Autofleet’s White Label Passenger App - Built to Be Your Own

When "Average Joe" thinks about taking a taxi these days, they rarely dial the phone, or try to hail a cab on the street. Rather, they choose an app, click it, and ask to be picked up. The taxi industry is moving away from walk-ins, street hailing and phone calls, and towards a digital, app based, customer experience.

The importance of ride-hailing apps (sometimes referred to as uber-like or taxi apps) as the first point of contact with passengers cannot be exaggerated. This is where the actual “sale” of the ride takes place, and where the passenger chooses whether to book the ride or not.  

A quick Google search will reveal there are many apps out there offering raid-hailing, so how will you know which one to choose?

Two key factors are at play here: 

1. A lack of differentiation between the different apps that often seem to just clone each other. These generic apps make your offering completely commoditized, and offer no trajectory for branded differentiators even further down the road. 

2. Vendor lock-in, especially for those who use a generic app provided by dispatching vendor. It means that when you need to replace the dispatcher, your app goes too - making it expensive, complicated, and will result in customer churn.

So what app is right for you? Read on to find out, but if you want a shortcut, our experts have put together this checklist of all the key features you will need that you can download here. 

Autofleet’ open source passenger app allows operators full control of the passenger experience, as well as giving them the ability to offer advanced services.

What does having an open source passenger app mean?

An open source passenger app means that you have full control over it. Including owning the IP for the app. Autofleet’s open source Passenger App, gives taxi companies the ability to customize and tailor the app according to their specific needs. And this level of flexibility allows you to create a unique user experience, and differentiate yourself from competitors.

Using an open source app also does not lock you in with a specific vendor. You can create your own “fork” and modify it however you wish. Thus ensuring you keep complete control of your taxi app in the future.

Fully control your brand's experience 

Autofleet’s open source passenger app allows taxi, minicab and private hire companies to fully control the brand experience. Basic customizations include the color scheme in the application, the icons that will appear on passengers' phones, and a splash screen welcoming them in. It also includes localization and translation of all the text in the app. And it runs on both Android and Apple phones and even supports a web interface.

More advanced features include control over how notifications are handled and when they are sent, setting rules by time and/or distance, and the preferred medium (SMS, app notifications etc.). Additionally, you can control how many vehicles are shown on the map and the types of animations that go along with them. You can even send rich-text updates to users, including news, promos, links, discount codes, and more.

Control the in-app customer journey 

Beyond providing a rich branded experience, it is also important to control the customer journey. And to make sure it is aligned with your needs and the passengers' expectations. 

Using Autofleet’s passenger app, you can control what details are required on sign up (do you require a credit card number? Would you like the passenger to add a photo of themselves?). And what sort of tracking do you want to allow your passengers to have - can they see the taxi route before the ride? During it? 

Taxi companies can also decide if they are willing to take ASAP orders only or allow future rides. Geo fence the service, and limit it to certain areas and times and choose if they want to collect passengers' feedback (as stars or text or both).

Multiple ride services - single app  

Modern taxi companies often offer a variety of services, and you can decide which, if any, to include in the passenger app. Would you like to allow ride pooling? How do you support different classes of vehicles? Should you offer premium services? Or EV rides? 

In certain scenarios, like in rural areas, companies may want to offer long ETAs, in others, they may want to set limited service areas for pickup, drop-off or both.

Allow different payment options in the passenger app 

A taxi company is a business. It needs to make money and to ensure drivers get paid. With Autofleet, you can support all credit and debit cards, and decide whether to accept cash payments or not. You can also support business accounts, but more on that later.  

Tipping is important in some markets, and the app can help drivers maximize them by setting default rules based on percentages, fixed sums, changing between the two automatically based on the total, or not at all.

Throughout the billing process, credit card details are never saved in the application itself or exposed to the driver or the taxi company. Keeping your passengers' details safe, and saving you the worry of legal exposure.

Managing business accounts

One key revenue source for taxi companies is business users. Autofleet’s passenger app fully supports the use of business accounts. This includes the ability to charge rides to the company, apply special rates and offer multiple payment options. 

A key feature required by many business users is the ability to book directly from the office without requiring an app. Autofleet’s web booker allows orders placed by the back office, using the same rich experience you get on the app. It can also provide the detailed breakdowns and reports that business users need. 

Protecting driver and passenger safety through the passenger app

Last but not least, it is vitally important to keep both drivers and passengers safe and feeling secure. The application creates a complete separation between the driver and passenger, ensuring that once the ride is complete, they cannot contact each other directly.

Only the first name of the passenger is ever shown to the driver, and all phone communication (and messaging) is done through masked numbers. Making sure both feel safe.

Should future communication be required, it can happen through the taxi company itself. 

This is the best passenger application for your Taxi Business

Autofleet’s passenger app was designed from the ground up to become a tailored bespoke solution for our partners. The passenger app is yours in more than name alone, and you retain ownership of the app IP. 

The app gives taxi companies full control over dozens of parameters, allowing them to create an app experience that is perfect for them. Moreover, taxi companies can tweak service parameters, making sure they can quickly and easily respond to market demand. 

Not sure which passenger app is right for you? Get your “Taxi passenger app cheat sheet” here