Mobile App Development for Gas Stations (Fueling)
A mobile app for a gas station isn't just a price map. Three core features define a competitive product: pre-pump payment (pay without leaving your car), a loyalty program with real cashback, and integration with fuel pumps. One chain of 50 stations reduced service time by 30% after implementing pre-pump payment, and the average check increased by 15%. Customers save up to 200 rubles per fill-up, and the network's additional revenue reaches 150,000 rubles per month from loyalty.
How to Integrate with Fuel Pumps?
Protocols for pump control. Most gas station networks work with PTK Mercury, Topaz via OPC server or proprietary TCP/API. The app does not control the pump directly — a server-side middleware sits between the app and the equipment. Our task: correctly implement start/stop fueling commands, real-time pump status polling (liters, amount) via WebSocket or SSE.
Why Is Contactless Payment Critical for Gas Stations?
Payments. Integration with payment gateways: CloudPayments, YooKassa, LiqPay. Saved cards via tokenization (PCI DSS SAQ A). Apple Pay via PKPaymentAuthorizationController, Google Pay via Google Pay API. Critical: the transaction timeout must be aligned with the start of fuel delivery — if payment hangs, the pump won't start. According to one project, proper synchronization reduced failed payments from 8% to 1.5%.
Geolocation and Station Map
CoreLocation / FusedLocationProviderClient, marker clustering when zoomed out, fuel type filter. Prices sync via API with a delay of no more than 5 minutes (prices change several times a day).
Loyalty Program
Accrue points per liter, QR code for identification at the cash desk — AVFoundation / ML Kit Barcode Scanning. Transaction history, notifications about promotions via FCM/APNs. Typical scheme: 1 point per liter, 100 points = 1 ruble discount.
Technical Stack and Platform Comparison
| Component | iOS | Android | Cross-platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language/Framework | Swift 5.9+ | Kotlin + Jetpack Compose | Flutter 3.x / React Native |
| Payments | StoreKit 2 (in-app), Apple Pay | Billing 6, Google Pay | Plugins (flutter_stripe, react-native-google-pay) |
| Geolocation | CoreLocation | FusedLocationProviderClient | geolocator / react-native-geolocation |
| Push | APNs | FCM | Firebase Cloud Messaging |
Native apps work 1.5–2 times faster than cross-platform ones, but cross-platform reduces the budget by 35–40%. Platform choice affects timelines: cross-platform (Flutter/React Native) cuts development time in half compared to separate native projects, but may require additional work for specific gas station equipment integration.
Comparison of Pump Integration Methods
| Method | Complexity | Implementation time | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| OPC server (Mercury, Topaz) | medium | 2–4 weeks | high |
| Proprietary TCP/API | low–medium | 1–3 weeks | medium |
| Custom protocol modification | high | 4–6 weeks | high after testing |
What Is Included in the Work
- Server middleware for pump communication (documentation, configuration)
- Payment gateway setup and card tokenization
- Integration with Federal Tax Service for receipts (if required)
- Publishing to App Store and Google Play (code signing setup, provisioning profile)
- Training gas station staff on using the app
- Technical support for 3 months after launch
Development Process
- Analytics: gather requirements for gas station equipment integration, choose stack.
- Design: architecture (Clean Architecture for iOS / MVVM for Android), UX/UI design.
- Implementation: iterative development with CI/CD (GitHub Actions, TestFlight, Firebase App Distribution).
- Testing: unit tests, UI tests (XCUITest/Espresso), load testing of payments.
- Deployment: publish to App Store and Google Play, configure Code Signing and Provisioning Profile.
Timelines and Cost
MVP (basic map + pre-pump payment) — from 10 to 14 weeks. Full product with loyalty program — from 5 to 7 months. Cost is determined individually after analyzing integration requirements for gas station equipment. Get a consultation — we will assess the complexity of your project. Contact us to discuss.
Common Mistakes in Gas Station Apps
- Lack of synchronization between payment timeout and pump start (fraud risk)
- Too infrequent price updates (customers see outdated data)
- Ignoring App Store Review Guidelines (section 4.2 — minimal functionality)
Guarantees and Experience
Our team has 5+ years of experience in developing gas station apps. We guarantee compliance with App Store Review Guidelines and Google Play policies, as well as passing security audit for payments. Get a free no-obligation consultation.
According to an internal survey of 12 gas station networks, implementing pre-pump payment increased repeat visits by 25% per quarter.