Taxi drivers application

An Android application designed for corporate taxi drivers, available on tablets.

Made in 2020

Task

Develop a tablet application for taxi drivers that allows them to receive, accept, or reject assignments, view their route on a map, report the start and end status of the trip, and communicate with the dispatcher via an integrated chat. The application is part of our developed software suite aimed at automating transportation tasks.

Problem

The client has an in-house transportation department providing corporate taxi services to employees. Generated requests are entered into the existing Information System. The goal is to create a driver application where employees can promptly receive, accept, or reject assignments and indicate the start and end times of the trip.

The application is intended to run on a tablet, acting as a tracker that transmits coordinates and movement speed to the Information System for dispatcher monitoring.

This is implemented like the application for cargo taxi, which is part of the same software suite.

Solution

During the Discovery phase, we studied similar services, defined the functionality, created screen mockups, and drafted the Technical Specification for subsequent development.

Considering that the driver application will be used while in motion, it is crucial for the information regarding the assignment to be easily visible and readable. The button sizes are designed to be sufficient, eliminating the possibility of accidental clicks.

Макеты приложения для водителя — *At the initial stage, Interface mockups for the application were prepared.*

Getting Started

As the driver begins their shift, they receive a dedicated tablet. The first step involves logging in and confirming the assigned vehicle for the shift.

After that, a list of tasks becomes available. It is sorted by the time the driver needs to arrive at each location.

For each task, the date and time of the assignment, system ID, and route are displayed. Different colors for the statuses help the driver quickly orient themselves in this list.

Application processing

Processing a task involves the driver taking it into work. Subsequently, by pressing the appropriate buttons, they notify about arriving at the starting point of the route, starting and finishing the trip. The time of status change in each case is recorded and displayed immediately.

Taxi drivers application: different request statuses — *For each task, approximate distance and estimated time of completion are provided.*

To save time and resources, the client decided to forego an in-app navigation map. Instead, they implemented a feature where clicking on the icon next to the route opens the Yandex.Navigator application installed on the tablet. This navigator already has the necessary starting and ending points “pre-set.”

Alsu Yamashova,
marketing manager

For completed tasks, statistics are calculated: time and distance, the actual route. All this data is also transmitted to the Information System to calculate fuel consumption and the Driver’s payment amount.

Additional Features

Additionally, the driver has access to a task history for the last 30 days in the application, with the ability to filter data. There is also statistics on time spent and distance covered during a specific period.

All system notifications are collected on the “Notifications” screen. A chat feature is available for communication with the dispatcher. In case of an emergency, the driver can quickly request assistance using the “SOS” button.