Configure Book Ahead Inventory
Book Ahead availability is controlled by operator configuration. Riders only see models that have an active reservation location, an active model cap, and a valid pricing tier.
Setup Checklist
Before opening Book Ahead to riders, confirm:
- Vehicle models exist for the active subaccount.
- Reservation pricing tiers exist for the models or vehicle types you want to sell.
- Pickup locations are configured with the correct timezone.
- Each reservable model has an inventory cap at each pickup location.
- Physical vehicles that may fulfill bookings are marked reservable.
- Operators know who owns assignment and staging before pickup.
- A full booking, assignment, pickup, checkout, cancellation, and no-show test has passed in staging.
Create Pickup Locations
Go to Dashboard > Car Sharing > Reservations > Inventory and use Pickup Locations.
Each location needs:
| Field | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Name | Use the rider-facing pickup point name, such as "Downtown Depot" |
| Address | Enter the pickup address or staging note riders and operators recognize |
| Timezone | Choose the local timezone where pickup and return times should be interpreted |
The timezone matters because the mobile app sends local pickup and return input. The backend converts those local times to UTC for storage and conflict checks.
Timezone accuracy matters
A wrong timezone can make availability appear in the wrong window, especially around daylight saving time changes. Verify the location timezone before taking live bookings.
Configure Pricing Tiers
Book Ahead uses reservation pricing tiers to calculate the booking total and deposit.
At minimum, every reservable model should have a tier that defines:
| Pricing Field | Used For |
|---|---|
| Hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly rate | Calculating the reservation cost for the selected time window |
| Deposit amount | Calculating the upfront booking deposit |
| Minimum duration | Rejecting bookings that are too short |
| Maximum duration | Rejecting bookings that are too long |
| Included distance and overage | Capturing distance rules in the pricing snapshot, when applicable |
| Cancellation settings | Capturing the policy snapshot shown with the booking |
The mobile app will show a pricing error instead of a bookable card if a model has capacity but no valid pricing tier.
Add Model Caps
In Reservation Inventory, use Model Caps to define how many reservations can be sold for overlapping windows.
| Cap Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Location | The reservation pickup location |
| Model | The vehicle model riders can book |
| Max reservations for overlapping windows | Maximum quantity sold at the same time for that location and model |
If a cap is set to 5, the platform can sell up to five total units of that model for overlapping bookings at that pickup location. A single booking with quantity 3 consumes three units of that cap.
Choose Safe Cap Values
Do not automatically set caps equal to the number of physical vehicles in the fleet. A safe cap should consider:
- Vehicles that may be in repair or maintenance mode.
- Vehicles with low battery before pickup.
- Vehicles that are missing, misplaced, or not staged.
- Expected walk-up demand before the booking window.
- Buffer time needed for cleaning, charging, or inspection.
- Staff capacity for multi-unit pickup.
Example:
| Physical Units | Recommended Starting Cap | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 or 4 | Keeps one unit available for recovery or maintenance |
| 12 | 8 to 10 | Leaves operating room for charging and walk-up pressure |
| 30 | 20 to 24 | Protects against uneven distribution and staging limits |
Mark Vehicles Reservable
Inventory caps sell model capacity, but checkout still requires real vehicles. Eligible vehicles should:
- Belong to the same subaccount.
- Match the booked vehicle model.
- Be marked
reservable. - Be active and not deleted.
- Be in an assignable availability state.
- Be free of overlapping reservations or active assignments.
- Not be inside a blocked availability window.
If a vehicle does not appear in the eligible picker, open the reservation detail page and review Unavailable vehicles for the reason.
Test Rider Availability
After locations, pricing, caps, and vehicles are configured:
Open Book Ahead
In the mobile app, open Book Ahead from the drawer.
Select the Location
Choose the pickup location you configured.
Pick a Window
Select a pickup and return time that should be allowed by pricing rules.
Confirm Models Appear
Verify that expected models show available quantity, total price, and non-refundable deposit.
Create a Test Booking
Complete a reservation and confirm it appears in the dashboard assignment queue.
Operational Handoff
Before going live, decide who owns each step:
| Responsibility | Typical Owner |
|---|---|
| Location and cap configuration | Operations manager |
| Pricing tier setup | Operations or finance admin |
| Daily assignment queue review | Field operations |
| Vehicle staging and charging | Field operations |
| Customer pickup assistance | On-site operator |
| Failed payment or balance follow-up | Support or finance |
Start with one location
Roll out Book Ahead at one high-control pickup point first. After the assignment and staging rhythm is reliable, add additional locations and higher caps.