Why I Built a Taxi Fare Calculator

The Problem: "How Much Will the Ride Cost?"

I'm a taxi driver. Every day, almost every ride, the same question: "roughly how much will this ride cost?" Passengers get in, have no idea what to expect, and sometimes think they're being overcharged — even when the fare is completely fair according to the meter.

I always recommend my passengers ride with the meter on. Always. It's what the law requires, and it protects both sides — the passenger and the driver. But when a passenger doesn't know the expected price in advance, it creates an unnecessary atmosphere of mistrust.

Why No Such Tool Existed

To the best of my knowledge (correct me if I'm wrong), there was no app that gave a fare estimate for a regular taxi ride — the kind where you just flag one down on the street — based on origin and destination addresses. There are ride-hailing apps, but they only calculate prices for rides booked through their platform.

And on top of that, in April 2026 a fundamental change to the taxi tariff came into effect: a split tariff based on distance. The first 10 km are charged at the base per-kilometer rate. Every kilometer beyond 10 km costs significantly more, with an additional surcharge of ₪1.84/km on top of the base rate. This made manual calculation practically impossible for longer rides.

How It Works Behind the Scenes

The calculator uses the Google Maps Routes API to compute distance and travel time, then applies the official tariff formula. Everything is calculated client-side — your information isn't stored anywhere.

The new split tariff works like this: for the first 10 kilometers you pay the base rate (₪1.95/km during daytime), and for every additional kilometer beyond that, you pay the base rate plus the distance surcharge — ₪3.79/km total. On top of that, there's a meter start fee, and a booking fee if you ordered through a phone call or app.

Who Is This For

Primarily for passengers — so they know in advance what to expect to pay and can get into a taxi with peace of mind. But also for drivers — so they can show passengers that the fare is fair, and reduce the friction that comes from a lack of transparency.