Fare Rule Hints
In Fare Rules, a hint determines the method used to calculate the overall fare.
This method can be set globally in the Faring Module property (see CTM Data Properties for more information) or entered here when you have faring exceptions within your transit system. For example, all routes within the system are considered except for one route that services a free downtown zone. The hint entered for this route is FreeRideZone.
The following table provides a description of each fare rule hint.
| Hint | Description |
|---|---|
| Flat | All fare costs are equal. |
| ZoneCount | Used for special lines where zone fare rules apply. Counts all of the zones that the requested itinerary travels through. The system looks at the bus stops and counts the number of zones through which the route passes in order to calculate the fare for the itinerary. |
| ZoneMatrix | Used for special lines where zone fare rules apply. This method only takes into account the fare zone of the origin and destination stops. |
| PayTransfer | Indicates that transfers between routes have a cost. This value can be negative to indicate a credit for transferring between routes (for example, transfer between Translink bus route and West Coast Express rail route). |
| VoidTransferCost | Used to negate the transfer cost on specific routes using the same mode of transportation. |
| TransferCap | Transfer cost is paid only once on the itinerary even if there is more than one transfer. |
| AccumulateFares | Every leg of the itinerary is charged the full fare cost. There are no discounts for transferring between routes>buses. |
| FreeRideZone | Itinerary has to begin and end at stops that are within the fare zone and it cannot travel through other zones (for example, a free downtown fare zone). |
| Pay No Cost Transfer | No cost stay-in-seat transfer. |
| Alternative Fare Zone | This hint is similar to FreeRideZone except that there is a cost associated with traveling within the zone. Origin and destination on a one leg itinerary are both in the AlternativeFareZone. |
| AccumulateFareAfterN | Passenger must pay the appropriate fare when boarding and again after N number of legs within the itinerary. For example, you type AccumulateFareAfter2. An itinerary displays a trip with three legs. The passenger pays the initial fare, does not pay for the second leg but does pay for the third leg of the trip. |
| SkipLegN | Passenger does not have to pay a fare for the nth leg of an itinerary. For example, you type SkipLeg2. The itinerary includes three transfers but the second transfer is not charged when the system calculates the overall fare for the itinerary. |
| Extra Fare | When applied, the transfer cost, from a regular to an express route and vice versa, is added to the regular cost. |
| CapIt |
This hint intends to provide more fare costing flexibility. Caps the fare values for transfers based on the time of day, service, passenger type and other factors similar to those applied to regular fare. Users must create custom rules that set the cap based on these factors. When saved, the custom rules appears as CustomRule_N where N is the rule ID. If the hint is used, the system searches for the applicable custom rule and applies the cap to the fare. For example, the fare for a multi-leg itinerary would normally cost $2.00 for each leg. When this hint is applied, the system considers the factors in the custom rule such as time of day and passenger type (after 5:00 p.m., child) and caps the total fare cost at the set value. |