Taxi Fare Calculator: How a Fare Is Worked Out

Q: Can the app calculate a fare before the trip?

Yes. The Fare Calculator estimates a route from two addresses using the selected tariff, and needs a connection for the address search.

How are taxi fares calculated

Every metered fare uses the same pieces. The base fare is charged as soon as the trip starts. Distance is charged at a price per km or per mile, and time at a price per minute. A minimum fare sets a floor for short trips, and extras such as luggage or an airport charge go on top.

The numbers below are examples for you to replace with your own tariff. They are not the tariff of any city, which is set by the local authority or the taxi company.

Taxi fare calculator: base fare, distance and time

Showing the worked example. Turn on JavaScript to calculate your own numbers.

Same maths as the app's continuous tariff: base fare + distance × price per distance + chargeable minutes × price per minute, raised to the minimum fare if lower, If you enter a surcharge percentage, it is taken from the metered fare (after the minimum, before extras), rounded to the currency, and added as its own line; extras are not surcharged. Stepped tariffs and your city's official rates are not included.

A worked example

Tariff: base fare 3.00, 1.20 per km, 0.30 per minute, no minimum. Trip: 8.5 km and 5 chargeable minutes, plus a 5.00 extra.

The same sum the app runs (any currency with two decimals)
Step	Calculation	Amount
Base fare		3.00
Distance	8.5 × 1.20	10.20
Time	5 × 0.30	1.50
Fare before extras	3.00 + 10.20 + 1.50	14.70
Minimum fare check	14.70 is above 0	14.70
Extras		5.00
Total	14.70 + 5.00	19.70

Rounding happens once, at the end, to the currency's own decimals: two for euros, dollars and pounds, none for yen or won.

Which minutes count

This is where fares differ most. The charging mode decides which minutes are chargeable:

Speed threshold (classic): only the time spent below the idle speed, which is waiting. On the example ride that is the 5 minutes at lights.
Distance only: no minutes at all.
Time only: every minute of the trip, and no distance.
Both simultaneously: all distance and all minutes.

For a ride of 8.5 km in 22 minutes, of which 5 were slow, the four modes give 14.70, 13.20, 9.60 and 19.80 with this tariff. Most city meters work like the first one.

The minimum fare, and small changes

Same tariff with a minimum fare of 8.00
Distance (km)	Minutes	Calculated	Charged
2	3	6.30	8.00
5	4	10.20	10.20
8.5	5	14.70	14.70
15	10	24.00	24.00

Each extra km adds 1.20 and each chargeable minute 0.30, nothing else. If your price is per mile, enter the distance in miles, since the unit has to match.

Stepped fares

Many real taximeters count in steps instead of continuously: the fare rises by a fixed amount for every distance step. With 3.50 base, 0.20 per 0.1 km and a 4.3 km trip, that is 43 steps, 43 × 0.20 = 8.60, and 3.50 + 8.60 = 12.10. FareMeter's calculation engine can do this. The tariff editor offers continuous pricing, so a stepped tariff can be approximated by a price per km.

Enter a tariff in FareMeter

Open Settings, then Tariffs, and tap Add Tariff (or Add from template for an editable starting point; template values are examples, not official rates).
Under Unit & Currency, pick Kilometers (km) or Miles (mi) and the currency code.
Under Fare, fill in Base fare, Minimum fare, the price per distance and Per minute.
Under Charging mode, choose the mode, and set the Idle threshold if you use Speed threshold (classic). Tap Save.
On the Meter tab, tap START. During a trip, Add Extra adds a surcharge.

Questions and answers

How much does a taxi cost per mile?

It depends on the city's tariff, which is set by the local authority. Enter its base fare, price per mile and price per minute in the calculator, and the result follows from them.

Is the fare rounded?

Yes, once, at the end of the sum, to the currency's own decimals. FareMeter rounds half away from zero.

Can the app calculate a fare before the trip?

Yes. The Fare Calculator estimates a route from two addresses using the selected tariff, and needs a connection for the address search.

Why is the fare higher in traffic?

With the classic mode, time is charged once you drop below the idle speed. Slow minutes are billed instead of distance.

Taxi fare calculator: work out any fare from a tariff