Courier Waiting Fees – Slerp Dispatch
This article explains how courier waiting fees work in Slerp Dispatch, why they apply, how you’re charged, and how to reduce them.
FAQs
What are courier waiting fees?
How are waiting fees calculated?
Where can I see the waiting fees charged?
What are the courier waiting rules?
How can I reduce or avoid waiting fees?
Can I exclude couriers to avoid waiting fees?
What are courier waiting fees?
Waiting fees may apply when a courier arrives at your site and has to wait for an order to be prepared before leaving.
Most courier fleets now charge for waiting time once a short grace period has passed. These fees are charged to Slerp by the courier and passed through to you at cost.
Slerp does not mark up waiting fees.
Why do waiting fees exist?
- To compensate drivers for time spent waiting.
- To encourage accurate preparation and pickup times.
- To reduce failed collections and late deliveries.
Having orders ready on time leads to better delivery outcomes for your customers.
How are waiting fees calculated?
- Waiting time starts after the requested pickup time only. If a driver arrives before the pickup time, it is not included in any calculations.
- Each courier has its own grace period defined by them, and a pro-rata per-minute-rate.
- If multiple drivers attend, all waiting time is aggregated.
- If Dispatch assigns a backup courier, waiting time from each courier is included.
Waiting fees are calculated once an order is completed, cancelled, or rebounded.
How will I be charged?
- Waiting fees are charged per order, only where they apply
- Fees are automatically deducted from your weekly payout
- Charges reflect exactly what the courier charged Slerp
There is no Slerp margin or markup.
Where can I see waiting fees?
The majority of Waiting fees are fully itemised and visible in:
- Controls
- Reports:
- Orders > Generate Report
- Payout reconciliation
- Additional Charges
- Orders > Generate Report
- Invoices & Receipts:
- Settings > Accounts & Billing > VAT invoice
- Viewing a specific Order
- Orders > Click on Order ID > Additional Charges Tab
- Reports:
Some waiting fees will not appear in the above reports if charges are made separately. This applies to some couriers only.
Current courier waiting rules (excl. VAT)
|
Courier |
Grace Period |
Charge After Grace |
|
Deliveroo Express |
3.5 mins |
£0.33 / min |
|
Uber Direct |
10 mins |
£0.40 / min |
|
Addison Lee |
5 mins |
£0.55 / min |
|
Genii |
10 mins |
£0.50 / min |
|
PedalMe (Off-Peak) |
6 mins |
£0.61 / min |
|
PedalMe (Peak) |
6 mins |
£0.94 / min |
|
Gophr Bicycle |
10 mins |
£0.22 / min |
|
Gophr Cargo Bike |
10 mins |
£0.24 / min |
|
Gophr Motorcycle |
10 mins |
£0.26 / min |
|
Gophr Parcel Car |
10 mins |
£0.37 / min |
|
Gophr Small Van |
10 mins |
£0.42 / min |
|
Gophr Large Van |
10 mins |
£0.45 / min |
Grace periods and rates are set by the couriers, rounded up to the next full minute and are subject to change at their discretion.
VAT applies to waiting fees.
How can I reduce or avoid waiting fees?
Waiting fees only occur when drivers have to wait beyond the pickup time, and therefore, the order isn’t ready on time. Slerp already provides multiple tools to help prevent this:
Set realistic prep times using Quiet, Moderate, and Busy modes.
You can define what each mode means at each location.
Activity Mode can be updated instantly per location via the Partner App and are defined in Controls.
Enable Dynamic Preparation Time
Dynamic Preparation Time or Additional Preparation Time allows you to automatically account for live large orders, adjusting the ability for subsequent customers to place an order. For example, if you define a dynamic prep time at an order threshold of £200 and the time as 30 minutes, if a £200+ on-demand order came in, the next customer who purchases would only be able to select a timeslot that accounts for an additional 30 minutes of prep time, enabling better kitchen capacity management.
Define your timeslots presented to customers, and control how many orders you accept per timeslot to prevent kitchen bottlenecks and late handovers.
Can I exclude couriers to avoid waiting fees?
While it is possible, this is strongly not recommended.
Excluding couriers:
- Reduces the chance of fast assignment
- Increases late arrivals and failed pickups
- Raises the likelihood of food being remade
- Leads to customer complaints, refunds, and poor reviews
In almost all cases, occasional waiting fees cost far less than refunding an unhappy customer.
Dispatch works best when it has access to multiple courier options.
💡 Key Takeaways
- Waiting fees are charged by couriers, not Slerp.
- Fees are passed through at cost and deducted automatically from your weekly payouts.
- There are multiple mitigation options to reduce the chance of incurring waiting fees.
- Limiting courier options makes outcomes worse.