Must-have features for e-scooter sharing apps (Includes 5 unique features)

A cleaner alternative

People have become more conscious about the environment. This has resulted in them shunning personal vehicles for public transportation.

However, buses, trains and other mass public transportations usually don’t give flexibility and comfort to their users. 

This has resulted in the increase of popularity of electric scooter or e-scooters and other micro mobility vehicles.

Apart from being good for the environment, they are also cost-effective, fun to ride, parking-friendly and portable.

Unsurprisingly, they have become the preferred choice of transport for daily commutes and city-wide explorations.

In 2018 alone, people completed 84 million trips, double the number of trips in 2017, on shared micro mobility vehicles in the United States, according to National Association of City Transportation Officials.

This number clearly shows the market appeal and rising popularity of e-scooter sharing apps.

Scope of e-scooter market

The e-scooter revolution started in 2017, with the launch of Lime and Bird’s dockless e-scooters and e-scooter sharing app in the United States.

Soon thereafter, e-scooter apps began capturing the European market, with a report from PSMarketResearch suggesting that the European two-wheeler market is expected to reach $892.4 million by 2025.

And on the global scale, the electric scooters market was estimated at $18.6 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a rate of 8.5% annually.

One of the primary reasons for the popularity of e-scooters has been the worldwide climate change movement. 

Moreover, governments across the globe are coming up with policies that are favourable for start-ups that work for environmental conservation.

More than 90 cities and universities around the globe make use of this service, with more cities in Spain, USA, Germany and France getting on board.

Thus, there is ample scope for you to launch your very own e-scooter sharing app in your city and earn rich dividends.

Let’s look at some must-have features for an e-scooter sharing app that you should know before going for the app development

For the customer-side app

1. Registration/Login – Make the signup and login process as simple as possible for quick onboarding. To make this process easy, integrate social media platforms like Google and Facebook.

2. ID verification – Your customers can verify they are 18 years and older and thus eligible to use an e-scooter by scanning their government issued ID card (like driver’s licence) through the in-app scanner.

3. Tutorials – An interactive tutorial can introduce new users to your e-scooter sharing app and guide them to easily understand the booking procedure.

4. Map API integration with GPS tracking – Any app in the transportation sector must have a map API that will help users locate the closest scooter station and navigate them to their destination or charging station.

5. QR code scanning – The users can lock and unlock the rented e-scooter by scanning a QR code using the app’s QR code scanner. 

6. Smart Locks – Your e-scooters must come equipped with an IoT enabled smart lock system that locks and unlocks when the user scans the QR code of the e-scooter.  

7. In-app payments – Allow your users to directly pay through the app by integrating payment gateways like PayPal, Braintree and Stripe.

8. Ride statistics – Your app can monitor your user’s drive efficiency and incentivize or penalize them to help them become better drivers. 

9. Schedule Booking – Allow the users to pre-book and plan their trips so that they do not have to miss out on finding an e-scooter when they need it most.

10. Push notifications – Have push notifications services in your e-scooter sharing app to inform your users about special discounts and offers, suggested routes etc.

For the admin panel

1. Manager view – You can oversee the operations of your e-scooter business and make changes like enabling/disabling e-scooters and creating promotions.

2. Payment management – You can update new payment methods and keep improving the existing ones to give you users an optimal payment experience.

3. Analytics – You can see various aspects of your revenue collection as well as usage history of your fleet of e-scooters and monitor your business’s performance. 

4. Customer management – You can check the details and usage history of your customers through this feature and penalize them in case they cause any damage to your e-scooters.

5. Product management – You can see details about your e-scooters like battery status, distance traveled and schedule maintenance work for faulty scooters.

As a BONUS, consider these 5 unique features

1. For a cleaner interface, show the nearby available scooters in the map as logos of scooters in different nests. That way, when the number of nearby scooters is high, your map won’t be overcrowded with overlapping logos, making discovery easier.

2. By showing the users the CO2 emissions they saved by using your electric scooters over other vehicles, they will be motivated to use your services again.

3. Have a dedicated FAQ section or have a chatbot that answers most of the common questions your users can raise.

4. Have your users click and upload a picture to the app when they end their ride, which can then be used by someone who books the same scooter to easily discover it the next time. This feature can also be used to validate whether the user has properly parked the e-scooter in the designated locations.

5. Integrate geofencing technology in your e-scooter apps which alerts the users to slow down when they approach public places like schools, parks or markets. 

Conclusion

Current trends suggest that an e-scooter sharing application is going to be a profitable enterprise, both at present and in the future.

Ambitious entrepreneurs looking to create their very own e-scooter sharing app can implement the features mentioned in this article into their apps. 

However, without the right developers, your app will not be able to capture the attention of your customers. Fortunately, help is just a click away.

Idea Usher has years of collective experience in developing customized applications. We provide complete business solutions that are guaranteed to catapult your venture to success.

If you have an e-scooter development idea or wish to start your e-scooter sharing business immediately, you can get in touch with us to get free quotes.