The total cost for any job booked through Road Ninja is made up of two parts:
The Driver’s pay, and
The Road Ninja booking fee.
This guide explains how these work, how you can lower your costs with automatic discounts, and how our secure payment system operates.
The driver's pay
The driver’s pay is the full hourly rate earned by the driver for their work.
The rate displayed on a driver’s profile is the exact amount they receive, Road Ninja doesn’t add a margin or take a cut from the driver’s side.
Your company pays this amount directly to the driver via our secure payment partner (Stripe), once the job is complete.
The Road Ninja booking fee
The booking fee is the one-time service charge per job assignment that you pay to Road Ninja for using the platform.
You only pay this fee when you confirm a booking, there’s no cost to post jobs or review driver applications.
This fee covers driver access, platform use, Public/Statutory Liability Insurance Cover, and payment handling.
💰 Estimate your costs
Want to see the numbers? Use our pricing calculator to get an instant estimate of both the driver’s pay and your final booking fee after discounts.
Note: The calculator cannot display "Loyalty Discounts" as these are unique to your history with specific drivers.
Booking fee structure
Component | Rate / detail |
Base booking fee | 38% (starting rate applied before discounts) |
Minimum booking fee | 12% (lowest possible fee after discounts) |
Your final booking fee may be reduced by our automatic discount system, which rewards longer, repeat, or high-volume bookings.
Available discounts
All discounts apply automatically when your booking meets the criteria. Discounts can combine to reduce your final fee but will never lower it below 12%.
Density discount (longer workdays): Rewards you for booking longer daily assignments.
The booking fee decreases by 1.5% for each hour beyond 6 hours in a single day.
Applies up to 12 hours per day (maximum 9% reduction).
Example: A 10-hour day earns a 6% Density Discount.
Length discount (multiple days): Rewards you for longer, continuous bookings.
The fee decreases by 1.5% for every 6 full days within one continuous booking.
Example: An 18-day job earns a 4.5% Length Discount.
Loyalty discount (repeat drivers): Rewards you for rehiring the same driver.
The fee decreases by 1.5% for every 6 paid days that a specific driver has worked for your company through Road Ninja.
This grows over time up to a maximum of 18% once a driver completes 72 paid days with you.
How discounts combine
Density, length, and loyalty discounts can all apply at once.
Your total combined discount is subtracted from the 38% Base Fee, with the 12% Minimum Fee acting as the floor.
Discount type | Calculation |
Density | 1.5% off per hour beyond 6 hours per day |
Length | 1.5% off per 6 continuous booking days |
Loyalty | 1.5% off per 6 paid days with same driver |
Payment methods and processing fees
Road Ninja partners with Stripe to handle all payments securely. We do not store your financial data directly; it is encrypted and managed by Stripe's global payment infrastructure.
You can pay using a Credit Card or by connecting a Direct Debit bank account.
Credit Card:
Processing fee: 3.5%
This fee is calculated based on the amount paid to the driver. It is automatically added to the total when you select Credit Card as your payment option.
Direct Debit (Bank Account):
This option allows you to connect a New Zealand bank account to pay for booking fees and driver payments directly. It uses the Stripe BECS (Bulk Electronic Clearing System) network to securely debit funds.
Processing fee: 1%
This fee is calculated based on the total amount paid to the driver.
Once authorised, payments are processed automatically without needing to enter details for every transaction. You will receive an email confirmation within 5 business days of setting up your authority.
Processing fees (charged by Stripe) only apply to the driver's payment. Road Ninja covers the processing costs for our own booking fees. You will not be charged extra credit card or direct debit fees on the portion paid to Road Ninja.
Understanding the Direct Debit authority:
When you enter your details, you are setting up a "Direct debit authority." This is a formal permission slip that tells your bank it is okay for Road Ninja to withdraw funds for our services.
While the system uses a direct debit mechanism, it is not a scheduled or recurring payment. You must manually approve and authorise each payment on a case-by-case basis. Road Ninja will never take money from your account without you explicitly clicking the "pay" button for a specific amount
By confirming your payment details, you agree to the following:
You authorise Road Ninja Limited to debit your account for amounts due in accordance with our terms.
You certify that you are either the sole account holder or an authorised signatory for the bank account provided.
You acknowledge that this authority is subject to your bank's terms and conditions.
Understanding payment timing and "Processing" status:
Unlike credit card transactions which are instant, bank transfers travel through the BECS network and take time to clear between banks.
Processing times: Bank transfers can take up to 3 business days to clear. When you make a payment using your bank account, the status in your dashboard will display as "Processing". This is normal and indicates the request has been sent to your bank. The status will update to "Succeeded" once the funds have physically cleared.
Booking proximity rule (Why is the bank option unavailable?): Because of the 3-day clearing time, the Direct Debit option is automatically disabled for last-minute bookings. If a booking is starting soon, the system requires a Credit Card to ensure the driver is paid on time.
See our step-by-step guide for setting up your direct debit.
Failed payments:
If a Direct Debit payment fails (for example, due to insufficient funds or a closed account), you will be notified immediately via email.
To protect our drivers, a failed bank payment may result in the temporary suspension of your ability to make new bookings. You may be required to add a valid Credit Card to your account to resolve the outstanding balance before you can proceed with future bookings.
We are currently enhancing our invoicing system. While invoices are currently issued upon payment, we are working on a feature that will allow you to download an unpaid invoice/quote prior to payment authorisation.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I have both a Credit Card and a Bank Account saved?
A: Yes. You can store both methods securely. You can choose which method to use at the checkout stage of a booking, provided the booking is not starting too soon (see Booking Proximity rule above).
Q: Is my data safe?
A: Yes. Your bank accounts are saved and encrypted with Stripe. Road Ninja does not see or store your raw banking numbers.
Q: Can I pay for multiple jobs at once?
A: Yes, the platform supports bulk payments. If a single driver has completed multiple jobs for you, their payments will be grouped together so you can pay the total amount in one transaction.
Q: What happens if a payment fails?
A: If a payment fails (e.g., due to insufficient funds), it will move from "in transit" back to your "payments due" list. You will be notified and can then choose to retry the bank payment or use a credit card to ensure the driver is paid and the job proceeds.
Q: Why can't I just do a manual bank transfer?
A: Road Ninja uses an automated system to manage high volumes of transactions across different drivers and companies. This automation allows for 24/7 payment management without the need for manual reconciliation by staff, which ensures that drivers are notified and paid more reliably.
Q: How do I set up my bank account for payments?
A: Setting up the new bank-to-bank option is a simple, one-page process. To begin, navigate to your company profile on the left navigation bar, select payment methods, and click "Add" in the bank accounts section. You will need to provide the name of the bank account holder, the bank account number, and an email address for confirmations and invoices.
Q: Is this an automated recurring direct debit?
A: No. While the system uses a direct debit mechanism, it is not a scheduled or recurring payment. You must manually approve and authorise each payment on a case-by-case basis. Road Ninja will never take money from your account without you explicitly clicking the "pay" button for a specific amount.