It’s frustrating when you have to overpay a taxi app for a ride. With the controversies surrounding high-fare charging taxi platforms, people are shifting to apps like inDrive. What is an inDrive-like app? How is it benefiting users? Is it an upcoming business trend?
Let us look for answers to each of these questions.
What is an inDrive-like App?
It is an app similar to inDrive.
The inDrive Clone app works on a model different from a standard taxi booking platform. The ride-hailing app integrates a unique algorithm where the rider can set the fare they want to pay for the requested ride. The driver can then choose to accept the ride or counter the rider’s offer by placing a bid.
The inDriver Clone app replicates the bidding and negotiation features, allowing users to offer the fare they want.
Fixed Fare Rate vs. Bidding: Which is better?
Taxi booking in a standard Uber-like model and an inDriver-like flow are very different. But which one is better?
The statistics point towards the rising demand for taxi apps offering fare negotiation. According to DMR, the platform had a whopping 150 million app installs as of July 2023.
The figure is enough to say that people are looking for taxi bidding applications. That brings us to the question: which of the two methods is better?
Let’s draw a comparison between the traditional taxi booking platform and the new in-demand ride-bidding application.
Taxi bidding apps like inDrive
- Dynamic prices: In the bidding system, the pricing keeps changing depending on the user’s spending. The system only shows them an “average price” that’s appropriate according to the pickup and dropoff location of the user.
- The rider chooses the fare: The rider can set the fare they want to pay for traveling from A to B locations.
- The driver places the bid: It is up to the driver to accept the ride request sent by the rider, decline it, or counter-offer.
- Transparency: Bidding makes the ride-booking process even more transparent. Here, the rider and the driver can both directly negotiate the fare without the involvement of a third party.
Fixed-fare taxi apps
- Fixed Prices: In this system, the rider’s fare remains fixed and is determined by the system itself. Users and drivers can expect a few fluctuations in the price if the expected ride time is extended or the driver takes a longer route.
- The system decides the price: Based on the rider’s pick-up and drop-off locations, the system calculates the fare. The rider needs to pay the displayed fare once the ride ends. The rates are pre-established based on demand, ride time, and distance.
- Non-negotiable prices: The user has to pay the fixed price since it is non-negotiable.
Well, both taxi booking flows have their pros and cons, but what’s interesting is that people are adopting fare bidding systems with open arms.
The traditional method will not go out of fashion; however, the inDrive-like taxi booking system will soon become a standard!
Benefits Of Taxi Bidding Application
Launching a taxi bidding app like inDrive holds a ton of benefits for both. For users, it is a sense of relief from overpaying the taxi booking platforms.
On the other hand, for drivers, it is an opportunity to freely set the fares that they want to earn on a particular ride.
Furthermore, here are some additional advantages that your users and drivers will enjoy once they register on the platform.
Benefits to Riders
- Save more on rides: The riders will be able to book a ride at lower fares. They will be able to choose the fare they want, which will allow them to save more money.
- Offers more transparency: inDriver-like taxi application makes ride booking transparent, thus allowing users to determine the fare and negotiate with the driver as well.
- Find rides under budget: The riders can set the fare according to their budget, making it even more affordable for them.
- Price control: Riders can choose the price they want to pay for the ride.
- Get multiple bids from drivers: Users can choose the driver offering the best counter-offers against their asked price for the ride. In short, they get the choice to choose the driver of their choice.
- Price negotiations: Riders can negotiate the fare with the drivers on this taxi bidding app. They get complete flexibility to accept, decline, or negotiate the offer until they agree upon a suitable price.
Benefits for Drivers
- Fare negotiations: Drivers can easily negotiate the fare with the rider and accept the ride. The driver can compete on this bidding system based on their service quality, distance, etc.
- More earnings: Drivers can choose to adjust the prices as per demand and complete more rides during peak business hours.
We have talked about the perks of launching the inDrive Clone app for riders and drivers, but what about the app owner? What benefits do they get from investing their time and money into launching this application in the first place?
Benefits to the App Owner
As the app owner, you can enjoy multiple perks when launching a taxi bidding platform like inDrive, including:
- Enhanced operational efficiency: Launching a professionally built app for ride bidding helps to significantly enhance overall efficiency. Your users will be able to bid for the ride using the app only, within a few clicks.
- Step into the ride-hailing market: With the on-demand taxi bidding app, you will be able to enter the market efficiently. Since the inDrive model is widely used, you’ll be launching a proven business model, attracting a wider user base.
- Advanced features: The smart taxi bidding app like inDrive will include advanced features like real-time negotiation, route optimization, SOS button, live tracking, etc. An app with such futuristic features will help you improve your business and give it a competitive edge.
- Elevate your brand’s credibility: Launching an on-demand application will help you increase your brand’s credibility.
How Does the Bidding System Work with the Indrive Clone?
Bidding with the system is simple. The rider needs to download the app, enter the locations, set a fare, and begin the search for the driver.
To learn each of these in depth, let’s understand the workflow of the bidding process.
1. Registration/Login
The user will sign up for the application with a social media account, email address, or phone number. If they already have an account, they can simply use Face ID, fingerprint, or valid credentials to log in.
2. Enter the location
The rider now needs to enter the pickup and drop-off locations.
3. Select the vehicle
After entering the location, the rider will be able to see all the available vehicles near them, such as Basic, Normal, Luxurious, etc.
Also, the rider can choose the vehicle they want and the payment method that best suits their needs.
4. Request the ride
The user can now tap on “Request Now” to request the ride.
5. Enter the fare
Now the user can enter their desired fare. The rider will see the average fare for the ride, which is calculated by the system for the selected locations.
Riders who enter fares that are too low compared to the average fare will be prompted to increase their fares.
6. Find a driver
By tapping on “Find Driver”, the user will be able to send the ride request to all the drivers near the location. The drivers will be notified about the request right away.
7. Negotiate the fare
If the driver is okay with the offered fare, they can accept the fare. The driver can enter their customer offer and tap “accept” to make a fare negotiation offer.
8. Rider accepts the offer
Once the driver makes an offer, the user gets notified. Now, if the rider accepts the offer, the driver will be notified.
The driver will then arrive at the rider’s request, pick them up, and begin the trip. Once they reach the drop-off location and the driver marks the trip as complete, the user will receive the invoice and make the payment.
Lastly, both the rider and the driver can rate & review each other based on their experience.
Isn’t the inDrive-like taxi app model amusing?
Conclusion
If you’re soon planning to launch your inDrive-like app for taxi bidding, you need to choose the best app developers who offer you more than just a simple platform.
Look for a white-labeling firm that offers a complete business solution, including the website, web panels, admin panels, etc. Additionally, make sure you test the application before investing in it.
Take the trial for as long as you wish and check that the platform has advanced features like in-app messaging, live tracking, multi-currency support, and more.
