Menu

Did you know that although Uber has seen a massive rise over the last few years, the growth in ride-hailing apps doesn't stop there? All sorts of new platforms are hitting the market, and this looks set to continue to take business away from traditional taxi companies as the digital economy evolves.

The average monthly income for a driver in Africa is US$450. That could be substantially more than traditional driving jobs and many other types of employment. As the African economy grows, and ride-hailing apps become more popular, this monthly amount looks set to grow even more.

But did you know that there are also more opportunities than just becoming an Uber or Lyft driver? You can actually start your very own ride-hailing app business – to hopefully make more money. It might seem complicated, but it is not as hard as you think. If you are an entrepreneur, you could find countless new opportunities with your own app.

Having your own ride-hailing service means you get a bigger share of the profits. If you're driving for yourself, the cut you'd normally give to Uber would now go to you. If you want to expand and take on more drivers, you would also get a share of their earnings.

One other key advantage of starting your own ride-hailing service is that you might be able to get around blocks on Uber in certain locations. This could help you earn even more. So how can you do it?

Start your on-demand service from scratch

The first step towards starting your own ride-hailing business is to get in touch with Onde.App. It is a tech company that helps entrepreneurs create their own taxi or delivery on-demand businesses. It has all the tools you need to get started on your way to success. The award-winning company will not only solve the technical part for you. It will also help you get your first customers by leveraging the user acquisition experience gained from more than 70 different markets.

The initial set up plan starts from US$7000 (this includes payment platform, driver and customer apps, tech support and other features). For example, the most acknowledged Sudan’s taxi company Tirhal is running on the onde.app’s platform.

Recruit drivers

You might want to start small and just work for yourself as a way to get more profit than working with other ride-hailing apps. But if you really want to go big and take things to the next level, you might want to consider getting more drivers on board so that you can make even more money.

Promote your business

When you're just starting out, you'll need to promote your business as much as possible. After all, nobody is going to use your app if they don't know about it. You might want to run some local advertisement so people can get to know more about you. Make sure you tell all your customers to spread the word and tell their friends.

You don't just want to promote your app to potential customers. You are also promoting it to potential drivers.

Fix your fares

If you want to compete with other Uber drivers, you might want to lower your fares a bit. After all, if you're keeping 100% of your takings as both a driver and company owner, you can afford to reduce things a bit. Once you have got a foothold in the market, you can then increase your fare.

Improve the experience for your customers

Make sure your customers have the best possible experience so they continue to use your app and spread the word to their friends. Offer clean, comfortable and friendly rides with tonnes of added extras, and you should be onto track to becoming a winner.