Questions
The things people ask before they trust an app with a journey or a livelihood. If your question is not here, the guides go into more detail.
Everyone asks these
If passengers pay nothing and drivers keep the whole fare, how does MageRide earn?
Drivers taking on-demand rides pay a flat daily platform fee — but only from their second trip of the day, and nothing on days they do not drive. That fee is the entire business model. There is no commission on any fare and no charge to passengers.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-product-vision · specs/user-requirements-document.md#epic-9-daily-platform-fee-billing
Will I see every bus and every three-wheeler?
Not on day one. MageRide is built to hold the whole country, but a vehicle appears only once its operator or driver has joined. Coverage grows steadily, and for a while it will be thinner in some places than others. We would rather say so plainly than let the map imply otherwise.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-a-service-modes
What kinds of vehicle are on MageRide?
Ten. Motorbike, three-wheeler, Flex, sedan, mini van and van for rides; truck and mini truck additionally for deliveries; and buses and trains for public transport. Each has its own colour on the map.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-b-canonical-vehicle-types
What are Mode A, Mode B and Mode C?
Three different things you can do. Mode A is public buses and trains, free for anyone to watch. Mode B is a private vehicle you have been given permission to follow. Mode C is booking a ride or a delivery right now. They are separate services, not one feature with a switch on it.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-a-service-modes
What do I need to sign up?
A Sri Lankan mobile number. Choose your language, enter your number, and confirm the one-time code. Passengers need nothing else.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#epic-1
Which languages does MageRide support?
Sinhala, Tamil and English, everywhere. You pick one before signing in and can change it at any time.
Source CLAUDE.md#universal-rules
Does MageRide work with a screen reader, or with larger text?
Yes. The flows that matter most — signing up, the map, booking a ride and the trip summary — work with TalkBack, the screen reader built into Android. And if you have made the text bigger in your phone’s settings, the app follows that setting: the layout grows with it rather than cutting words off.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#us-19-1 · specs/user-requirements-document.md#us-19-2
What safety features are there?
Share your live trip with someone you trust, reach emergency help from inside the ride screen, and rate the driver afterwards. Every driver’s licence and vehicle documents are checked before they can accept a job.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#epic-12
Will the driver see my phone number?
Once a driver accepts your ride, you and the driver can see each other’s numbers so you can coordinate the pickup. This is disclosed when you sign up. If you book on someone else’s behalf, the driver sees the rider’s number and never yours.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#us-26-5
Can I get my data, or have it deleted?
Both. You can ask for a copy of everything MageRide holds about you and receive it within 30 days, and you can ask for your account and personal data to be erased, also within 30 days — except for records the law requires us to keep.
Source specs/architecture-design-document.md#pdpa-svc · specs/user-requirements-document.md#us-1-8
Whose maps does MageRide use?
OpenStreetMap data, served from MageRide’s own map and search servers. There is no commercial map licence and no per-user fee, which keeps that cost off drivers.
Source specs/D6_mageride_integration.md#7-6-maps-tiles-pmtiles-nominatim-d-14 · specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-product-vision
For passengers
What does MageRide cost me as a passenger?
Nothing. There is no subscription, no premium tier and no booking fee. You pay the driver the fare you saw before booking, and you pay MageRide nothing at all.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-product-vision · specs/user-requirements-document.md#daily-platform-fee-structure-namma-yatri-methodology
How do I pay for a ride?
Cash, or by scanning the driver’s QR code at the end of the trip. You choose before you book. Either way the money goes to the driver, not to MageRide.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#epic-8 · specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-product-vision
Can anyone watch my private vehicle?
No. A Mode B vehicle is visible only to people its owner has granted access to, one request at a time, and the owner can withdraw that access whenever they choose.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-a-service-modes · specs/user-requirements-document.md#epic-4
What does following a private vehicle cost?
It depends on the vehicle. Some owners share access free — a company staff bus, for instance. Others carry a monthly subscription, currently around Rs 300 per vehicle with the first month free. The app shows the exact amount before you subscribe.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#daily-platform-fee-structure-namma-yatri-methodology · specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-a-service-modes
Are trains on the map?
Yes, as Mode A alongside public buses. Trains are registered by MageRide administrators rather than by drivers. You can filter for them on their own, or see them among your options when you enter a destination.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-a-service-modes
For drivers
How much of the fare does a driver keep?
All of it. MageRide takes no commission. The fare shown to the passenger before booking is exactly what the driver receives, and for card payments the gateway settles straight to the driver’s own account — MageRide never holds ride money.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-product-vision
What is the daily platform fee?
A flat daily amount an on-demand driver pays from their second trip onward, set by vehicle type. Once it is paid, the rest of that day’s trips are unlimited and MageRide takes nothing further. The current rates are listed on the drivers page.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#epic-9-daily-platform-fee-billing · specs/user-requirements-document.md#daily-platform-fee-structure-namma-yatri-methodology
Do drivers pay on days they do not work?
No. The fee is charged only on a day a driver takes a second trip. No trips, no fee. One trip, no fee.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#daily-platform-fee-structure-namma-yatri-methodology
How does a driver top up their wallet?
Inside the driver app, using a credit or debit card, OnePay, or LankaQR. Drivers never need to open a web portal for anything.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#1-product-vision · specs/user-requirements-document.md#epic-9a-in-app-driver-wallet
How do I start driving with MageRide?
Install the driver app, sign in with your phone number, and register your vehicle in four steps: the vehicle, insurance, revenue licence and photos. You photograph each document in the app — most details are read automatically, and anything unclear is checked by a person before approval.
Source specs/user-requirements-document.md#epic-2