Taxi fares and estimates

Pop Dispatch prices every taxi trip from a meter rate, a flat fare between two zones, and surcharges. You will be able to add each of them, read the estimate on a new trip, and know how the fare at the end of the trip is worked out.

Before you start #

• You need the owner or manager role to add or change a rate. Dispatchers and advisors can read them.
• Taxi is part of the Pro and Business editions.
• Flat fares and zone surcharges need zones. Save each zone first (see dispatch-zones).
• Open Taxi, then Rates and settings. The first three sections are Meter rates, Flat fares between zones and Surcharges. Amounts are in dollars.

Add a meter rate #

1. Under Meter rates, choose Add a meter rate.
2. Type a Name, such as "Standard". Names are unique.
3. Fill in the amounts:
   • Flag fall: the starting price.
   • Tenths of a mile in the flag fall: the first distance the flag fall covers.
   • Price per tenth of a mile: ten tenths make one mile.
   • Waiting, per minute.
   • Minimum fare.
   • Passengers included and Price for each extra passenger.
   • Bags included and Price for each extra bag.
4. Pick a Class (Any class, Sedan, Wheelchair accessible, Van or Livery) when this rate is for one kind of taxi. Leave Any class for every taxi.
5. Keep Active ticked, then save. The rate appears in the list. Choose Change this meter rate to edit it later, and untick Active to switch it off.

Add a flat fare #

1. Under Flat fares between zones, choose Add a flat fare.
2. Type a Name, choose From zone and To zone, and type the Price.
3. Tick Applies both ways when the same price holds in the other direction.
4. Save. A flat fare replaces the meter for a trip that starts in one zone and ends in the other.

Add a surcharge #

1. Under Surcharges, choose Add a surcharge.
2. Type a Name and a Price.
3. Choose Applies when: Every trip, Pick-up is in a zone, Drop-off is in a zone, Pick-up or drop-off is in a zone, Night window, or Weekend.
4. For the zone choices, pick the Zone. For Night window, set when it starts and ends. The window may cross midnight, such as 22:00 to 06:00.
5. Save. Weekend means Saturday and Sunday, and the shop's time zone decides the day and the hour.

How the estimate is worked out #

1. The rate is the active meter rate whose Class matches the trip. When none matches, an active rate with Any class is used.
2. A flat fare wins when both addresses sit in zones and a flat fare covers that pair.
3. Otherwise the meter prices the distance. The flag fall covers the first tenths. Each further tenth adds the price per tenth. The Minimum fare lifts a short trip.
4. Extra passengers, extra bags, waiting time and each surcharge that applies are added as their own lines.
5. On a new trip, the estimate appears once both addresses have a latitude and longitude. Before the trip the distance is the straight-line distance times 1.25, to one decimal.

For example, a flag fall of 2.70 covering 1 tenth, 0.30 per further tenth and a 5.1 mile trip (51 tenths) come to 2.70 plus 50 times 0.30, which is 17.70.

The fare at the end of the trip #

• A metered trip is priced again from the distance the driver's phone measured and the waiting time counted, at the time the trip started. That time decides the night and weekend surcharges.
• A trip that was priced as a flat fare ends at the flat fare.
• Tips stay out of the fare. See taxi-tips-and-payment.

If something goes wrong #

• "No taxi rate is set up yet. Add a tariff in the Taxi settings.": add and activate a meter rate.
• "Fill the latitude and longitude of both addresses to see the fare.": the estimate waits for both positions.
• "A rate with that name exists.", "A flat fare with that name exists." or "A surcharge with that name exists.": choose another name.
• "That zone does not exist.": save the zone first.