Traficar
Traficar
Company description
Traficar is the largest car sharing company in Poland, with a fleet of more than 5,000 vehicles, including passenger cars and vans, available with one click in the app and already used by more than one million users. Traficar has been operating on the market since 2016 and originated from Express Car Rental, a company with nearly 30 years of experience in the automotive sector and part of the Polish Holding1 capital group. Traficar services are available in 28 cities, including Warsaw, Kraków, the Tri-City area, Poznań, Wrocław, Łódź, Silesia, Szczecin, Rzeszów, Lublin, and many others across the country.
Customers can use a fleet of more than 5,000 vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, combustion cars, electric vehicles, and convenient SUVs available in many segments, from compact city cars to premium-class models. Car rental in the Traficar service is 100% automated, and payments are charged on an ongoing basis, which makes the service a real alternative to traditional short-term car rental from a stationary rental office. In this sense, Traficar combines the convenience of car sharing with the flexibility of modern urban mobility.
Car sharing software
The project delivered for Traficar involved close cooperation in implementation, design, and development of software and an app for car rentals for both customers and employees of the organization. A key element was to design the entire process of car rental so that it matched the real needs of users and the expectations of both business and individual customers.
Additionally, the project work included the implementation of artificial intelligence and Kubernetes technology in order to improve the performance and reliability of the entire system. The applied technologies and microservices architecture provide maximum performance, flexibility for further development, and easier testing of new features, so that the system remains fully operational even during peak hour periods.
Project goals
Increase the performance and reliability of the entire Traficar IT system, so that the full car rental process is fast and seamless.
Cooperate in creating a solution for Traficar employees and customers, focused on the real needs of users and meeting the expectations of individual and business clients.
Make all processes easy to handle through digitalization and by building long-term user satisfaction with car rental services and the use of the app.
Car rental in the mobile app
The Traficar mobile app is a solution for unattended vehicle rental that combines the convenience of car sharing with the functionality offered by a classic rental company. Registration for the service is completely free, and for login security, two-factor authentication (2FA) was implemented. The app and additional services available in the Traficar ecosystem were designed to respond as closely as possible to the needs of users.
After logging in, customers can see the location of vehicles on the map in the app, and thanks to navigation to the nearest one, they can quickly book the car that is closest. When you need a car for a quick business trip, a family weekend, or a replacement car while your own one is being repaired, car rental takes place 100% remotely, without the need to contact a service office as in a traditional rental company. Users can move around the app easily thanks to an intuitive dashboard, while features such as filters, a radar, or paid reservation extension allow even faster use of the service and close the whole process in just a few simple steps.
Because Traficar is available in 28 cities in Poland, it was necessary to find a way to manage parking zones in the app. This was solved by implementing color markings for parking zones: red for no-parking zones, yellow for van parking zones with an additional fee, and green for parking zones. Thanks to this solution, the app guides users clearly and minimizes the need to ask additional questions about the rules of passenger car rental and where vans can be left.
This makes the application a practical self service car rental tool and a strong example of modern car sharing software, where users can search, book, and unlock a vehicle in a few steps.
Traficar web panel - fleet management and real time tracking
In the administrative panel, company employees manage both users and the fleet of vehicles. The functionalities include adding, removing, and editing the most important data, which enables efficient handling of business processes, monitoring fleet condition, and quick response to the needs of users. The panel plays a key role in daily operational work, allowing staff to track rental parameters, monitor user driving, and maintain full control over vehicle availability.
The administrative panel also provides the possibility to support customers during the rental process and to manually open vehicles. In addition, it makes it possible to offer and manage discounts for users. Processes related to financial settlements for rides, collecting payments, issuing invoices, and verifying card statuses without the physical use of payment cards are handled through the panel. In the case of any questions or uncertainties, consultants using the panel can respond quickly and support customers throughout the entire rental process, so users can count on efficient service regardless of the time of day.
The panel therefore supports operational mobility, customer service, and internal fleet management, while giving the company the tools needed to maintain service quality at scale.
Application for technical employees
Technical employees have access to a dedicated app in which they can check vehicles requiring servicing, such as washing, refueling, or repairs. The app supports monitoring of the technical condition of the fleet and helps keep each car fully operational, which translates into maximum efficiency of fleet use and high availability of vehicles for customers. Thanks to this solution, Traficar can maintain a high level of service and react quickly to user requests, while cars are available where they are needed most.
This operational support also helps the company manage vehicle readiness, fuel-related tasks, and day-to-day service work in a more seamless way.
Parking in paid zones and additional services
The module for automatic activation and termination of parking in paid urban parking zones allows users to park where they want without worrying about additional parking costs. The system remotely starts and ends parking for all cars located in paid parking zones within the Traficar operating area. This approach increases service flexibility and relieves users from having to remember parking fees, which further distinguishes Traficar from traditional forms of car rental.
This feature improves the customer journey, reduces friction during the ride, and makes the service more convenient for both regular and first time users.
Traficar Business
Traficar also offers Traficar Business, a solution in which enterprises can use dedicated benefits for their employees or sign a framework agreement that allows them to manage the Traficar fleet and plan business travel. For companies, this is a convenient form of car rental, both as short-term rental for individual trips and as an element of a fleet strategy resembling long-term rental or a classic leasing model. Traficar Business is a flexible alternative to purchasing a private fleet and to a traditional rental company, allowing enterprises to optimize costs and adjust the number of cars to current needs.
Settlements are carried out with a collective invoice, which simplifies financial handling on the company side. As a result, business clients receive a premium solution: transparent rules, a fleet available on demand, and additional services in the form of trip reports or analytical data that help them better manage employee mobility.
This makes the service valuable for organizations that want easier access to vehicles, simpler payments, and better visibility into fleet usage and costs.
Challenges
The implementation of the Safe Driving module, whose goal was to improve user driving style and provide education in safe driving, was one of the key stages of the project. The module required analysis of many driving parameters, such as technique and speed. Advanced monitoring of driving and data analysis made it possible to build mechanisms that support safe behaviour on the road. The Safe Driving system not only allows Traficar to reward users for good driving, but also to warn them or even block them if their behaviour threatens their own security or that of other road users. The process of designing and testing the module required close cooperation between business and technical teams, as well as continuous improvement of the software based on data from real trips.
Another challenge was refreshing the app interface. The new UX/UI was designed from scratch, with an emphasis on aesthetics, functionality, and intuitiveness. The result of these changes is a modern and clear interface. The development team also took on the challenge of introducing numerous technical improvements that significantly contributed to performance and speed. Thanks to optimizations and new solutions, users can enjoy smooth use of Traficar without delays, and the user experience has a premium character that meets high customer expectations.
To increase the availability of vehicles, a new Traficar Ogarniam program was implemented in close cooperation with the Traficar team. As part of the program, users are rewarded for active involvement in servicing vehicles. Activities such as washing, refueling, and relocating cars bring customers attractive discounts that they can use for future rides. The program supports building a community around the brand and increases user satisfaction, while also helping maintain the fleet in a state of full readiness.
Artificial Intelligence in the application
Together with Traficar, we looked for a way to increase fleet availability. One such solution is the Hot Spot functionality, which encourages customers to leave cars in special zones designated by artificial intelligence. Based on data, AI predicts in which zones cars will be rented more frequently and in which less frequently. On this basis, the app encourages customers to leave vehicles in hot zones by offering discounts on future rides. This kind of intelligent fleet management supports car rental where demand is highest and helps respond better to the needs of users.
This feature supports smarter fleet management, better use of location data, and more efficient distribution of vehicles across cities.
Kubernetes for Traficar
Kubernetes is one of the platforms used to manage services and service-based applications. Such a solution is widely used in projects where applications are based on microservices architecture and modern cloud technologies. In the case of Traficar, Kubernetes became the foundation on which the development of the software responsible for car rental, payments, and integration with the mobile app was based.
Microservices are an advanced and flexible system architecture model that enables efficient and reliable work even during peak hours. Instead of relying on one huge system, microservices consist of many smaller, autonomous components, which contributes to greater independence and efficiency of the whole system.
The main advantage of microservices is the possibility of replicating and scaling them independently. When, for example, performance problems appear during peak hours, additional microservice instances can be added easily, without changes to the infrastructure. This flexibility makes it possible to respond to dynamic loads, which leads to more optimal operation and facilitates further testing and monitoring of key services.
In addition, microservices allow simultaneous and independent work on different parts of the system. This makes the implementation and development of new functions simpler and more effective.
The independence of individual microservices is crucial for the security and stability of the system. If changes are made in one component, they do not negatively affect the others, which minimizes the risk of failures and errors in the whole system. It is also possible to test changes or new functionalities on a selected group of users. The use of these elements at Traficar allowed the company to achieve greater reliability and performance, while the whole car rental system remains available and scalable when users need it most.
Results
- The Traficar mobile app enables customers to book, unlock, and rent cars, both in the car sharing model and in the form of flexible car rental tailored to individual user needs.
- The administrative panel makes it possible to effectively manage business processes, monitor the fleet, and build high-quality customer service.
- The application for technical employees increases operational efficiency, helping ensure that each car is fully operational and ready for the next ride.
- The overall solution strengthens Traficar as a scalable car sharing software platform supporting urban mobility, high service quality, and the efficient use of a large fleet of vehicles.