When you first log in to your Cabzen dashboard a Setup Wizard will appear automatically. It walks you through your core business information in seven steps. If you ever dismiss it and want it back, go to Settings → General.

Welcome — Shows your plan information and a summary of what you’ll configure.

Company Information — Your business name, contact email, phone number, address, and website.

Regional Settings — Choose your currency (e.g. GBP), distance unit (miles or km), and advance booking rules.

Google Maps — Enter your Google Maps API keys — see Section 2 of this guide.

Payment Methods — Enable cash, Stripe card payments, or both.

Notifications — Choose which emails and SMS messages to send to customers and drivers.

Review & Complete — Confirm everything looks right and finish the wizard.

Field	Example / Notes
Company Name	ABC Taxis Ltd — shown on booking confirmations
Company Email	[email protected] — used for system notifications
Company Phone	+44 7700 900123 — shown to customers
Company Address	Your registered business address
Company Website	https://www.abctaxis.co.uk

Regional Settings

Setting	Guidance
Currency	GBP for UK, EUR for Europe, USD for USA, etc.
Distance Unit	Miles for UK/USA, Kilometres for most of Europe
Advance Booking Time	How many hours ahead customers must book. 1 hour is a good starting point.
Cancellation Window	How many minutes before pickup a customer can cancel for free.

Do not skip the currency and distance unit — these affect every price calculation and cannot easily be changed once you have live bookings.

Google Maps

Google Maps powers three things in your system:

Address search — customers type a pickup or dropoff and see suggestions as they type.
Route calculation — the system measures the distance to work out the price.
Journey time — used for time-based pricing if you set a per-minute rate.

You need TWO separate Google Maps API keys — a Browser Key (for the booking form) and a Server Key (for price calculations). Follow the steps below exactly.

Use Google's latest setup and security guidance:

Google Maps Platform: Getting Started | API Key Security Best Practices

Create your Google Cloud project

Go to console.cloud.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
Click the project selector at the top of the page (it may say Select a project).
Click NEW PROJECT in the top-right corner.
Give it a name like My Taxi Business Maps and click CREATE.
Wait a few seconds, then select the new project from the list.

Enable billing (required by Google)

Google requires a billing account to use the Maps API. They provide a generous free tier — most small taxi companies pay nothing at all.

In the left menu, click Billing.
Click Link a billing account and add a credit/debit card.
Google gives you $200 of free usage every month — this covers approximately 40,000 address searches.

You will only be charged if your usage exceeds $200/month. For a small taxi business this is very unlikely. Set a budget alert in the Billing section to get an email warning if you approach the limit.

Enable the required APIs

Go to APIs & Services → Library. Search for and ENABLE each of the following:

API Name	Used for
Maps JavaScript API	Map display in the booking form
Places API	Address autocomplete (typing suggestions)
Geocoding API	Converts addresses into coordinates
Distance Matrix API	Calculates driving distance
Directions API	Calculates route and journey time
Maps Embed API	Allows the map to embed on your website

Create your Browser Key (for the booking form)

Go to APIs & Services → Credentials.
Click + CREATE CREDENTIALS and choose API key.
Copy the key and save it somewhere safe.
Click the Edit API Key (pencil icon) and set:
- Application restrictions: HTTP referrers (websites)
- Website restrictions: add yourwebsite.co.uk/* and yourbusiness.cabzen.app/*
- API restrictions: restrict to Maps JavaScript API, Places API, Maps Embed API
Name this key Browser Key and click SAVE.

Create your Server Key (for price calculations)

Go back to APIs & Services → Credentials.
Click + CREATE CREDENTIALS → API key again.
Copy and save this second key.
Click Edit and set:
- Application restrictions: IP addresses
- IP address: find the server IP shown in Cabzen → Settings → Google Maps
- API restrictions: restrict to Geocoding API, Distance Matrix API, Directions API
Name this key Server Key and click SAVE.

Enter the keys in Cabzen

In your Cabzen dashboard go to Settings → Google Maps.
Paste your Browser Key into Google Maps Browser Key.
Paste your Server Key into Google Maps Server Key.
Make sure Google Maps Enabled is switched ON.
Optionally enter your country code in Country Restrictions (e.g. gb for United Kingdom) to limit address suggestions to your area.
Click Save.

To test that Maps is working: open your booking widget, type an address in the pickup field, and check that suggestions appear. If they do not, double-check that you enabled the Places API and that your Browser Key includes your domain in the HTTP referrer restrictions.

Vehicle Types

Vehicle types are the categories of car you offer — for example Saloon, MPV, Executive, or Minibus. You need at least one vehicle type before customers can get a price. Go to Settings → Vehicle Types.

Field	Guidance
Name	What customers will see — e.g. Saloon, MPV, Executive
Description	Short sentence — e.g. Comfortable 4-door car, up to 4 passengers
Passenger Capacity	Maximum number of passengers — e.g. 4
Luggage Capacity	Number of large suitcases — e.g. 3
Image	Upload a photo of the vehicle type for the booking form
Show on Booking Form	Leave this ON so customers can see and select it
Sort Order	Use 1 for your most popular type, 2 for the next, etc.

Common vehicle types

Type	Passengers	Typical use
Saloon / Standard	1–4	Everyday local trips
Estate	1–4	Extra luggage space
MPV / People Carrier	1–6	Groups and families
Executive	1–4	Business travel, airport runs
Minibus 8 Seater	1–8	Larger groups
Wheelchair Accessible	1–4	Accessible travel

Pricing

Cabzen automatically calculates a price for every journey based on distance. You set the rates and the system does the maths. Go to Settings → Pricing.

Basic rates

Field	What it means
Base Rate	Fixed charge added to every booking — e.g. £3.00
Per Mile / Per Km Rate	Charged for every mile or km — e.g. £1.80 per mile
Minimum Fare	The lowest price you will ever charge — e.g. £5.00
Per Minute Rate	Optional: adds a time charge on top of distance — useful for traffic delays

Example: Base £3.00 + £1.80 per mile. A 5-mile journey = £3.00 + (5 × £1.80) = £12.00.

Distance tiers (optional)

Charge a different rate per mile depending on journey length. For example:

Distance Range	Rate per Mile	Why
0 to 5 miles	£2.20 / mile	Short local trips — higher rate
5 to 20 miles	£1.80 / mile	Medium journeys
20+ miles	£1.50 / mile	Long distance — lower rate to stay competitive

Surcharges

Night Surcharge

Add a percentage or fixed amount to late-night / early-morning journeys. Set the start/end hours and the charge amount.

Weekend Surcharge

Same as the night surcharge but for selected days of the week. Choose which days count as the weekend.

Airport Surcharge

Add a fixed pickup or dropoff charge for specific airports. Go to Settings → Airports to add each one.

Return Journey Discount

Offer a discount if a customer books a return trip at the same time. Set a percentage off the return leg.

Start simple. Set a base rate and per-mile rate for each vehicle type, add a minimum fare, and go live. You can refine with tiers and surcharges once you have a feel for your typical bookings.

Payment Methods

Cabzen supports cash and online card payments. Most operators start with cash and add card payments once they are comfortable. Go to Settings → Payment Methods.

Cash payments

Cash is enabled by default. You can optionally require a card deposit at booking time, with the rest paid to the driver in cash — useful for reducing no-shows.

Card payments via Stripe

Create a Stripe account

Go to stripe.com and click Start now.
Enter your email and create a password.
Complete the business verification (you will need your business name, address, and bank details for payouts).

Get your Stripe keys

In Stripe go to Developers → API Keys.
You will see a Publishable key (starts with pk_) and a Secret key (starts with sk_). Copy both.

Enter keys in Cabzen & add the webhook

In Cabzen go to Settings → Payment Methods and toggle Stripe Enabled ON.
Paste both keys into the relevant fields.
Copy the Webhook URL shown on the page (e.g. https://yourbusiness.cabzen.app/webhook/stripe).
In Stripe go to Developers → Webhooks → Add endpoint. Paste the URL, select payment events, click Add endpoint.
Copy the Signing Secret from Stripe and paste it into the Webhook Secret field in Cabzen. Click Save.

Test card payments before going live using Stripe's test card: 4242 4242 4242 4242 with any future expiry date and any 3-digit CVC. This will not charge anything.

Adding Drivers

Each driver gets their own login to the Cabzen driver app or dashboard where they will see their assigned jobs. Go to Drivers in the left menu.

Adding a driver

Field	Notes
First / Last Name	Driver’s full name
Email Address	Used to log in — must be a real working email address
Phone Number	Mobile including country code — e.g. +44 7700 900456
Password	Set a temporary password — the driver can change it after first login

Adding a vehicle to a driver

Field	Example
Make	Toyota
Model	Prius
Colour	Silver
Licence Plate	AB12 CDE
Vehicle Type	Choose from the types you set up in Section 3 — e.g. Saloon

If a driver has more than one vehicle you can add multiple vehicles to their profile. When you assign a booking you choose which specific vehicle to use, and that vehicle's details will appear in the customer confirmation email.

Booking Widget

The booking widget is the form your customers use to get a price and place a booking. It can be embedded directly on your website so customers never have to leave your page.

Finding your widget code

In your Cabzen dashboard go to Settings → Booking Widget. You will see an embed code similar to:

Adding the widget to a WordPress / Divi website

Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Go to the page where you want the booking form to appear.
Add a new section and insert a Code module (in Divi).
Paste your widget embed code into the module.
Save and preview the page — the booking form should appear.

Set the container height to at least 540 pixels to avoid the form being cut off. In Divi, set a minimum height on the row or code module in the Size options.

Testing the widget

Type a pickup address — suggestions should appear (confirms Google Maps is working).
Type a dropoff address and select a date and time.
Click Get Price — vehicle types and prices should appear.
Complete a test booking with a real email so you receive the confirmation email.
Check your Cabzen dashboard — the booking should appear in your bookings list.

Notifications

Cabzen can automatically send emails and SMS messages to customers and drivers at key points. Email notifications are included. SMS requires a Twilio account.

Email notifications — recommended events

Event	Recommended action
Booking Confirmed	Email customer — journey details and reference number
Driver Assigned	Optional email to customer saying their driver has been allocated
Booking Cancelled	Email customer confirming the cancellation
Booking Completed	Optional — good for asking customers to leave a review
New Booking (admin)	Email yourself so you know when a new booking arrives

SMS with Twilio (optional)

Go to twilio.com and create a free account.
In the Twilio console note your Account SID and Auth Token.
Go to Phone Numbers → Buy a number with SMS capability.
In Cabzen go to Settings → Notifications → SMS, enter your SID, Auth Token, and phone number, then click Save.
Toggle SMS on for the events you want — typically driver assignment notifications.

Twilio offers a free trial with credit for testing. For a small taxi business sending a few hundred SMS per month the cost is typically just a few pounds.

Google Analytics (Optional)

GA4 lets you see how many people visit your booking page, where they come from, and where they drop off. Your bookings will work perfectly without it.

Go to analytics.google.com and click Start measuring.
Create an Account and a Property, then add your website as a Web data stream.
Copy the Measurement ID — it looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX.
In Cabzen go to Settings → Google → Analytics, toggle GA4 Enabled ON, paste the ID, and click Save.

Recommended Setup Order

Start with the first group to get your first live booking, then come back for the rest.

Day 1 — Core setup (approx. 1 hour)

Setup Wizard — Company info, currency, distance unit

10 mins

Google Maps API Keys — Both Browser Key and Server Key

20 mins

Vehicle Type — At least one vehicle type

5 mins

Pricing — Base rate + per-mile rate

10 mins

Enable cash payments — Default is already on

2 mins

Test the booking widget — Do a full test booking

10 mins

Week 1 — Complete setup

Add drivers & vehicles — Create driver accounts

15 mins each

Email notifications — Booking confirmation emails

10 mins

Embed widget on website — Add iframe to WordPress

15 mins

Optional extras

Stripe card payments

20 mins

Twilio SMS

20 mins

Google Analytics 4

15 mins

Night & weekend surcharges

10 mins

Need help?

Our support team is here for you. Include your account name and a description of what you are trying to do.

[email protected]