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How a stepped taximeter works: the fare rises in ticks

A mechanical-style taximeter does not add a few cents every metre. It waits until a distance step or a time step is complete, then adds one fixed amount. The fare is the base fare plus the number of completed steps times that amount.

3 min read · Updated

By the MasaApps360 team · How we write and check guides

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Continuous or stepped

A continuous meter multiplies exact distance by a price per km and exact minutes by a price per minute, so the number on the screen creeps up all the time. A stepped meter counts completed steps instead. The display sits still, then jumps by one step amount. Both give a similar total over a ride, but they round differently along the way.

The arithmetic

  • Distance steps = completed distance steps, rounded down. With a 0.1 km step, 8.47 km is 84 steps, not 85.
  • Time steps = completed time steps, rounded down, only if you use a time step at all.
  • Fare = base fare + (distance steps + time steps) x amount per step.
  • If the result is below the minimum fare, the minimum fare is charged instead.

There is one amount per step, shared by distance and time. To copy a continuous tariff, take the step length for time from the amount: a step of 0.12 at 0.30 per minute is 0.12 / 0.30 = 0.4 minutes, or 24 seconds.

A worked ride

Tariff: base fare 3.00, 1.20 per km, 0.30 per minute. Stepped version: distance step 0.1 km, time step 0.4 min, amount per step 0.12 (1.20 x 0.1 km, and 0.30 x 0.4 min). The ride is 8.53 km with 5 chargeable minutes.

Same ride, continuous and stepped
PartContinuousStepped
Base fare3.003.00
Distance8.53 x 1.20 = 10.2485 steps x 0.12 = 10.20
Time5 x 0.30 = 1.5012 steps x 0.12 = 1.44
Total14.7414.64

The stepped total is a little lower because the unfinished step at the end is not charged yet: 8.53 km is 85 full steps plus 0.03 km, and 5 minutes is 12 full steps plus 12 seconds.

Set it up in FareMeter

  1. Open Settings, then under Tariffs tap the pencil next to a tariff, or tap Add Tariff.
  2. Enter the Base fare and, if you use one, the Minimum fare.
  3. Turn on Charge in steps. The fields Distance step (km), Time step (min) and Amount per step appear.
  4. Fill in Distance step (km) and Amount per step. Leave Time step (min) empty if your rate card has no time steps.
  5. Tap Save, then start a ride on the Meter tab with START.

What comes after the steps

A percentage surcharge, such as a night or holiday one, is worked out on the metered fare after the minimum fare is applied, and extras such as luggage are added last. The receipt lists each of them as its own line.

Questions and answers

What is a taximeter tick?
A tick is one completed step: the meter has covered a set distance or waited a set time and adds one fixed amount. Between ticks the displayed fare does not change.
Does the minimum fare still apply with steps?
Yes. If base fare plus the steps comes to less than the minimum fare, the minimum fare is charged.
Why is my stepped fare lower than the continuous one?
Only completed steps are charged. A partly finished step at the end of the ride counts as zero until it is complete, so the stepped fare can be up to one step amount lower.
Can I use only distance steps?
Yes. Leave Time step (min) empty and the fare rises with distance alone.

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