Live Video Recording (Optional)
What It Does
This is a unique feature that can be used in case either the driver or the rider feel like they need to record the entire ride using the app. It just ensures that all kinds of interactions during the trip are recorded. Think of it as a little black box, not one that records flight data, but one specifically for taxi booking rides.
Why It Matters
This feature works almost like a tool that enhances mutual responsibilities and accountability. Whether it is a fare dispute, a matter of misconduct or even accidents, this is a great tool to have. However, it is important to note that this feature for having a video recording is completely optional. A small side note, in some countries, such recordings may have a legal connotation with respect to privacy. Make sure that you have completely checked with the local laws to ensure that you are not infringing on any.
3. Face-Mask Verification & Safety Checklist
What It Does
The Covid scare has scarred many in multiple ways. Ensuring that there is no other pandemic breaking out or causing transmission within the cab, make sure that you have the face mask feature on. Also, please note that having a face mask verification is not just something that is in response to a pandemic. This is a basic hygiene requirement in today’s time.
It works essentially by requiring the driver to snap a picture of himself wearing the mask in order to start the ride. There is also a basic checklist (e.g., masks, sanitizer, and seat cleaning) visible to both parties before ride acceptance. Riders and drivers can cancel if safety criteria aren’t met.
What Makes This Important?
The ability to ensure that that they have the power to cancel the ride is a very important thing to have in terms of security and safety. The rider and the driver both need to know that they are safe.
4. OTP Verification At Ride Start
What It Does
How many times have you heard of horror stories of how someone got tricked into a taxi and something horrid happened? Well that was before OTP verification. Before departure, the driver requests a one time password (OTP) shared by the rider. The trip only starts once the OTP matches between the driver and the rider.
Why It Matters
As mentioned above, having OTP verifications ensures that there is no chance of false identities. Nobody can hop into the cab and get the ride started unless they are the rider who booked the cab in the first place. No random person with a car can show up and claim to be your driver. The ride only starts if both the rider and the driver have the correct OTP.
A Quick Revision
So far, we have covered four of the most conventional and basic features of security that any on demand taxi booking app like Uber should have. If you are interested in purchasing your own Uber Clone app, ensure that you take your time to go through these points so that you are absolutely certain when you try the free demo of the white label app before you buy it. Once you are done reading and jotting down these points, we will talk about some of the more intricate and unique features. Stay tuned!
5. Arrival Verification to Prevent Fraud
What does this feature do?
The app should be automatically configured to ensure that the drivers cannot mark themselves as “Arrived” at the pick up location, unless they are at a very close physical proximity to the passenger. The radius is adjustable right at the admin panel. GPS verification is critical ensure that fraudulent activities can be prevented.
Is it of any use?
Apart from fraud, this feature is excellent to avoid confusion when it comes to new locations or unfamiliar places. Drivers and passengers can both feel safe with this. Let’s face it, no matter how good your business and your intention is, there will be drivers who claim premature arrival, some who would like to mislead their riders and others who would like to inflate idle time. There will also be riders who try to get out of paying by claiming the driver never showed.
6. Trip Cancellation under Safety Concerns
What it does
You know how big a deal consent is. The ability to cancel the ride if you do not feel safe is of utmost importance. If either party feels unsafe, no matter what the reason is, they should be able to cancel the ride using the app by citing the reason. The reasons include lack of mask use, agitation, route deviations or any other behavioural misconduct that makes them feel threatened. Of course there has to be a structure to the cancellation to prevent frauds. The rider and the driver have to both feel safe and ride cancellation gives both types of your customers just that.
Why it matters
At the end of the day, any business is only as good as what customers think of it. With a multi service business like the Uber Clone app, both, the user as well as the service provider are your customers. So, empowering them to refuse unsafe situations without being penalized, helping build trust and ensuring comfort.
7. Live Audio & Text Chat with Admin
Regardless of whether you are the driver or the rider, knowing that you can connect with the admin of the app or the brand who you trust for the ride is extremely important. The driver or the rider can initiate either a text chat or audio chat with the admin panel. You may even send audio recording clips to the admin panel. This way, in case there is any problem, dispute, doubt or confusion, the admin can step in and mediate.
Being able to access a different channel for communication enables problem solving in real time. A swifter and more thought out action can be take in case of any kind of emergency.
8. Trip Status Sharing
Share Trip Status is a unique feature that is absolutely important for the safety if the rider. The Rider can at any time share the status of the trip with their friends and family. Being able to notify people about your whereabouts in the middle of a relatively longer duration trip (because of the distance or the traffic) acts as an extra layer of protection. In this way, if an intervention is needed on the part of the family or friends, they can do so easily.
9. GPS Enabled Legal Record
Really, a well developed Uber App Clone is an analysts’ playground. Having access to any and all kinds of data history makes the business more traceable, reduces the chances of fraud and empowers the entrepreneurs to understand what works and what parts of the app need more effort. A GPS enabled record can be retrieved at any time by the admin to verify compliance and monitor activity.
These measures serve passengers, drivers, and platform operators in building trust, safeguarding against emergencies, and maintaining compliance.
10. Rider & Driver Safety Ratings
What does trip rating have to do with safety?
Trip ratings are perhaps the most underrated feature. Having this over the heads of both the rider and the driver ensures that they are both at their best behaviour! The driver feels safe because if the rider acts unruly, they can rate them and make other drivers using your app aware. Likewise for the driver. When the trip gets over, the rider and the driver should both get a safety checklist including points like mask usage, route adherence, etc. These ratings contribute to aggregate safety metrics used by the system.
How does it help?
Peer-driven feedback acmes safety compliance or gaps. Drivers and operators can review poor ratings and follow up. This in turn incentivizes safer conduct.
Wrapping it up
Safety is not a small thing. At the end of the day, your drivers and riders need to feel that your platform is not just a stage that brings riders and drivers together, but gives them an opportunity to either do business or reach places conveniently and in the safest way possible.
Just like your users and customers need to feel safe, you too need to feel safe with your investment towards the Uber Clone app. This is why, when you purchase your Uber Clone app, ensure that you test the app thoroughly.
Get the company to create a demo link for you so that you can try out the app in live environment from the rider a well as the driver end. Go through the website and the backend along with the admin panel of the app. All of this has to happen before you make the payment for the app. It is the only way you can be absolutely safe and sure about your own Uber Clone app! Oh WAIT! It is not over yet. There are 3 more very important features that we need to talk about. But we don’t want to bombard you with all this information all at once. Stay tuned for the concluding post of this series!
