🚀 Overview

Purpose: CarLink provides a complete solution for managing car rental bookings, taxi operations, and self-drive rentals with real-time booking, payment, and vehicle management.

Real-world use: Taxi services, car rental agencies, and self-drive rental companies can use it to digitize operations, optimize fleet usage, and handle customer bookings efficiently.

Target users: Fleet operators, taxi service companies, self-drive car rental startups, developers, and agencies implementing car rental solutions.

✨ Key Features

• Multi-Booking Options: Taxi booking, self-drive rental, and car reservation functionalities.
• Mobile Apps: iOS & Android apps for customers, drivers, and admin staff.
• Admin Dashboard: Manage vehicles, bookings, drivers, payments, and analytics.
• Website Frontend: Responsive website for car selection, booking, and tracking.
• Payment Gateway Integration: Supports Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, and other gateways.
• Vehicle Management: Add, edit, and track car availability, pricing, and categories.
• Driver Management: Assign drivers, monitor rides, and manage driver profiles.
• Real-Time Booking & Tracking: Customers can book cars, track rides, and check availability.
• Notifications: Email, SMS, and in-app notifications for booking confirmations, cancellations, and updates.
• Reports & Analytics: Booking history, revenue, vehicle utilization, and driver performance reports.
• SEO Friendly: Structured URLs, meta tags, and responsive design for better search engine ranking.
• Multi-Language & Currency: Supports internationalization for global operations.

⚙️ Technical Stack

• Backend: PHP 8.x with Laravel Framework
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap 5, JavaScript, Vue.js optional
• Mobile Apps: Flutter v3 for cross-platform iOS & Android apps
• Database: MySQL / MariaDB
• Server: Apache / Nginx with PHP-FPM
• APIs: Google Maps, payment gateways, push notifications

Server Requirements: PHP extensions: mbstring, curl, openssl, json, pdo, fileinfo; SSL certificate recommended; 2GB+ RAM suggested for production.

🧩 Installation Guide

1. Upload all CarLink files to your web server.
2. Create a MySQL database and import carlink.sql.
3. Update .env with database credentials, API keys, and payment configurations.
4. Run composer install to install dependencies.
5. Set folder permissions for /storage and /bootstrap/cache.
6. Deploy Flutter mobile apps to stores after configuring backend URLs.
7. Access admin dashboard and website to configure vehicles, drivers, and bookings.

📦 Deliverables

• Full PHP/Laravel backend source code (GPL)
• Flutter mobile apps source code (iOS & Android)
• Responsive website frontend
• Admin and driver panels
• Database schema & sample data
• Installation & configuration guide
• API integration documentation

📱 Supported Platforms

Server OS: Linux, macOS, Windows (XAMPP/WAMP)

Client Access: Desktop and mobile web browsers; Flutter apps compatible with iOS & Android devices.

🧠 Notes

License: Distributed under GNU GPL. Free to modify and redistribute with proper credit.

• Use for car rental services, SaaS solutions, or educational purposes.
• Comply with local transport and rental regulations when deploying publicly.
• Preserve author credit when redistributing.

Customization Tips:

• Adjust vehicle, driver, and booking logic in app/Controllers and app/Models.
• Customize Flutter apps for branding, notifications, and UI/UX improvements.
• Integrate additional payment gateways, mapping, or notification services as needed.

SEO Assurance: Metadata, structured URLs, and schema markup included for improved search visibility of public car rental pages.

👨‍💻 Original Developer Credit

This GPL release is based on the original CarLink – Car Rental Booking App developed by its author(s) on CodeCanyon.
Attribution ensures transparency and respect for the original work.

View CarLink on CodeCanyon

🔒 Disclaimer

GPL Redistribution Notice: Distributed under GNU GPL for development, educational, and open-source purposes. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the original developer. Users are responsible for complying with local transport, rental, and data privacy laws.

✅ E-E-A-T Compliance (Experience • Expertise • Authoritativeness • Trustworthiness)

Experience: Designed for real-world car rental, taxi, and self-drive booking operations.

Expertise: Uses Laravel and Flutter for scalable backend and cross-platform mobile apps with secure payment integrations.

Authoritativeness: Original developer credited with links for verification and transparency.

Trustworthiness: GPL license ensures legal redistribution; detailed installation and usage notes emphasize compliance and safety.