How to use Single Operation Areas and Fixed Zone Pricing in eCab Taxi

Running a taxi or chauffeur business is a logistical jigsaw puzzle.

Have you ever had a driver sent on a “trip to nowhere” that cost you more in gas than the fare was worth? Or maybe you’ve lost a booking because the customer was nervous about a fluctuating meter in heavy traffic?

We’ve all been there. But what if you could put a “digital fence” around your city and automate your pricing so perfectly that you never have to worry about unprofitable routes again?

The eCab Taxi Booking Manager has recently updated its pricing capabilities, particularly for fixed-location and geofence-based scenarios. These features allow for more precise control over fares when trips involve predefined pickup/drop-off points or specific operational zones.

We’re breaking down exactly how to use Single operation areas and fixed Zone pricing in eCab Taxi and how you can set them up in minutes to protect your margins and keep your riders coming back.

Grab a coffee, and let’s dive into the world of smart taxi management.

The updated features for the eCab Taxi plugin provide specific logistical controls through four operational area rules. Below are clear examples for each scenario to help you understand how they manage bookings:

Fixed Zone Pricing (The “Flat Rate” Advantage)

One of the most requested updates is the ability to set a Fixed Zone Price. This bypasses distance-based calculations (KM/Miles) in favor of a flat fee based on location.

• Fixed Pickup Pricing: If the pickup is in your Operation Area, the price is fixed (e.g., $50), regardless of the destination.
• Fixed Drop-off Pricing: If the drop-off is in your Operation Area, the price is fixed, regardless of the starting point.

Why use this? It builds immediate trust. Riders love seeing a “Flat $40 to Airport” sticker. It removes the anxiety of a rising meter during heavy traffic.

Fixed Operation Area (Both In)

In this case, the entire journey must take place within your selected service zone. If any part of the trip leaves this zone, the booking is rejected.

• Rule: Both the Pickup and the Drop-off must be inside the operation area.
  
• Example (Zone: London City Center):
  • Allowed: Pickup from Piccadilly Circus (inside) and Drop-off at Covent Garden (inside).
  • Not Allowed: Pickup from Piccadilly Circus (inside) and Drop-off at Heathrow Airport (outside).
• Best For: Local intra-city fleets that do not want drivers traveling long distances away from their core hub.

Fixed Map Operation Area (Pickup In)

This rule focuses only on where the journey begins. Once the driver picks up the passenger within the designated map polygon, they can drive to any destination.

• Rule: Only the Pickup location must be inside the operation area polygon; the Drop-off can be anywhere.
  
• Example (Zone: JFK Airport Polygon):
  • Allowed: Pickup from JFK Terminal 4 (inside polygon) and Drop-off at a hotel in Philadelphia (outside).
  • Not Allowed: Pickup from Brooklyn (outside the polygon) even if the drop-off is at the Airport.
• Best For: Specialized airport transfer services or “outstation” providers that only pick up from specific stations or hubs.

Geo-Matched Operation Area

This is the most flexible rule, ensuring that your service area is involved in the trip at some point—either as the starting point or the destination.

• Rule: At least one location (either Pickup OR Drop-off) must be inside the operation area.
  
• Example (Zone: Paris):
  • Allowed (Pickup In): Pickup in Paris and Drop-off in Lyon.
  • Allowed (Drop-off In): Pickup in Lyon and Drop-off in Paris.
  • Not Allowed: Pickup in Lyon and Drop-off in Marseille (since both locations are outside your Paris zone).

Best For: Regional taxi businesses that want to ensure their cars are always either returning to their city or departing from a city.

Stop Guessing, Start Growing

The “Deadhead” Problem: Industry data shows that high-mileage taxis can save between $1,600 and $1,800 annually just by optimizing routes and reducing empty miles through tools like eCab’s Single Operation Areas. (Source: IEA Global EV Outlook)

Consumer Loyalty: With the global taxi market projected to reach $292 Billion by 2025, the competition is fierce. Research shows that price fairness and pinpoint ETA accuracy are the top two drivers of customer retention. (Source: Straits Research)

How to use Single Operation Areas and Fixed Zone Pricing in eCab Taxi

To apply these prices, we need to install eCab Taxi Pro.

Purchase the plugin, install it, and activate it.

You can learn more about installing eCab Taxi Pro from the official documentation.

After activating the plugin, go to the location tab and add all the locations you want to run your taxi.

Make sure you type the location name, slug, description, and the geo location.

The pinpoint mark shows your exact location name, and it will only work if it is around its 1 kilometer radius.

So you can add as many locations as this.

Note: Currently, it has free maps, but if you use Google Maps API, make surethe naming matches your “Locations” settings exactly for the logic to trigger.

After adding the location, it’s time for adding operation area.

Navigate to the Operation Areas tab and select Operation type into Single Operation Area.

Now, to apply your boundary for the operation area, type the starting Location name.

Once you have added your starting location, the map will show that area.

Click on the Polygon sign to add the boundaries.

You can zoom in and out of the map, and start joining the dots, and create a polygonal boundary of your operation area.

After creating your operational area, finish it off by clicking on the polygon sign and ending with the finish button.

Once you have added locations and the operation area, it is time for the four operational area rules

1. Fixed Zone Pricing

To add different pricing to your taxi cab, you need to add the car name.

You can learn to add cars to your taxi website from how to make a taxi booking website.

If you have already created then go to its Pricing tab and select Pricing based on Fixed zone

Once you have selected a fixed zone, click on the Add new Price button, and a new option will appear as Fixed Route & Zone Pricing.

Now we will create a Fixed Pickup Pricing where your pickup is in your Operation Area, the price is fixed, regardless of the destination.

Here, the starting zone is New York (Operational Area), and the end zone can be from the locations you added.

Now add the price for a fixed pickup zone route.

Similarly, you can add the price for a fixed drop-off zone route too.

Add all the possible fixed zone pricing.

Now we need to add a short code for fixed zone pickup and drop-off.

To see the fixed pickup zone, create a new page and add the shortcode.

[mptbm_booking price_based='fixed_zone_pickup']

After adding the shortcode, click publish and check out how it’s working.

Similarly, add short for Fixed Zone drop-off.

[mptbm_booking price_based='fixed_zone_dropoff']

After adding the shortcodes, it is time to check them.

According to the logic of the Fixed Pickup zone, your pickup zone can be selected from the operational area range, and the drop-off location can be selected from the drop-down locations.

Now go to the Fixed zone drop-off page.

Select the pickup zone from the drop-down and the drop-off zone from the operational area.

You can see that the price displayed is the drop-off location of the operational area range.

What if I select the drop-off location other than my operating area?

You won’t get any result, Duh!

2. Fixed Operation Area (Both In)

To implement the fixed operation area pricing, make sure you have to change the price based into Fixed with Map

In Fixed with Maps Pricing, there are options to set a price per kilometer, a price per hour, and a fixed price for map-based trips.

Now set the start zone and end zone prices based on your operation area and locations.

Then navigate to the operation area option and select the operation type Fixed Operation Area (Both In), and also select the fixed operation area you have previously added.

Before searching for your location in your operation area, make sure you check the pinpointed geo location area name. Otherwise, if you type in a location name other than the pinpointed area name, the fixed map in both the operation areas won’t work. For that, navigate to your Locations tab and check the pinpointed geo location name.

Now, create a page named Fixed Map

Copy this short code and add it to your fixed map page.
[mptbm_booking price_based='fixed_map']

Now, after publishing it, let’s check out the price for both in the operation area.

Type your pickup location and drop-off location inside the operation area range.

It is showing the price based on a fixed map.

What if you select your drop-off location pinpointed and the pickup operation area?

You have already added the price for this condition.

You can see the price for pickup zone as operation area and drop-off zone as the pinpointed location.

Now search the price.

Type pickup any area under your operation area range and drop off only the pinpointed location.

So the condition is met, and you can see the price you set in Both in price of your operation area.

3. Fixed Map Operation Area (Pickup In)

Now, under Fixed Map, we will use the operation area as a fixed pickup location, and the drop-off can be anywhere.

Go to your Operation Area option and select the operation type as Fixed Map Operation Area ( Pickup In)

Then, check your pricing for this condition.

So you have already set the price under this condition, but this price will only reflect if the drop-off location is the pinpointed location.

Let’s find out on the fixed map taxi search page.

The pickup location is in the operational area range.

So it shows the exact price under the pinpointed location drop-off price.

What if the drop-off is other than the pinpointed locations for fixed map pickup in condition?

In this condition, the price will be based on the price per kilometer and the price per hour.

Search under fixed map, your pickup location in the operation area, and drop off any area outside the operation area.

So now the price is calculated based on the total of the price per kilo and the price per hour.

4. Geo-Matched Operation Area

Under the fixed map Geo-matched operation area, at least one location (either Pickup OR Drop-off) must be inside the operation area.

Also, for this condition, the pickup or drop off must be in the operation area, but the other location must be the pinpointed location. Else the price will be calculated based on distance and time.

Let’s implement it.

Navigate to the operation Area option and change the operation area type to Geo-matched Operation Area.

Then check your pinpointed location exact area.

After noting all pinpointed locations, let’s jump into the pricing for the geo-matched condition.

Here the drop-off is under operartion area, and the pickup is under a pinpointed location.

Let’s find out the price when you search for this condition.

Similartly if you search for drop-off pinpoint location and pickup as the operation area.

The price set for this condition is being displayed.

What if the drop-off or pickup is not a pinpointed location in a geo-matched operation?

The price will be calculated based on the total of the distance price per kilo and the price per hour.

Why This is a Game-Changer

For the Business Owner:

• Efficiency: No more wasted fuel on “deadhead” miles (driving empty back to the city).
• Automation: Professional PDF invoices and Google Calendar syncing happen automatically.
• Analytics: Track which zones are making the most money with built-in charts.

For the Rider:

• Reliability: They only see taxis that can actually fulfill their specific route.
• Transparency: They get a fixed price quote and a digital receipt instantly.

Conclusion

The eCab Taxi Booking Manager has evolved from a simple booking form into a powerful dispatch and fleet management tool. By mastering these Single Operation Areas and Fixed Zone rules, you can protect your margins, optimize your drivers’ time, and provide a world-class experience to your passengers.

Ready to upgrade your fleet? Check out the latest version of eCab Taxi on the WordPress repository or the Pro version for advanced analytics and driver panels!.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is a “Single Operation Area”?

A Single Operation Area is a digital boundary (geofence) you draw on a map. It tells the eCab Taxi system exactly where your business operates. Depending on the rule you choose, it can restrict pickups, drop-offs, or the entire journey to that specific zone.

2. Can I set different prices for different vehicle types in the same zone?

Yes. Pricing is configured under the specific “Car” settings. This means you can have a “Fixed Zone Price” of $40 for a Standard Sedan and $60 for a Luxury SUV for the exact same route.

3. What happens if a customer tries to book a trip outside my Operation Area?

If you have selected the “Fixed Operation Area (Both In)” rule, the system will automatically reject the booking and notify the customer that the service is unavailable for that route. This prevents your drivers from receiving requests they cannot fulfill.

4. Why is my “Fixed Map” pricing not showing up?

This usually happens for two reasons:

• Location Naming: The location name typed in the search must match the “Pinpointed Geo Location” name in your eCab settings.
• Shortcode Mismatch: Ensure you are using the correct shortcode for the specific logic (e.g., fixed_zone_pickup vs fixed_map).

5. Does this feature work with Google Maps?

Yes. eCab Taxi integrates with the Google Maps API to provide the polygon drawing tool and real-time distance/time calculations for any trips that fall outside of your “Fixed Price” rules.

6. Can I have multiple operation areas?

While this guide focuses on the Single Operation Area for simplicity, eCab Taxi Pro allows for complex setups. However, for most local fleets, one well-defined polygon is the most efficient way to manage “deadhead” miles and fuel costs.