Standing bookings

A standing booking makes the same trip on the days you choose, for a regular rider such as a school run or a clinic visit. Pop Dispatch creates the trips ahead of time and they go out like any other booked trip. You will be able to add one, skip a day, move one day's pick-up time and stop it.

Before you start #

• You need the owner, manager, advisor or dispatcher role.
• Taxi is part of the Pro and Business editions.
• Add latitude and longitude for both addresses when you want automatic offers and an estimate.
• For a billing account (see billing-accounts-and-statements), have the authorization code ready when the account asks for one.

Add a standing booking #

1. Open Taxi, then Standing bookings.
2. Choose "Add a standing booking".
3. Type a Booking name, such as the rider and the purpose. Fill in Rider, Rider phone and Rider email.
4. Fill in Pick-up address and Drop-off address. Both are required. Add the latitude and longitude of each end.
5. Tick the Days of the week. Pick at least one.
6. Set the Pick-up time. Set a Return pick-up time for a trip back, and leave it empty for a one-way booking.
7. Set the First day. Set a Last day, or leave it empty to run until you stop the booking.
8. Set Passengers, tick "Needs a wheelchair accessible taxi" when it applies, and choose a Billing account and an Authorization code when the trip is on an account.
9. Choose Save. The booking appears in the list with its days, times and dates, and the first trips are made at once.

Where the trips go #

• Trips are made for the coming days. "Days ahead standing bookings are made" is under Dispatch settings, from 1 to 60 days, and starts at 7. Pop Dispatch checks again every 10 minutes.
• Each trip shows in the Later column of the board with its pick-up time. Offers begin the set number of minutes before pick-up (see pre-booked-trips).
• A return trip uses the same addresses the other way round.
• Choose Trips beside a booking to read "Upcoming trips for" that booking.

Skip a day or change one day #

1. Choose Trips beside the booking. The panel "Upcoming trips for" that booking opens, with a form headed "Change one day" under the list.
2. Under What to do, choose "Skip a day" or "Change one day's time".
3. Pick the day under Which day. For a time change, type the New pick-up time. Add a Reason if you want one on record.
4. Choose "Skip that day" or "Change the time". The note "The change is saved." appears.
5. A skipped day cancels the trips already made for it. A changed time moves the outward trip when no driver has been offered it yet. The return trip keeps its time.

Change or stop a booking #

1. Choose Edit beside the booking, change the fields and Save. Trips that no driver has been offered are replaced with trips that match the new pattern.
2. Choose "Stop booking" and confirm with "Yes, do it". Trips that no driver has taken yet are canceled. The booking shows "Stopped".
3. Choose "Start again" to restart it.

If something goes wrong #

• "Pick at least one day.": tick a day.
• "This account needs an authorization code." or That authorisation code is not valid for this account.: type a code that the account holder gave out (see vouchers-and-account-codes).
• "That billing account is switched off.": choose another account.
• A trip for a day was not made: check the First day and Last day, and that the pick-up time is still ahead.