How to Develop An On-demand Fuel Delivery App

“A point of friction and the pain gets translated into an app.” So is the tale of on-demand fuel delivery app solution.

The first-world problem stands on the woes of the gas station which inspired hundreds and thousands of startups to refill the vehicles wherever it is parked.

Certainly, the way to plug the problem went only through on-demand app, thus giving birth to on-demand fuel delivery app development.

….and you’re reading this, as we bring to you a complete business development package of disrupting door-step fuel delivery app development.

Starting with the definition and the steps to develop one, here we take a rundown.

What is an On-Demand Fuel Delivery App?

On-demand fuel delivery apps allow customers to refuel their vehicles anywhere in the city without having to visit the fuel station. The customer simply has to schedule the delivery, pin the vehicle’s location and the fuel delivery boy will come and refill the tank at the preferred time and location.

How does it works?

1. The user installs the app and registers on it.
2. Set the time and pins the place to refuel the vehicle
3. Adds the quantity of petrol required and confirms the order
4. Delivery Boy comes and refuels the vehicle

How can i develop On-Demand Fuel Delivery App?

1. Obtain Necessary Permits And Licenses From Government
2. Get A GPS enabled Fuel Delivery Fleet or Transportation System
3. Partner With Fuel Stations or Gas Service Provider
4. Develop A Fuel Delivery Mobile App and Web Portal
5. Integrate Offline and Online Marketing

Ensure compliance with regulations, focus on safety, and collaborate with fuel suppliers for a successful venture.

Let’s cover these steps in bit detail:

Step 1 : Obtain Necessary Permits and Licenses from Government

This should be the foremost step while starting a new fuel delivery business. You can’t operate unless you first get a variance or government permit. Setting up, operating and scaling up an on-demand fuel delivery often poses a challenge in many countries owing to the plethora of regulations, licensing, and guidelines that goes from the long tail process of acquiring, storing, and consuming the fuel. So, make sure before taking a leap to the advanced stages of business acceleration, you begin with getting a fuel delivery business license.

Step 2 : Get A GPS enabled Fuel Delivery Fleet or Transportation System

Now for successfully delivering fuel to bikes, cars, transport fleet or boats, you will need fuel delivery trucks and vehicles all integrated with GPS and self-contained, demountable fuel dispensing units. Additionally, make sure the vehicles are designed to fight fire hazards with the emergency medical care unit.

Along with the general considerations, the delivery drivers you hire should seek out and follow the specific advice of emergency responder. They should strictly comply with hazard-specific safety and health standards enforced in the health act.

Developing a handout or doing a presentation that simply shares the general code of conduct and disaster management tips would be a great start.

Step 3 : Partner with Fuel Stations or Gas Service Provider

There are a host of public and private dealers who supply petrol or diesel to private companies or on-demand fuel solutions corporations. Like in the USA we have Chevron Corp, ExxonMobil Corp. In UAE, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) and Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) are major petroleum distributors. While in India the big three Oil Marketing Companies—BPCL, IOC, and HP—play a central role. You can tie-up with such public or private fuel suppliers and streamline the delivery operations.

Step 4 : Develop A Fuel Delivery Mobile App and Web Portal

Now is the time to lay the foundation of the online fuel delivery business. Here are some points you need to follow the process:

• Register the app domain name
  Search and book a unique name for your app. Mind that the name should be memorable, short, search-engine friendly and relate to the fuel delivery app concept.
• Search a reliable On-Demand Fuel Delivery App Development Company
  Try to hire an on-demand delivery app development company with development center in India, as the per hour development cost in India is relatively less as compared to other countries and services are remarkable. As a leader in on-demand mobility, our team at Codiant is well versed in developing and marketing on-demand fuel delivery apps that engage customers, increases conversions, and endures lasting brand-customer relationships. Check our mobile app portfolio here.
• Create a Scope Document Listing The Features You Want to Include
  Prepare a list of features and functionalities you want to get developed. Basically, you will have to think of features for 3 major stakeholders: Customer App, Driver App, and Admin Panel. For your convenience, we have covered all the significant features needed to complement a full-fledged online fuel delivery app.

How do I develop an on-demand fuel delivery app?

To develop an on-demand fuel delivery app you should begin by acquiring the required permits establishing a fuel delivery fleet equipped with GPS technology forming partnerships, with fuel stations, and designing both a mobile app and a web portal. It is crucial to follow regulations, incorporate features into the mobile app, and implement marketing strategies. Additionally collaborating with fuel suppliers and addressing safety considerations will contribute to the success of your venture.

How Does An On-Demand Fuel Delivery App Works?

Developing an on-demand fuel delivery app can be the most prominent niche market for an entrepreneur. So, before getting into the development phase and hiring the on-demand fuel delivery app development company, it is important to understand the workflow of the services. The working of an on-demand fuel delivery app goes as follows;

1. Signup- At first, the user needs to download the app and create an account on the app by providing some mandatory details to log in and signup. Customers can also use the social networking signup process.

2. Place the Order- Next step is to place the order. The customer can place an order by selecting the product and the brand name with the amount they require. The customer can get real-time delivery updates as well.

3. Make the Payment- After placing the order, the customer can select the mode of payment i.e. Cash or Digital mode. The customer can explore the range of payment options under digital mode.

4. Order Processing- Once the customer place the order, the fuel delivery company assigns it to the nearest driver. The driver can accept the order and re-fill the required amount of fuel to ensure timely delivery.

5. Order Delivery- The driver then moves ahead towards his delivery destination. The driver can track the address and find the right path with the help of the map and real-time tracking feature.

6. Order Fulfilment- The user can now make the payment after successful order completion. At the last moment again, customers can make payments through cash or digital mode. The customer receives the order receipt with order details, price, and other information’s.

Key Features to Develop an Online Fuel Delivery App

1. Customer App

• Easy Onboarding
  You need to give a smooth app registration process to give friction-free app access to customers. To make the onboarding seamless and quick, you can integrate social media plugins that allow customers to create the app account in a single tap without having the need to fill the multiple fields. You can also have a mobile number and OTP verification for the signup and login process.
• Enable Location
  Prompt users to share their live location through the app or ask them to adjust and pin the location their vehicle is parked in the app. This way the delivery driver can trace the real-time vehicle location and refuel the tank.
• Select Fuel Type
  In this feature, the user is asked to select the type of fuel he/she wants on-demand. The user can select one from Petrol, Diesel, and Gas. Then the user can pick the quantity of fuel required.
• Check Pricing
  Based on choosing the quantity of fuel type the user can see the total price of the order and on tapping ‘Yes’ customer can be taken to the payment screen.
• Flexible Online Payment
  Allowing users with multiple types of payment modes i.e. credit/debit cards, PayPal, eWallet, or other popular payment modes that usually vary state to state can help in the hassle-free and secured payment transaction.
• Real-time Tracking
  This feature will allow the customer to track the real-time location of the delivery driver on the map with an estimated time of arrival.
• Order History
  By giving them access to the entire current and past fuel delivery order history customers can take a glance at bills and calculate the total amount spent on fuel.
• Reviews and Ratings
  Based on the fuel delivery experience with the delivery driver, customers can provide their reviews and feedback in the app.

2. Delivery Person App

• Sign-up/Login
  The driver can install the app and register with necessary documents, license and profile details.
• Active Status
  Driver app should have the toggle to switch modes between active and inactive. This way drivers can have full flexibility to manage their work timings and be job satisfied.
• Dashboard
  The drivers can view the total scheduled and finished deliveries and earnings on the dashboard.
• Receive Request
  The drivers can accept or reject the driving request.
• Payment
  The drivers can check their daily earnings on the app.
• Digital Signature
  This feature enables driver to take e-signature from the customer post the fuel delivery.
• Help and Support
  Drivers can seek the help from support team when needed.

3. Admin Panel

• Login/Signup
  The admin can securely log in to the web-based panel through email id and password.
• Dashboard
  Admin can view total delivery drivers, customers, and total earnings in the app.
• Fuel Tankers
  The admin can update (add, edit, delete, update) the fuel tankers in the admin panel.
• Features Management
  The admin can update customers and drivers, manage payments, pricing, and other details.
• Push Notifications
  The admin can manage notifications and receive important event notifications.

Step 5 : Integrate Offline and Online Marketing

Create an online as well as offline marketing campaign and develop parameters for how the outcomes will be measured but before that prepare a marketing budget. This will help you to stay on track financially and give the ability to track how much you spend on each strategy. Thus, empowering your decision-making whether or not you can spend more.

The best way to structure your marketing campaigns is to combine your digital marketing as well as offline marketing campaigns and convey your brand message and value proposition more effectively.

Top Market Players of Online Fuel Delivery Apps

1. Booster (USA)

Booster is a most popular gas delivery service in the USA that enables customers to order fuel by selecting the quantity of fuel needed, adjusting the pin of vehicle parked, make online payment and the delivery person comes and fills the tank.

2. Filld (USA)

Filld targets transportation fleets along with individuals in Washington DC and Vancouver BC to serve fuel delivery. The model of filld differs a bit with that of other peers. As the company delivers the fuel to vehicle overnight between 22:00-5:00 hrs. to avoid the traffic congestion in the daytime.

3. Yoshi (USA)

Yoshi adds another feather to cap by providing additional car maintenance services along with gas delivery service. It serves customers in Boston, Houston, LA, San Fransisco and Austin 24/7 fuel delivery.

4. Cafu (UAE)

Cafu has quickly gained prominence in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman to deliver on-demand petrol to cars, bikes, transportation fleets and even boats. Apparently, Cafu offers its services based on two service models i.e. on-demand fuel service (fix price per fill up) and subscription based model (fix price per month) which offers unlimited fuel delivery service.

5. Gaston (Paris)

Gaston is a Paris based fuel delivery startup that aims to lessen the frustration people face while standing in the long queues on fuel station by refueling the vehicle parked even in the public location. Additionally, the fuel delivery person also checks the health of car by checking the tire pressure, windshield wipers, mirrors and lights.

6. Fuel Buddy (India)

Fuelbuddy is a Delhi-based IoT and cloud enabled on-demand fuel delivery app that revolutionizes the way fuel is purchased, stored and delivered. FuelBuddy works with the three large oil marketing companies (OMCs) in India- IOCL, BPCL and HPCL for procurement of the highest grade of fuel to its customers. The app competitors are My PetrolPump, Pepfuels, Humsafar among others.

Challenges Faced By On-Demand Fuel Delivery App

Evidently, every business opportunity always comes with some challenges, and the on-demand fuel delivery service is no exception. Below are the few challenges that business experience before and after getting into the industry.

1. Taking Care of Government Regulations and Legal Issues

Every business should have to abide by legalities and government regulations as it varies from country to country. Setting up a business and getting a license from the regulatory bodies is quite a time taking process. Every country have its respective department to ensure the business authenticity and deal with such things at the same time.

2. Modern Infrastructure

The businesses should follow latest technologies and fleets to ensure the safe delivery and the drivers’ well-being too. It requires a well-trained staff with significant driving and maintenance experience. Apart from that, the on-demand fuel delivery app should be well-designed and equipped with the latest technologies to track the ongoing vehicle and deliveries.

3. Fleet Management

For an on-demand fuel delivery business, having a fleet for transporting fuels ranging from gasoline to other fuels, which are the basic necessity. The vehicles should follow all the rules and regulations of the business industry to operate in the ongoing market.

4. Safety Concerns

Maintaining safety is the major challenge in fuel delivery services. To ensure the safety of drivers and surroundings, the businesses require good quality tanks, the right security system, and a hi-tech safety system to eliminate the casualties or accidents that can arise due to fires. These stand as the significant safety concerns in the industry.

5. Reporting and Analysis

In an on-demand delivery app, reporting and analysis are one of the major bedrock functions that poses a sheer challenge for a business to deal with. Thus, it requires smart technologies to incorporate the app and delivery provider i.e. driver and vehicle with each other to access the real-time updates. All such concerns can be managed by enabling geo-fencing techniques which ensure real-time updates of varied operations. The smart technologies allow keeping a tab on each vehicle’s fuel quality, quantity, real-time temperature, and other on-delivery details.

Benefits of An On-Demand Fuel Delivery App

On-demand fuel delivery app is a very convenient platform that fulfils the requirement of both the customer and the business. Some of the top benefits of an on-demand fuel delivery app are underpinned.

1. Convenience

Convenience is the major benefit of any on-demand delivery service app. In reference to that, the on-demand fuel delivery app can facilitate its customer to easily book the fuel delivery from anywhere and at any time. To get the fuel, the customer doesn’t have to wait in the queue or travel to the fuel station, all they need is to simply place the order and get it delivered at their doorsteps; easily and conveniently.

2. Superior Quality

Fuel contamination is the major concern of customers, but with on-demand delivery service, such issues can be minimized to a great extent. The businesses can also build a good customer market with their top-quality services and fuel delivery.

3. Minimizes Carbon Footprints

The on-demand fuel delivery service can also help in reducing the emission of carbon by minimizing the customer’s frequent journey to local gas stations.

4. Minimize Cost

Consumer can save their expenses over storing the fuel on bulk purchases of fuel and their usage. They can save about 30% to 50% on fuel expenses by eliminating the requirement of additional storage infrastructure.

5. Fulfils Emergency Request

The on-demand fuel delivery apps could be a life-savior on numerous situations. For instance, when people get stuck at nowhere while on the move; they are out of fuel and have no gas station nearby to access the fuel. In that situation, the customer can place an order for fuel delivery through the app and can move out of such a situation.

Strategies To Retain Customers With Fuel Delivery App

To build a successful business market, it is important to retain customers and analyze business activities, such as what is working positively for the business and what not. So, let’s take a look at how the on-demand fuel delivery services can retain customers.

1. Customer Service is the primary concern for any business, therefore to retain customers, ensure the best possible customer assistance service and query resolution.
2. Provide occasional discounts and offers to grab users’ attention and make them stick to the platform for further purchases, as well as become loyal customers.
3. Customer Feedback and Reviews demonstrate a lot about the business, therefore keep a close tab on all posts. These submissions will help a business to grow, resolve customer issues, and enhance service delivery through the application.
4. Make sure to recruit qualified, genuine, and thoroughly screened candidates, as they are going to be the face of your business’s service delivery.
5. Patiently interact and listen to your customer’s problems, sympathize with them, and provide a positive result to the extent it is possible.

Strategies To Retain Contractors With On-Demand Fuel Delivery Business

Every business relies on two wheels, where one is the customer and another is the seller/contractor. When the on-demand fuel delivery business is focusing on retaining customers, then what about the service providers. The contractors are going to be the service provider for the on-demand fuel delivery app. Therefore, to maintain a balance in the business it is mandatory to retain contractors as well. Let’s learn a few strategies for how the on-demand fuel delivery businesses can retain contractors.

1. The price of the contractors should be highly competitive to retain clients for a longer time.
2. The on-demand services provide flexible working hours to the contractors and schedule it accordingly. Working on convenience promotes consistency in work and builds an excellent affinity between the app and the contractor.

Technology Stack Required For Developing a Fuel Delivery App

 

Total Cost to Develop an Online Fuel Delivery App

The total cost to develop an online fuel delivery app ranges somewhere in between USD 18,000-USD 35,000 provided you implement the aforementioned features.

Furthermore, the total app development cost also depends on time size, geographic location of the app development company, and other factors like:

• Market Investigation (App discovery)
• App Prototype and Wireframing
• UI/UX design
• Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
• Technical specifications
• Development (No. of App Platforms)
• Key Features Involved
• QA and Testing
• App Release and Deployment
• Maintenance and Support