Since their inception, e-scooters or electric scooters have gained limelight due to their high fuel efficiency and compactness. An e-scooter consists of two or three wheels and runs on electricity. There is a rechargeable battery in the e-scooter which stores the electricity and drives the motors. However, these e-scooters are quite expensive in comparison to the ordinary scooters and henceforth, not everyone can afford them.
This raises the demand for scooter sharing apps like Lime, Bird and Spin.
What is a Scooter sharing mobile application?
As the name implies, Scooter sharing mobile applications allows you for short-term rentals of the e-scooters which are also called stand-up scooters. The scooter sharing is highly in demand as their rates are quite and are best for short journeys. You can either develop an android
mobile application development as well as iOS app. The other benefits of the e-scooters are:
- Renewable fuel
- Environmental friendly
- Ease traffic congestion
- Solve parking issues
Market stats of the e-scooters and scooter sharing
When the world was facing a transportation problem, and cities were getting choked to the emission of greenhouse gases by automobiles, startups like Bird and Lime came like a boon and began the era of e-scooters. Lime and Bird are now dominating e-scooter mobile applications in the US and have reached valuation of over billion dollars. And these are not the only e-scooter apps, there are many other players such as Skip, Scoot, Spin, PopScoot, Tier Mobility, Voi Technology, Dott, and Flash.
The market of e-scooter is expected to reach $41.98B by 2030. In 2018 alone, 5 million units of e-scooters were sold. The scooter sharing app market was estimated at $17.43 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow at a rate of 8.5%.
How does an e-scooter mobile app work?
Users will register on the app using necessary credentials and provide the payment details.
- Find a nearby scooter sharing point.
- Check for the price and enter the destination
- Unlock the scooter with the QR code scanned by the mobile phone scanner.
- After unlock, start riding on it. The payment will be done automatically.
Popular e-scooter sharing apps
Lime
Lime is amongst the top e-scooter sharing apps in the US. It was launched in January 2017. Within a few months after its launch, it announced that it has attained 6 million rides. In September 2018, it crossed 11.5 million rides. The company’s aim is to assist their riders to roam in the cities in the most affordable way. There are 3 modes of transportation offered by the Lime – Lime S i.e. electric scooter, Lime-E (e-assist bike), and Lime Bike. As per the recent news, Lime raises $310 million in the round D and valuing the company at $2.4 billion.
Bird
Bird is probably the closest competitor to Lime. It was launched after lime in September 2017 and reached 10 million rides by September 2018. Bird allows you to rent an electric scooter for just a dollar. The e-scooter will cost you merely 15 cents per minute. The California based e-scooter startup is now operating in more than 100 cities globally. It has all the necessary features such as smart lock & unlock system, QR code integration, payment gateway, GPS tracking, and maps to search for a nearby scooter.
In comparison to Lime, Bird hit faster the achievement of 10 million rides.
Spin
Spin is another electronic scooter sharing company based in San Francisco which was launched in February 2018. It was acquired by Ford Motor Company in November 2018. At that time its valuation was around $80 to 90 million. Initially, it got the funding of $8 million from some of the most famous enterprise capitalists in the USA. Currently Spin is operating in more than 62 cities and 17+ campuses. Spin recently brought its stationless scooter sharing program to many of the famous cities of the USA.
Essential Features of an e-scooter mobile application
Well, there is no limit on the features that you can include in an e-scooter mobile application. However, there are some crucial features without which you can’t make a hit e-scooter mobile application. So we would be checking those features:
User On-boarding
User On-boarding
The user sign-up should be highly simple so a non-tech savvy person can also use the e-scooter easily. It would be great if you can also include a short yet interactive tutorial using a few images or a short video of how to use the computer and precautionary safety tips.
Find the Scooters
Find the Scooters
The finding process of the scooter should be easy so that the users can easily choose which e-scooter would be best for them to rent. You can integrate Google Maps API for Android and MapKit framework for iOS. The user would be able to rent a scooter in just a few taps on the app screen.
QR code
QR code
QR code scanner functionality is the core functionality of unlocking and locking the e-scooter. There is a QR code on mostly the handlebar of the e-scooter which the user needs to scan using his/her mobile to unlock it. And it will get booked for a particular time frame. You need to implement an in-app scanner for this.
Real-time Tracking
Real-time Tracking
This feature is also essential for the user to guide them for their route and directions. Also, after completing the ride the users need to park the scooter in the parking area for which they must require navigation.
Identification Verification
Identification Verification
Another potential usage for the in-app scanner is identification verification or license verification. If required you may implement the functionality that a rider should have a driving license or at least 18 years old.
Smart Lock
Smart Lock
The users can forgo QR code scanning with a smart lock feature. Today with the advent of IoT, there are technologies revolving such as Keyless locking/unlocking of a scooter. A smart scooter will get unlocked as the rider will approach it and gets automatically locked when the driver will walk away. To make this feature work, you need to equip your scooter fleet with a smart system-on-a-chip (SoC).
In-app Payments
When it comes to payment, you can’t compromise with security and ease. The payment gateway should be highly secure and includes all the trending payment methods, digital wallets, debit cards and credit cards. Paypal, Braintree and Stripe payment gateways are some of the most popular payment gateways.
Ride History
In-app Payments
The user should be definitely able to check his older rides details. Checking out old rides details will help them to know what amount they paid for how much distance and for how much time. This is required as when the user is in a hurry, he/she doesn’t get time to check how much payment has been deducted for the ride. Therefore, with the ride history feature, they should be able to check it later.
Notification & Alerts
Just like you get the notification while using a ride-hailing app like Uber, Lyft, etc. the e-scooter users should also get the real-time notifications. The notifications should appear at these instances:
At the time of searching nearby e-scooters
- Booking of e-scooter
- When the rider is on break
- On completing the ride
Push notifications would be more helpful for sharing offers, news, and more.
Social media is the best way to advertise your app. You can implement it so that the ride can share his experience of using your e-scooter app on social media.
Feedbacks
Even in a hit and perfect product improvisations are required. To make a better version of your app, always take the feedback from the rides of their experience. Through the feedback or reviews & ratings feature you will get to know what services or features you are lacking in the app.
Read more: 15 Benefits of Having a Mobile App for Business in 2023
How can you make money through a scooter sharing mobile app?
It is quite obvious to think about the revenue from the scooter sharing mobile app as you are investing thousands of dollars on its development. Well, here are some strategies that you can adopt for making from your e-scooter app:
Advertisements
You can do the targeted advertisements on your app such as showing ads of nearby restaurants, eateries, hotels, and shops on your app.
Rental payment
This is the core method by which you would be earning money through the app.
Membership plans
Membership or subscription plan is best for the tourists and travellers by providing them weekly or monthly plans.
Wrapping Up
There is a huge potential in the e-scooter app market. It is fresh and the cost of startup is quite lower while the interest in the lighter and faster mode of transportation is growing. It is the right time to create an e-scooter app like Lime, Bird, or Spin. Do you need the complete consultation of an e-scooter mobile app idea? Or want to know the cost associated with scooter sharing app development? Then at Amplework Software, the best mobile application development company, we are not proficient in developing amazing apps but help you in complete understanding of the cycle of app development. Reach us now.
