Base Pricing Configuration

Base pricing rules define the fundamental rates your riders pay for using vehicles in your fleet. This guide covers everything you need to know about setting up and managing base pricing for maximum flexibility and profitability.

Overview

Base pricing is the foundation of your revenue model. Each pricing rule is tied to a specific vehicle model and location (subaccount), allowing you to customize rates for different vehicle types across multiple operating areas.

Key Features

• Per-minute or per-distance pricing - Choose the billing model that suits your market
• Unlock fees - One-time fee charged when a ride starts
• Pause rates - Reduced or full rates during paused rides
• Minimum price - Ensure every ride generates a minimum amount
• Daily caps - Protect customers from unexpectedly high charges
• Unit of measure support - Configure in miles or kilometers based on your market

Accessing Base Pricing

Pricing Components Explained

Unlock Fee

A one-time charge applied when a rider starts a ride.

Per-Minute Pricing

Charges accumulated based on ride duration.

Calculation:

Time Fee = Per Minute Rate x Total Active Minutes

For example: 15 minutes at $0.39/min = $5.85

Per-Distance Pricing

An alternative to per-minute pricing, charging based on distance traveled.

Pause Rate

Rate applied when a rider pauses their ride.

How It Works:

• When a rider pauses, the regular per-minute rate stops
• The pause rate is applied instead
• Typically set lower than the active riding rate (e.g., 25-50% of per-minute rate)
• Encourages riders to end rides rather than leaving vehicles paused indefinitely

Minimum Price

Ensures every completed ride generates a minimum amount of revenue.

Daily Cap

Maximum amount a customer can be charged in a 24-hour period.

Cap Application Order:

When the daily cap is reached, the system progressively reduces charges in this order:

1. Time fees are reduced first
2. Then pause fees
3. Then distance fees
4. Finally unlock fees (only if needed)

This ensures customers benefit from the cap while you still collect unlock fees when possible.

Creating a Pricing Rule

Step 1: Select Vehicle Model

Choose which vehicle model this pricing applies to from the dropdown. Vehicle models must be created first in your vehicle management settings.

Step 2: Choose Pricing Type

Select the tab for your billing model:

• Per Minute Pricing - Charge based on time
• Per Mile/Km Pricing - Charge based on distance

Step 3: Configure Rates

Fill in all applicable fields:

For Per-Minute Pricing:

Unlock Fee:     $1.00
Per Minute:     $0.39
Pause Rate:     $0.10
Minimum Price:  $2.00
Daily Cap:      $30.00

For Per-Distance Pricing:

Unlock Fee:     $1.00
Per Mile:       $0.50
Pause Rate:     $0.10
Minimum Price:  $2.00
Daily Cap:      $30.00

Step 4: Set Status

Toggle the Active checkbox to enable or disable the rule.

Step 5: Save

Click Create (for new rules) or Save (when editing).

Managing Multiple Locations

If you operate in multiple locations (subaccounts), you must create separate pricing rules for each:

Example:

• Downtown SF: $1.50 unlock, $0.45/min
• Oakland: $1.00 unlock, $0.35/min

Editing Existing Rules

1. Click the Edit (pencil) icon on any pricing rule row
2. Modify the values as needed
3. Click Save to apply changes

Deactivating vs. Deleting Rules

Deactivating

• Toggle the Active status to inactive
• Rule is preserved for historical reference
• Can be reactivated later
• Use this when temporarily adjusting pricing

Deleting

• Click the Delete (trash) icon
• Rule is permanently removed
• Use this for incorrect or obsolete entries

Common Pricing Scenarios

Scenario 1: Standard Scooter Pricing

Setup:

• Unlock: $1.00
• Per minute: $0.39
• Pause: $0.10
• Minimum: $2.00
• Daily cap: $30.00

15-minute ride calculation:

Unlock:     $1.00
Time fee:   15 x $0.39 = $5.85
Total:      $6.85

Scenario 2: Premium E-Bike Pricing

Setup:

• Unlock: $1.50
• Per minute: $0.49
• Pause: $0.15
• Minimum: $3.00
• Daily cap: $40.00

8-minute ride with 2-minute pause:

Unlock:     $1.50
Active:     6 x $0.49 = $2.94
Pause:      2 x $0.15 = $0.30
Subtotal:   $4.74

Scenario 3: Distance-Based Pricing

Setup:

• Unlock: $1.00
• Per mile: $0.50
• Daily cap: $25.00

5-mile ride:

Unlock:     $1.00
Distance:   5 x $0.50 = $2.50
Total:      $3.50

Best Practices

1. Research your market - Check competitor pricing before setting rates
2. Start conservative - It's easier to lower prices than raise them
3. Test thoroughly - Use the pricing API tests before going live
4. Monitor performance - Track revenue and ride counts after pricing changes
5. Communicate changes - Notify riders in advance of pricing updates
6. Use daily caps - Builds trust and encourages longer rides
7. Consider minimum prices carefully - Too high can discourage short trips

Technical Details

Unit Conversion

All distance-based prices are stored in kilometers internally. The system converts to miles for display when the subaccount's unit of measure is set to miles:

• Miles to Km: price_per_km = price_per_mile x 0.621371
• Km to Miles: price_per_mile = price_per_km x 1.60934

Pricing Data Structure

Pricing data is stored in the vehicle_pricing table with the following key columns:

Troubleshooting

Pricing Not Applying

1. Verify the rule's Active status is enabled
2. Check that the vehicle model ID matches the vehicle
3. Confirm the subaccount ID matches the current location
4. Ensure no duplicate rules exist for the same model

Incorrect Calculations

1. Verify all values are in dollars (not cents) when entering
2. Check for conflicting dynamic pricing rules
3. Review any active subscription or package discounts
4. Confirm pause time is being tracked correctly

Missing Vehicle Models

Vehicle models must be created before pricing rules can be assigned. Go to Settings > Vehicle Models to add new models.