Configuration
Ridano adapts to the way you run rides.
A taxi company in Lahti and one in Lisbon do not work the same way. Fares are calculated differently, shifts are organised differently, a pre-booking means something different and the legal requirements differ. So Ridano does not have one right way – it has settings that fit the system to how your company really works. This page goes through every setting, its default value and what it affects.
Where the settings are
All in one place, behind the right role
The settings have their own section in the admin view. Only the administrator can open it – drivers cannot see the fares and dispatchers cannot change prices. Changes take effect immediately and nobody has to be logged out.
Some settings are best decided once when you start: currency, default language, retention periods. Others change all the time: fares, service area, vehicle groups. Both are in the same view.
01 Pricing and fares
Four ways to calculate a fare, all depending on the time
The pricing model is chosen per fare, not per company. The same company can charge city rides by time and distance and airport rides at a flat price. The minimum fare applies in every model, including the flat fare.
Time and distance
A price per kilometre and a price per minute run side by side, as on a traditional taximeter. In traffic the price follows time, on an open road it follows distance.
most commonDistance only
The price depends on the distance driven. Clear for the customer, but the driver carries the risk of traffic.
Time only
The price depends on the time spent. Suits charter rides, waiting and hourly billing.
Flat fare
An agreed price for a set route or a set customer. Airport rides and contract work.
| Setting | What it does | Default | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base fare | Charged when the ride starts, whatever the model. | 4.90 | currency |
| Price per km | For the distance driven. Used in models 1 and 2. | 1.45 | currency / km |
| Price per minute | For the time spent. Used in models 1 and 3. | 0.85 | currency / min |
| Minimum fare | The lowest price of a ride. If the calculated price is lower, the customer pays this. | 9.00 | currency |
| Flat price | Replaces the calculation on a chosen route. Model 4 only. | – | currency |
| Validity | When the fare applies: day, night, weekend, holiday. | day | choice |
| Vehicle type | A separate fare for vans or wheelchair-accessible taxis. | all | choice |
| Currency | The currency shown to customers and drivers. | EUR | currency |
| VAT | Whether prices include VAT, and at which rate. | included | % |
An estimate is not the final price
The estimate shown to customers uses your fares, but the final price comes from the taximeter. The booking view tells the customer so.
National regulation
Price caps and the duty to publish fares vary by country. Ridano does not monitor compliance – that responsibility lies with the company.
Changes do not affect rides in progress
A fare change affects new rides. A ride in progress is priced with the fare that applied when it was booked.
02 Dispatch and service area
Who is offered the ride, for how long and where
The dispatch settings decide how quickly a ride finds a vehicle and how long one driver may think about it. Too short an offer time jumps from car to car, too long leaves the customer waiting.
| Setting | What it does | Default | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offer time | How long one driver sees the ride before it moves to the next. | 20 | seconds |
| Pre-booking offer starts | How long before pick-up a locked pre-booking starts being offered to that vehicle. | 30 | minutes |
| Pre-booking released | How long before pick-up the lock is lifted and the ride goes to the nearest free vehicle. | 15 | minutes |
| Minimum notice | How far in advance a pre-booking must be made at the least. | 30 | minutes |
| Service area shape | A radius from a centre point or a polygon drawn on the map. | no limit | choice |
| Radius | With a radius limit, how far from the centre you drive. | – | km |
| Bookings outside the area | Warn or block. A booking without coordinates is never rejected. | warn | choice |
| Vehicle groups | Dividing vehicles into groups for shifts, areas or contract work. | no groups | list |
Vehicle groups are the setting that surprises
With more than ten vehicles, the nearest-free rule alone is not enough. Vehicle groups separate, for example, cars tied to contract work, night-shift cars and cars on standby in a certain area. The group shows in the vehicle details and on the map, and you can filter by it.
03 Branding, languages and countries
The same system, but the customer sees only you
The branding settings cover everything customers and drivers see: the name, colours, icon, e-mail layout and the data controller in the privacy notice. It is worth getting them right once when you start.
| Setting | What it does | Default | Shown in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company name | Shown in the title bar, e-mails and shared links. | – | everywhere |
| Address | The company’s own subdomain, for example citycabs.ridano.app. | – | address bar |
| Brand colour | Buttons, title bar and highlights. | – | all views |
| Icon | The app icon saved to the home screen. | – | home screen |
| Default language | The language used when the user’s language is unknown. | device language | everywhere |
| Currency and country | Price format, date format and billing currency. | EUR / FI | prices and invoices |
| Privacy notice | The company’s own data controller details and contact person. | template included | privacy page |
| Map status colours | Green, yellow, purple and grey. | fixed | map |
A shared language on the map
If every company coloured the statuses its own way, drivers would have to relearn them when changing employer, and mistakes would multiply. That is why they are the same for everyone.
One list, not two
The website, the app and the e-mails use the same list of ten languages. A new language is added once and appears everywhere.
Arabic is laid out correctly
In Arabic the whole view is mirrored, not just the text. Menus, buttons and forms sit on the right-hand side.
04 Permissions and privacy
Who may do what, and how long data is kept
Roles are not just about hiding parts of the screen. The server refuses any action the role does not allow, even if the request bypasses the user interface. The same goes for features that are switched off.
Administrator
Sees everything and changes settings. Adds and removes users, resets passwords and PIN codes, manages billing. One administrator is included in the base fee.
Dispatcher
Takes and dispatches bookings, sees the map and ride history. No access to fares, billing or user management.
Driver
Sees their own rides and their own vehicle. Can complete rides and enter bookings, but cannot see other drivers’ rides or company settings.
| Setting | What it does | Default | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | Service and fault records for vehicles as a separate section. | off | add-on |
| Recruitment and training | Driver recruitment, induction and exam as a separate section. | off | add-on |
| Ride visibility | How long a ride is visible in the history. | 12 months | available |
| Ride deletion | When a ride is deleted for good. | 24 months | available |
| Driver and vehicle data | Deleted after the record has been marked as no longer in use. | 12 months | available |
| E-mail verification | The address must be verified before a password reset. | on | coming |
| Account and data deletion | Users can request deletion of their own data. | on | available |
Countries do not require the same
Accounting and data protection requirements differ by country, and contract customers may require their own. That is why the periods are adjustable rather than fixed in code. The defaults are a starting point, not legal advice.
Off does not mean hidden
When the workshop or recruitment section is off, the server refuses the related actions. The button is not merely hidden, so the feature cannot be used even by accident.
Full list of settings
Every setting in one table
This is meant to be read when you start. Go through the list once and the system will match the way your company works, not the defaults.
| Area | Setting | Default | Decided by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fares | Pricing model, base fare, price per km, price per minute, minimum fare | time + distance | administrator |
| Fares | Validity periods and fares per vehicle type | day | administrator |
| Fares | Currency and VAT | EUR, included | administrator |
| Dispatch | Offer time per vehicle | 20 s | administrator |
| Dispatch | Pre-booking offer starts / released | 30 / 15 min | administrator |
| Dispatch | Minimum notice for pre-bookings | 30 min | administrator |
| Area | Radius or polygon, handling of outside bookings | no limit | administrator |
| Fleet | Vehicle groups | no groups | administrator |
| Fleet | Vehicle type: car, van, wheelchair-accessible | car | administrator |
| Branding | Name, address, brand colour, icon | – | at onboarding |
| Language | Default language and country settings | device language | administrator |
| Users | Roles: administrator, dispatcher, driver | – | administrator |
| Features | Workshop, recruitment and training | off | by agreement |
| Privacy | Retention periods and data controller details | 12 / 24 months | administrator |
| Billing | Payment card, billing address, VAT number | – | administrator |
The defaults are chosen for city driving with many vehicles and short trips. In rural areas, lengthen the offer time and start offering pre-bookings earlier, because the nearest car may be far away.