Fare pricing policy

Formula-based fare estimate

The website calculates the complete ride fare using the current formula, then shows a clean range labelled Est. on the booking confirmation. The range is not a fixed price for a distance band. It is created from 95% to 105% of the complete calculated ride fare, rounded outward to $1 increments below a $50 exact fare and $5 increments from $50 upward. The exact calculated fare always remains inside the range.

Before online card payment, the server recalculates the route and all pricing rules, and the secure Stripe checkout page discloses the ride amount, the online card surcharge, and the exact amount to be authorized. A booking request remains subject to dispatch acceptance and driver availability.

How the website fare is calculated

The website preserves this calculation order: route/distance formula and pricing-mode branch; vehicle pricing; passenger and extras adjustments; exactly one distance-band multiplier; applicable minimum fare; night pricing; then airport pickup toll and other final additions.

Routes below 12,000 metres use the under-12 multiplier. Routes from exactly 12,000 through 20,000 metres receive no distance adjustment. Routes from 20,001 to 35,000 metres use the over-20 multiplier; 35,001 to 60,000 metres use the over-35 multiplier; and routes above 60,000 metres use the over-60 multiplier. These multipliers never stack.

It then enforces one applicable minimum. Current defaults are $45 for a recognised airport pickup, $40 for a recognised airport destination, and $38 for other bookings. Recognised airports are Sydney Airport and Western Sydney International Airport. Dispatch can update these settings. If both endpoints are recognised airport locations, the airport-pickup minimum applies.

Night percentage increase

When night pricing is enabled, the active percentage is added once after the applicable minimum fare has been enforced. It applies to standard and airport bookings, including multi-stop bookings, and is never added once per stop.

The current percentage and start/end times are listed on the Fare estimates page. Times use Australia/Sydney and account for daylight-saving changes. The start time is included and the end time is excluded. For scheduled bookings, the selected Sydney pickup time is used; for immediate bookings, the current Sydney time is used.

What you see before submitting

After sending a booking request, the customer sees a range such as Est. $90–$105 on the booking confirmation, derived from the complete formula-calculated ride fare. Example ranges are display examples only and are never assigned to distance bands. For online card payment, the secure Stripe checkout page separately itemises the ride amount, the online card surcharge, and the exact amount authorized online. Route distance is carried in integer metres through pricing and the booking snapshot.

Included items and possible additional charges

The displayed website estimate is derived from the complete calculated ride fare, including the submitted route and applicable booking inputs such as a selected baby seat and eligible extra-passenger adjustments.

Unless expressly itemised in the website calculation, road tolls, airport or parking access charges, waiting time, cleaning or soiling charges, and costs caused by a customer-requested route, pickup, destination, timing, vehicle, passenger, or service change are not represented as included. A driver or operator may apply a lawful separately disclosed charge for these items. Ask dispatch before travel if you need clarification.

Pre-calculated and metered fare estimates

When Pre-calculated fare estimate is selected, the website uses its existing pre-calculated pricing branch and shows a customer estimate range for the submitted route and options on the booking confirmation. When Metered fare estimate is selected, the website uses its existing metered-estimate branch. The internal calculation branches are preserved; neither label promises a fixed or guaranteed customer fare.

For online card payment, the exact authorization disclosed and accepted for the submitted inputs is the website payment settlement amount. Later changes occur only through an explicit cancellation/new authorization or an explicit post-capture adjustment.

Confirmed bookings and later setting changes

Each new booking stores the fare total and an auditable pricing snapshot, including the applied distance band and multiplier, applicable minimum, airport classification, night percentage and hours, and pricing time. A later admin change to general fare settings does not silently change an already-confirmed booking. If pricing-related trip details are changed, dispatch must provide any revised fare before proceeding.

Questions or fare disputes

Contact Northern Silver Taxi Sydney at book@northernsilvertaxisydney.com.au or 1300 046 956 with your booking reference. Driver conduct or overcharging concerns can also be reported through the Driver behaviour report page. Refund and cancellation rules are available on their dedicated policy pages.