Rider help

Everything about riding with takRide, including the rules that involve money.

Booking a ride

Set your pickup and destination (add up to 3 stops), choose a ride type and see the price before you confirm. You can also schedule a ride for later. Once a driver accepts, you'll see their name, photo, rating, car and plate, and you can track them live.

Fares & pricing

Fixed price. Fares are whole dollars and are locked when you book. Traffic, the route your driver takes and how long the trip takes don't change them. There's no haggling and no counter-offers.
Longer trips and fuel. The per-km rate is a bit higher after the first 5 km, and can follow the official fuel price for new bookings. Your booked fare never changes.
Busy times. Weekday peaks, late nights and Friday/Saturday nights cost more (×1.2 to ×1.8), and heavy traffic on your route can add up to 40%. You always see the final price before you book. The full table is in the Terms.
No waiting charges — ever.
Changing destination: further away shows you a new price that you must accept first. Closer keeps your booked price. Fares never go down after booking.

Paying

Cash (USD): pay the driver the fare in the app when you arrive.
In the app (coming soon): EcoCash, OneMoney, ZimSwitch or card. You pay before a driver is found. If the payment doesn't go through, no driver is sent and nothing is taken.
Ride credit in your Wallet is used automatically on rides paid in the app.

Changing or ending your trip

Ask to be dropped early: the booked fare stands.
Your driver waits 10+ minutes at one of your stops: they may end the trip there and you pay only for the part covered (minimum $1). Anything you paid in the app above that becomes ride credit.
Your driver ends the trip early: the part you didn't ride comes back as ride credit, instantly.

Cancelling

Free until your driver arrives.
After they arrive (or if you don't show up), rides paid in the app have a fee of $2, or half the fare if less (never under $1). It only applies if GPS shows the driver was really at your pickup.
No cancellation fee on cash rides.
For the rest of the money, you choose: ride credit (full amount, instantly) or back to your wallet or card within 3 days, less a small processing cost (currently 3%).

Refunds & ride credit

Refunds happen when a ride is cancelled. A completed ride isn't refunded unless our records show a problem: you were charged more than the fare, or the trip was never actually driven. No driver found? Your payment becomes ride credit straight away.

Once available, ride credit that came from a payment can be sent back to the wallet or card it came from within 90 days, less the processing cost. Use Wallet, or just ask the support assistant.

Cash & change

Driver has no change? They can add it to your ride credit in the app. You'll see it in Wallet straight away.
If a driver says you didn't pay: you'll be asked in the app before your next booking.
- If you didn't pay, the fare plus a $1 late fee is added to your next ride.
- If you did pay, the report only stands if other drivers have reported the same thing recently.
Any unpaid balance is collected on your next ride, in the app or in cash to the next driver.

Discounts & takPoints

First ride: 20% off, applied automatically (fares from $3).
A personal 10% code may arrive each month.
takPoints: 5 per completed ride paid in the app (cash rides earn none); 100 points = $1 off a ride paid in the app, covering up to half the fare.

Safety

Share your trip: send a live link on WhatsApp (or any app) so family can follow you. It stops working when the trip ends.
Start PIN: required in areas flagged as less safe. Turn on "PIN on every trip" in Profile and your driver can't start any trip until you give them your 4-digit PIN.
SOS in the trip, and automatic check-ins if the car stops somewhere unexpected for a long time.
In-app chat and calls — your number is never shared.

Data saver & older phones

takRide adapts automatically on phones with less memory and on slow connections: it refreshes less often and cuts animations. You can also switch on Data saver in Profile.

Getting help

Open Support in the app. The assistant can see your trips and payments, answers in English, Shona or Ndebele, and settles most problems on the spot. It handles overcharges, cancellation fees, lost items, missing change and sending your credit back to your wallet. Decisions come from trip and payment records, not from anyone's word alone.

Disagree with an outcome, or need something the assistant can't do? Email support@tak-ride.com and a person will review it. Trip problems need to be raised within 3 days.