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What is wait time?

Wait time is the time a vehicle spends stationary during a trip - at traffic signals or in congestion. Physical taxi and auto meters around the world treat this the same way: once the meter is running, stopped time is counted separately from distance travelled, and after a free allowance it is charged by the minute.

We charge wait time based on government rules for both autos and cabs.

Digital fare meter showing fare, distance, and waiting displays
A physical cab meter tracks fare, distance, and waiting - the same concepts Nagara's Virtual Meter uses.

When wait time starts

On Nagara, wait time only starts accumulating after the ride is started through OTP verification. While the driver is on the way to pick you up, total ride time may increase, but wait time stays at zero. You are not charged waiting for the pickup leg before the trip officially begins.

When waiting counts during a ride

After the ride has started, our fare engine looks at GPS points from the driver's phone. For each short segment between points it estimates speed. If that speed is below 3.6 km/h (about walking pace), the segment is treated as waiting - the same idea as a physical meter that switches to waiting when the vehicle is stopped.

  • Moving - distance accrues and contributes to the per-kilometre fare.
  • Stopped - wait time accrues; after the free allowance it is charged per minute.

How the wait charge is calculated

The Virtual Meter keeps a running total of wait minutes from the moment the ride starts (after OTP). Charging follows government-style tariff rules used in our fare engine:

  • The first 5 minutes of waiting on a trip are free for every vehicle type.
  • After that, only the minutes beyond 5 are chargeable: chargeable wait = max(0, total wait minutes − 5).
  • Chargeable wait is multiplied by the per-minute wait rate for your vehicle. Segments that fall in the night window use the night multiplier on that wait charge.

How wait is charged

Current wait rates on Nagara (same structure as regulatory fare cards):

Vehicle Free wait Per minute Night window (IST) Night on wait
Auto / Qute 5 min ₹0.66 10pm–6am 1.5×
Cab (mini / sedan) 5 min ₹1 Midnight–6am 1.1×
SUV / Prime SUV 5 min ₹1 Midnight–6am 1.1×

Example: if an auto ride has 12 minutes of wait after OTP start, 5 minutes are free and 7 minutes are chargeable. In daytime that is 7 × ₹0.66. If those chargeable minutes fall at night (10pm–6am for autos), the wait portion is multiplied by 1.5.

What you see in the app

The Virtual Meter card shows Wait - time spent stationary after the free allowance begins to matter - alongside fare, distance, and total time. For the full picture of how metering works, read About the Virtual Meter.

Questions?

If you have questions about a specific ride or fare, contact us at hello@nagara.app or call +91 96200 20042.

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