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2.4 Hourly Booking Feature

⏱️ What is Hourly Booking?​

The Hourly Booking feature allows customers to book a vehicle for a fixed number of hours rather than being charged by distance or per minute. This is ideal for inner-city travel, sightseeing, round trips between cities, or flexible trips where the customer knows the duration but not the exact route or kilometers.

🔍 Why is Hourly Booking Needed?​

  • Customers often don’t know exact drop-off points or total distance
  • Traditional bookings (per km or minute) can result in high and unpredictable fares
  • Common use-cases like city tours, weddings, business travel, or multi-stop trips require flexibility in time, not location

💼 Benefits to the Taxi Company​

Better Customer Experience​

Offering a cost-effective and flexible solution attracts a broader customer base, especially tourists and business users.

Increased Driver Earnings​

Longer ride durations ensure guaranteed earnings for drivers, regardless of route or distance.

Operational Efficiency​

Reduces disputes over fare calculation based on distance, as pricing is pre-fixed based on time.

Dynamic Pricing​

Admins can set different rates for 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, etc., and even apply additional hourly charges for overtime.

Simplified Booking​

No need for customers to enter drop-off locations; they just choose pickup point and duration.

👥 Benefits to Customers​

  • 💰 Transparent and Predictable Pricing — customers pay only for the number of hours booked
  • 🗺️ Perfect for Flexible Travel Plans — ideal for shopping, city tours, meetings, or waiting rides
  • 🔄 Extendable Duration — bookings can be extended by paying additional hourly rates
  • 🧳 Freedom to Roam — ride is flexible within the booked time slot without distance restrictions

🌐 How It Works (Customer Flow)​

  1. Customer selects the “Hourly Booking” option from the app/panel
  2. Enters pickup location
  3. Selects the number of hours (e.g., 2 hrs, 4 hrs, etc.)
  4. Chooses a vehicle from the available types
  5. Confirms booking and pays the fixed price
  6. Driver arrives and the journey begins
  7. Optional: If more hours are needed, an extension charge can be added

📌 Use Case Example​

Scenario: A customer in Dubai wants to book a car for 5 hours to attend meetings across different parts of the city.
Instead of booking multiple trips, they choose “Hourly Booking,” pay a fixed amount, and direct the driver as needed throughout the trip.

🔧 Admin Configuration​

From the Yelowsoft admin panel, companies can:

  • Define hourly slabs (1hr, 2hrs, 4hrs, etc.)
  • Set pricing for each slab and extra hour charge
  • Assign specific vehicle types eligible for*