4 ways event data enhances on-demand rideshare and mobility app UI
On-demand ridesharing has forever changed how people travel
Rideshare companies have evolved significantly over the past decade as they have found ways to deepen and improve their offering with external data. Apps such as Uber and Lyft offer precise location insights, estimated prices and arrival times, and payments through easy-to-use interfaces that attract new drivers and users every day.
Companies like Uber stand out because they think differently to solve major problems. And top companies don’t stop at disrupting entire industries. They push for more by exploring new ways to solve routine problems for their growing customer base.
That’s why enriched event data is quickly becoming an industry must-have for on-demand rideshare and mobility companies adding innovative new services and functions to their UI.
Intelligent event data is making waves in the rideshare world
Leading rideshare mobility, and on-demand delivery companies are using verified, enriched event data – such as conferences, concerts, severe weather and school holidays – to identify exactly when and where to expect fluctuations in demand. This insight unlocks the business-critical ability for ridesharing apps to accurately match driver supply to rider demand by:
Ensuring enough drivers are on the road during high demand times
Enabling drivers to know where and when to be in order to complete the most rides
Minimizing rider wait time (and churn) by sending drivers to high demand areas in advance
Offering drivers better commission rates during peak demand hours
Building trust with and retention of driver and logistics partners by being able to explain the why behind recommendations where they head towards demand
Fasten your seatbelts as we explore four ways ridesharing and mobility platforms can use intelligent event data to differentiate their product from their competition.
1. Send instant event alerts for more informed drivers in the right place at the right time
Demand intelligence makes an already convenient service even smarter by enabling real-time notifications such as high demand alerts and severe weather warnings.
Integrated event data enables platforms to notify drivers when there are periods of high demand to ensure enough coverage in busy locations. For example:
Your drivers may know about a Taylor Swift concert happening one weekend, but not about the six concerts with more than 300 people each that are taking place on the exact same day within a similar timeframe.
Knowing about these additional opportunities could be the deciding factor for whether or not a driver chooses to hit the road, and ensuring the drivers who are out and about get their next job from you, rather than a competitor.
Even in the case of unscheduled events such as severe weather or disasters, PredictHQ’s demand intelligence platform updates these data points minute by minute to ensure timely notifications.
2. Surface local events by location and predicted attendance to ensure enough drivers are nearby
The right data provider enables rideshare apps to display relevant events within a selected radius. Data sources such as PredictHQ also have a predicted attendance so teams and models know instantly which matters most. Being able to equip drivers with this information builds trust and loyalty.
Predicted attendance is not a data point provided by most event data sources, but it’s critical. You need a way to know instantly which events will generate more riders and venue capacity doesn’t work as most events don’t sell out.
Using our proprietary knowledge graph, PredictHQ’s systems generates and adds expected attendance based on inputs like venue entities (such as venue capacity), and performer entities (including historical ticket sales), resulting in a reliable number that you can use in your models.
From there, they can search and filter down to the most relevant events by attendance and location to determine where drivers need to be at all times. This process ensures a smooth experience even during peak demand hours.
Predicted end times are another data point that’s especially useful and no other event data source provides this consistent, verified end times for events. People turning up at an event will be coming from all over the city, so it’s hard to optimize your driver partners to capture that demand. But everyone leaving the same place at the same time? You can own that demand surge.
Eliminate the guesswork by enabling drivers to search for events ending soon to optimize their driving and maximize demand, or companies to send alerts to nearby drivers as the event nears its end.
3. Keep drivers informed and build loyalty
Location-based demand intelligence gives drivers a deeper level of insight into what’s happening around them. After exploring a list of local high demand events, drivers can view individual events to see their impact rank and attendance, start and end time, and event category. These details paint a complete picture of what to expect before driving to a location to pick up riders.
Readily available event details give drivers the opportunity to plan their routes, when and where to refuel, and make time for their personal needs. Being able to plan your shift for the day or week based on demand makes a hectic role more predictable and easier to maintain.
4. Event-based demand data unlocks new service offerings
Did you know you can now book dinner reservations and event tickets directly through the Uber app? Uber Explore is a new tab within the Uber app that recommends events and destinations based on a user’s past use of Uber and Uber Eats.
This new service is powered in part by PredictHQ event data, which Uber integrates to surface relevant events to customers. From there, users can book a ride to recommended destinations, buy tickets for events, or simply click for more event details.
Successful expansion into new services often solidifies a company’s status as an industry leader. Remember back when Airbnb only offered places to stay? It wasn’t so long ago that they introduced their Experiences feature, which offers a wide range of activities depending on location and host availability:
Guided tours
Event tickets
Vehicle rentals
Cooked meals
… and so much more!
Join the ranks of leading rideshare companies using demand intelligence
When you think big and incorporate reliable data, the opportunities are endless. Enhanced UI and expansion into new customer-facing features is just the beginning for successful rideshare companies.
PredictHQ covers 19 categories of events across 30,000 cities to give drivers the event details they need for a smooth experience, every time. We provide seven years of historical events, and three years of events ahead into the future, with detailed metadata for every single event.
Try our API today to see what demand intelligence can do for your network of drivers and riders.
