TaxiBooker's Payment Mediation lets passengers pay for their taxi ride upfront — before the trip begins. The price is calculated at booking, payment is processed securely through providers like Stripe, and if the ride is cancelled, the refund is automatic.
This builds on the booking improvements we introduced in Week 1 and Week 2.
When you sit down at a restaurant, you know roughly what you'll spend before you order. Buying a flight, a hotel, a cinema ticket — the price is always clear upfront. Taxi rides have historically been the exception. The meter runs, the final figure is a mystery, and disputes happen.
With today's release — week 3 of our 6-week feature rollout — we're changing that for every taxi company using TaxiBooker.
What is upfront taxi payment?
Upfront taxi payment (also called payment mediation) means the fare is calculated and collected at the time of booking — not at the end of the journey. The passenger sees the price, agrees to it, and pays before the ride begins.
If the trip is cancelled for any reason, the payment is automatically refunded. No manual processing, no awkward conversations.
How it works in Taxibooker
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
TaxiBooker acts purely as the mediator. We do not hold, manage, or have access to the funds. The transaction is entirely between your passenger and your company.
Why upfront pricing reduces no-shows and disputes
The behaviour shift that comes with upfront payment is significant. When a passenger has already committed financially to a booking, the likelihood of a no-show drops considerably. They have skin in the game.
For taxi companies, this means:
- Fewer empty vehicles arriving at pick-up locations
- Fewer end-of-ride payment disputes
- More predictable revenue per booking
- Less administrative time handling payment issues
For passengers, clarity at the point of booking builds confidence. They know exactly what they're paying, they trust the process, and they're more likely to complete the journey.
Built to work with the payment methods your customers already use
We built this feature with flexibility as a priority. Payment Mediation in TaxiBooker is:
- Compatible with Stripe as the primary payment processor
- Designed to support multiple payment providers
- Accessible across a wide range of banks and card types
- Fully transparent — passengers see exactly where their money is going
Your customers pay using the systems they already trust. Nothing new to learn, nothing to set up on their side.
Part of a bigger picture: effortless bookings end to end
This is the third release in our 6-week rollout, and each one is targeting a different friction point in the booking journey. Week 1 addressed how passengers request a ride. Week 2 improved how they confirm it.
This week, we've tackled how they pay for it. The goal is simple: by the end of week 6, every step of a taxi booking — from the first tap to the final receipt — should feel effortless for the passenger and straightforward for the operator.
We're not done yet. Stay tuned for next week's release.
