Site Map | --All Pages-- | --Github Commits--, Issues | Possible Initiatives | Open-source Society Project | Main Prototype website | Sub-reddit -- This documentation wiki is under construction
Open-Source Taxi App: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
According to [https://www.businessofapps.com/data/taxi-app-market/ this] website, there are 300 million users of taxi apps with Uber and DiDi responsible for 150 million of those users. The taxi app market size is expected to be $283 billion by 2028. Often these apps take a large portion of the fare (a lot of information is available for this for example [https://www.reddit.com/r/uberdrivers/comments/176v58t/uber_takes_a_huge_cut_of_our_earnings_these_days/ <nowiki>[1]</nowiki>], [https://www.labor.ucla.edu/press-release/ucla-labor-center-report-finds-that-uber-lyft-are-pocketing-a-larger-share-of-passenger-fares-for-nyc-trips <nowiki>[2]</nowiki>], [https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/uber-lyft-pocketed-larger-portion-fares-after-driver-pay-minimums-took-effect-report <nowiki>[3]</nowiki>]). Some taxi companies take a smaller commission e.g. DiDi takes about 20% ([https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3246921/baidus-live-streaming-ambitions-dealt-blow-lapse-us36-billion-deal-buy-joyys-yy-live?campaign=3246921&module=perpetual_scroll_1_AI&pgtype=article source]), compared to Uber and Lyft's 40 to 60% ([https://www.ridester.com/how-much-do-uber-drivers-make/ source]) and this shows its possible to take less commission. Many people believe that open-source taxi apps with more transparent, fair and lean business models should exist with minimum fees that are fully and available for examination/audit. Many have wondered and inquired if such apps exist ([https://robertmcgrath.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/open-source-alternatives-to-uber/ <nowiki>[1]</nowiki>], [https://www.google.com/search?q=open+source+alternative+to+uber+site%3Areddit.com&sca_esv=380cea29b142b78e&sxsrf=AM9HkKlxg--_3wG31GMZGGvqMp8mtU6VFw%3A1704586563449&source=hp&ei=Q-2ZZcvnGNaZwbkP4oKI6Ao&iflsig=AO6bgOgAAAAAZZn7U4M5JYIeCMPdZwYFLJWJxUynWkp5&ved=0ahUKEwiLlefk_8mDAxXWTDABHWIBAq0Q4dUDCAw&uact=5&oq=open+source+alternative+to+uber+site%3Areddit.com&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ii9vcGVuIHNvdXJjZSBhbHRlcm5hdGl2ZSB0byB1YmVyIHNpdGU6cmVkZGl0LmNvbUieCVCVB1iVB3ABeACQAQCYAUOgAUOqAQExuAEDyAEA-AEC-AEBqAIKwgIHECMY6gIYJw&sclient=gws-wiz <nowiki>[2]</nowiki>] etc). | According to [https://www.businessofapps.com/data/taxi-app-market/ this] website, there are 300 million users of taxi apps with Uber and DiDi responsible for 150 million of those users. The taxi app market size is expected to be $283 billion by 2028. Often these apps take a large portion of the fare (a lot of information is available for this for example [https://www.reddit.com/r/uberdrivers/comments/176v58t/uber_takes_a_huge_cut_of_our_earnings_these_days/ <nowiki>[1]</nowiki>], [https://www.labor.ucla.edu/press-release/ucla-labor-center-report-finds-that-uber-lyft-are-pocketing-a-larger-share-of-passenger-fares-for-nyc-trips <nowiki>[2]</nowiki>], [https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/uber-lyft-pocketed-larger-portion-fares-after-driver-pay-minimums-took-effect-report <nowiki>[3]</nowiki>]). Some taxi companies take a smaller commission e.g. DiDi takes about 20% ([https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3246921/baidus-live-streaming-ambitions-dealt-blow-lapse-us36-billion-deal-buy-joyys-yy-live?campaign=3246921&module=perpetual_scroll_1_AI&pgtype=article source]), compared to Uber and Lyft's 40 to 60% ([https://www.ridester.com/how-much-do-uber-drivers-make/ source]) and this shows its possible to take less commission. Many people believe that open-source taxi apps with more transparent, fair and lean business models should exist with minimum fees that are fully and available for examination/audit. Many have wondered and inquired if such apps exist ([https://robertmcgrath.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/open-source-alternatives-to-uber/ <nowiki>[1]</nowiki>], [https://www.google.com/search?q=open+source+alternative+to+uber+site%3Areddit.com&sca_esv=380cea29b142b78e&sxsrf=AM9HkKlxg--_3wG31GMZGGvqMp8mtU6VFw%3A1704586563449&source=hp&ei=Q-2ZZcvnGNaZwbkP4oKI6Ao&iflsig=AO6bgOgAAAAAZZn7U4M5JYIeCMPdZwYFLJWJxUynWkp5&ved=0ahUKEwiLlefk_8mDAxXWTDABHWIBAq0Q4dUDCAw&uact=5&oq=open+source+alternative+to+uber+site%3Areddit.com&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ii9vcGVuIHNvdXJjZSBhbHRlcm5hdGl2ZSB0byB1YmVyIHNpdGU6cmVkZGl0LmNvbUieCVCVB1iVB3ABeACQAQCYAUOgAUOqAQExuAEDyAEA-AEC-AEBqAIKwgIHECMY6gIYJw&sclient=gws-wiz <nowiki>[2]</nowiki>] etc). | ||
It | It doesn't seem like there are any open-source business models that have been successful. Various projects exist on [https://github.com/topics/taxi-app?o=desc&s=stars Github] but there's no real-world execution/follow-up and user adoption which is understood. A successful widely adopted taxi app requires more than just a working taxi app. | ||
==== LibreTaxi ==== | ==== LibreTaxi ==== | ||
The most famous open-source taxi app [https://libretaxi.org/ LibreTaxi] is actually not an app. Its a Telegram service (user needs to have the Telegram messaging app). A taxi app should be easy to use/intuitive (working through a messaging/chat interface to get a taxi ride is not intuitive). Its also not clear if LibreTaxi has been successful in user adoption although it deserves support as its a free open-source project. Here's an [https://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Libre_Taxi interview] with the developer | The most famous open-source taxi app [https://libretaxi.org/ LibreTaxi] is actually not an app. Its a Telegram service (user needs to have the Telegram messaging app). A taxi app should be easy to use/intuitive (working through a messaging/chat interface to get a taxi ride is not intuitive). Its also not clear if LibreTaxi has been successful in user adoption although it deserves support as its a free open-source project. Here's an [https://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Libre_Taxi interview] with the developer | ||
==== Next Steps ==== | |||
The next step is to examine any existing source code and use that or start from scratch. Someone wrote a [https://medium.com/@pawaryogita309/where-can-i-get-an-open-source-uber-taxi-booking-app-clone-for-android-ios-with-a-web-panel-5f2e9c705051 development guide]. | |||
Revision as of 21:04, 7 January 2024
The goal of this research is to determine:
- Issues with current taxi apps and business models
- what open-source taxi app alternatives exist, to what extent they have been successful and if not, the reasons for not achieving success and the challenges they have faced
- what it would take to make such an initiative successful from a technical, legal, human resources and operational perspective
- if we should take an existing solution and modify it, or develop from scratch
Corporate Business Models and their Issues
According to this website, there are 300 million users of taxi apps with Uber and DiDi responsible for 150 million of those users. The taxi app market size is expected to be $283 billion by 2028. Often these apps take a large portion of the fare (a lot of information is available for this for example [1], [2], [3]). Some taxi companies take a smaller commission e.g. DiDi takes about 20% (source), compared to Uber and Lyft's 40 to 60% (source) and this shows its possible to take less commission. Many people believe that open-source taxi apps with more transparent, fair and lean business models should exist with minimum fees that are fully and available for examination/audit. Many have wondered and inquired if such apps exist ([1], [2] etc).
It doesn't seem like there are any open-source business models that have been successful. Various projects exist on Github but there's no real-world execution/follow-up and user adoption which is understood. A successful widely adopted taxi app requires more than just a working taxi app.
LibreTaxi
The most famous open-source taxi app LibreTaxi is actually not an app. Its a Telegram service (user needs to have the Telegram messaging app). A taxi app should be easy to use/intuitive (working through a messaging/chat interface to get a taxi ride is not intuitive). Its also not clear if LibreTaxi has been successful in user adoption although it deserves support as its a free open-source project. Here's an interview with the developer
Next Steps
The next step is to examine any existing source code and use that or start from scratch. Someone wrote a development guide.