Driver Assignment API Examples

Travel cost refers to the effort or expense associated with moving a vehicle from one location to another, typically measured in terms of either distance or duration. In the context of on-demand rides and deliveries, minimizing this cost — especially when vehicles are traveling empty (e.g., en route to the next pickup) — can result in significant operational benefits.

Vehicle attributes are characteristics or qualities assigned to a vehicle, typically defined as custom key-value pairs. These attributes represent physical capabilities, features, or other operational aspects such as "driver_rating": “4.0”, "vehicle_type": "luxury_car", or "capacity": "2". Defining vehicle attributes allows the Driver Assignment service to make intelligent and relevant decisions when matching vehicles with orders.

A multi-destination trip involves serving multiple drop-off points within a single route. In ride-hailing scenarios, this typically means picking up multiple riders from a common location and dropping them off at their individual destinations. In delivery use cases—such as food or parcel delivery—the same principle applies: one pickup, followed by multiple unique drop-offs. This setup allows for better utilization of vehicle capacity and improved efficiency in urban logistics or pooled transport services. How to define multiple destinations for a trip?

Back-to-back orders refer to the scenario where a driver who is currently completing a trip is assigned a new order in real-time, without needing to return to an idle state. This new order typically has a pickup location that is either near the driver’s current path or aligns with the general direction of their ongoing drop-off. Once the driver accepts the new order, the assignment system intelligently factors in the driver’s current trip completion before planning the route to the new pickup. This ensures seamless transition between consecutive trips, improves driver utilization, and reduces passenger wait times.