Rider trip messages

Settings → Notifications holds the automatic messages ZeitRide sends riders about their trips, and the switch that allows texting at all. Only company admins can change these settings.

Before anything goes out

• The SMS notifications switch at the top of the Notifications page must be on. With it off, no texts are sent — rider messages go out by email only (if email is on).
• Each rider's own Allow SMS setting (on their profile, next to the mobile number) must be on for that rider to receive texts. See Adding members.
• Emails go to the rider's own Email field on their profile — not to the billing contact.

The messages

The Rider trip messages card has a switch for each message:

• Booking confirmation — sent as soon as the trip is saved.
• Reminder before pickup — sent once, ahead of the scheduled pickup. Set the Reminder lead time (hours) (1–72, default 24). A reminder is never sent within the first hour after a trip is booked, so a rider who just confirmed a booking isn't texted twice in a row.
• Also call the rider — an automated call reads the reminder and lets the rider press 1 to confirm, 2 to cancel, 3 to ask for a call back. The outcome shows on the Dispatch board.
• Driver on the way — sent when the driver taps En route on the pickup.
• Driver has arrived — sent when the driver taps Arrived at the pickup.
• Also send by email — sends each message by email too, using the From email / From name you set (blank uses your company name).

Under Message wording, leave a field blank for the default or write your own. Wording can be set for all payers or overridden per payer, field by field — for example a payment link and cancellation policy for private-pay riders only.

Phone riders should call

Fill in Phone riders should call with your office number. It is used in the automatic replies riders get when they text back (see below). Leave it blank and the replies simply omit a number.

When a rider texts back

Riders often reply to a confirmation or reminder — "running late", "cancel today", "which door?". Those replies now reach your dispatchers:

• Everyone who dispatches gets a bell notification titled Text from <Rider> with the message, linking to that day's Dispatch board so you can act on it right away.
• The rider gets an automatic reply with the Phone riders should call number, so they know to call for anything urgent.
• Keywords are handled automatically: a rider who texts STOP has texts turned off (their Allow SMS switch goes off), START turns them back on, and HELP replies with the office phone.

Tip: If a rider says they never get texts, check the three things in order — the SMS notifications switch, the rider's Allow SMS setting, and whether they once replied STOP.

Related: Managing member information · Dispatch board