Rates - Hourly
Livery Coach supports any number of hourly rates (including package rates). The hourly rates can be pre-set by vehicle type, and can also be tied to occasions (so that a particular occasion automatically loads the appropriate rate).
First of all, let’s talk about how the rate selections in a reservation work.
If only the Hourly box is checked in a reservation, (first screen shot below), then the price is calculated hourly, with no minimum. If only Fixed is checked, then that’s the price, no matter how long the duration.
First of all, let’s talk about how the rate selections in a reservation work.
If only the Hourly box is checked in a reservation, (first screen shot below), then the price is calculated hourly, with no minimum. If only Fixed is checked, then that’s the price, no matter how long the duration.
Where it can get interesting is when both are checked. In the following example, there is a “flat rate” of $130, which get you the first 2 hours (the “hour limit”), and then it is $65/hr after that (based on actual time). So when you say you have a “two hour minimum”, you don’t really have to block the vehicle out for 2 hours when you know the trip will be shorter…just make sure that the rates are checked as below, and the minimum charge is equal to what 2 hours would cost…even if the trip is short.
Now that we are reminded how the rates work in a reservation, let’s look at how we can set them up in advance, and pull them up quickly in a reservation (or even have them auto-load).
In Maintenance, hourly rates are set per vehicle type. So Maintain…Vehicles…Types…List.
In Maintenance, hourly rates are set per vehicle type. So Maintain…Vehicles…Types…List.
For the rate type, enter what you want to call this rate type. (Note that if you want it to automatically load when a particular occasion is selected in a trip, you must name it exactly the same as that occasion…and check the box at the bottom, discussed shortly)
Enter the hourly rate for this rate type. If you want to make sure that a trip with this rate type has a minimum scheduled time (not just a minimum rate), enter that minimum time in the Min hours field. (If you enter 3 here, for example, then if you try to save a trip only 2 hours long, the system will change the duration to 3).
Enter the hourly rate for this rate type. If you want to make sure that a trip with this rate type has a minimum scheduled time (not just a minimum rate), enter that minimum time in the Min hours field. (If you enter 3 here, for example, then if you try to save a trip only 2 hours long, the system will change the duration to 3).
If you aren’t worried about a minimum time (but more concerned with a minimum rate), you can leave the Min Hours 0…but set the Fixed Rate to be the minimum charge for that rate, and the Fixed Hours to how long you get for the fixed rate.
In the example below, the hourly rate is $75, and the Min Hours is 1 (meaning I don’t want a trip to be scheduled for less than that). Because it’s a Wedding rate, I have also set the Fixed Rate to $195 and the Fixed Hours to be 2. That means I have created a wedding package where you get the first 2 hours for $195, and each additional hour is $75 (pro-rated to actual time). If I had just wanted this rate to be, say, a 2 hour minimum, I would have set the Fixed Rate to $150 and the Fixed Hours to 2…meaning I get up to 2 hours for $150 (the equivalent to a 2-hour minimum). If you want the gratuity for this rate to be something other than your standard hourly gratuity percentage for this vehicle type, enter it in the Gratuity field…if it is the same as the regular gratuity for this vehicle type, then leave it as -1. Finally, if you want this rate to load when you pick the occasion (and you have named the rate exactly the same as the occasion), then check the “Apply this Rate if Reservation Occasion is same as Rate Type”. In our example, this is checked. So, if I book a trip in this vehicle type with the Occasion “Wedding”, it will automatically load this rate when we get to the payment screen of the reservation. |
Finally, even if you don’t want to automatically load an occasion-based rate, you still have access to all the different rates loaded for that vehicle type, simply by clicking on the Change Rate button at the bottom of the payment screen. It will bring up your hourly rate list for easy selection.