Video walkthrough: Watch a 7 minute overview of setting up Service Categories.
Service Categories let you group one or more of your services into a single map layer for riders. Each category appears in the rider app as its own named, colour-coded layer that riders can turn on and off, so riders can tell at a glance which service covers which area.
Without categories, every service area a rider is eligible for is merged into one shape on the map. A rider eligible for both paratransit and microtransit cannot tell where one service ends and the other begins. Categories solve this, and they let you present your services using your own names, descriptions, logos, and colours.
How it works
Group your services into categories. On the Services page, create a category with a name, description, logo, and colour, and choose which services belong to it.
Decide which categories riders see. Rider visibility is a setting on the category itself, so you choose as you create it. Visible categories become their own layer on the rider map, which riders can toggle on and off. Hidden ones stay internal to your team.
Optionally, show the category to drivers. Driver app pills display the category name on a driver's work, which is useful if your drivers work across more than one service. This is a separate add-on that your Spare representative enables.
This is useful if you:
Run more than one type of service in a single rider app, such as paratransit and microtransit within the same organization.
Want riders to tell your service areas apart, even if you only run one type of service. Running multiple types of service is not a requirement.
Note: Categories change what riders see on the map. They do not change what riders can book, and they do not change eligibility. Your booking flow and eligibility rules work exactly as they do today.
Before you start
Service Categories is turned on for your organization by Spare. Contact your Spare representative to have it enabled. Once it is on, all configuration is self-serve on the Services page.
Note: Creating categories is optional. Until you create your first category, your rider map looks exactly as it does today. Nothing changes for your riders until you choose to set it up.
Creating a category
Go to Service Planning and then Services, and select Add Category.
Category Name
Required. This is the name riders see on the map, so use language your riders would recognise rather than your internal service names.
Description
Optional. Appears underneath the category name in the rider app, and is useful for explaining who a service is for.
Visibility
The Show zones in the rider app setting controls whether this category's zones appear on the rider map. Categories do not have to be shown to riders. Turning visibility off lets you group services for your own organization without displaying them, which is useful for internal or staff-only services. Hidden categories are marked on the Services page so you can tell at a glance which ones riders will not see.
Category Logo and Zone Color
Optional. The logo appears beside the category name in the rider app, and the colour is what makes each layer distinguishable on the map. Choose colours that are easy to tell apart from each other.
Recommended: Keep each category to a single type of service. Grouping your North, South, and East microtransit zones together works well. Mixing a paratransit service in with them is supported, but riders tend to read a category as one kind of service, so a mixed category is harder to interpret.
Assigning services to a category
Services are assigned from the category's add or edit page, where you select which services belong to the category.
Moving a service between categories
A service can belong to only one category at a time. If you assign a service that already belongs to another category, you are asked to confirm the move before it saves.
Services you have not assigned
Unassigned services appear under Uncategorized at the bottom of the Services page. They are still active and still appear on the rider map, identified by their service external name and drawn in the same default blue they use today. They are simply not grouped.
Deleting a category
Deleting a category does not delete its services. They become uncategorized and their zones stay on the rider map.
What riders see
Each category appears on the rider app home map as its own coloured layer.
Riders can open the layers filter on the map to view every category they're eligible for, including its logo, name, colour, and description. They can also turn individual layers on or off to focus on the services that matter to them. Their preferences are saved and automatically remembered the next time they open the app.
Riders only see what they can book
Eligibility is worked out for each rider individually. Riders only see service areas they are eligible to book, and a rider who is not eligible for any service in a category never sees that category. Signed-out guests see categories on the map, but not zones that are restricted to specific rider memberships.
Booking does not change
Categories change what riders see on the map, not what they book. The booking flow continues to show the underlying service.
Telling riders about the new layers
Once your categories are set up, you can add a Rider Guide entry under Settings and then Rider Interfaces explaining what the colours mean and that riders can toggle layers on and off.
Showing categories to drivers (optional)
Categories can also be surfaced to drivers, allowing them to identify which service the rider has booked with. This is particularly useful for agencies where drivers may work across multiple services during a single shift.
If your drivers only work within a single service, you can leave this setting disabled. This does not affect the rider experience.
Please note: This is a separate, optional add-on and is turned off by default. Contact your Spare representative to have it enabled for your organization.
Checking your work
The map on the Services page shows every zone in its category colour, including categories you have hidden from riders. This makes it the quickest way to confirm your setup looks right before riders see it.
Important: Changes take around 45 minutes to appear in the Rider app. The Services page map updates much sooner, either right away or within a few minutes depending on your configuration, so check there first rather than on a rider device.
Frequently Asked Questions
I created a category but it is not showing in the Rider app. What is wrong?
Most likely nothing. Zone updates take around 45 minutes to reach the rider app. The map on the Services page updates much sooner, either right away or within a few minutes depending on your configuration, so use that to confirm your setup and then allow time before checking a rider device. If it still has not appeared after an hour, check that the category's Show zones in the rider app setting is turned on.
I only run two services. Do I need to use categories at all?
No. If you create no categories, your rider map stays exactly as it is today, with service areas merged into a single shape. Categories are worth using when you want those two services to read as distinct on the map, each with its own name and colour. You can also create a category for one service and leave the other uncategorized: the categorized one gets your name and colour, and the other appears under its service external name in the default blue.
Do I have to use categories?
No. Until you create your first category, nothing changes for your riders. You can adopt categories whenever you are ready.
Can a service belong to more than one category?
No. Each service belongs to at most one category. Assigning it to a new category moves it out of its previous one, and you are asked to confirm first.
What happens to services I do not put in a category?
They still appear on the rider map, identified by their service external name and drawn in the same default blue they use today, and are listed under Uncategorized on the Services page.
Can I group different types of service in one category?
While this is technically possible, we do not recommend it. Riders interpret a category as representing a single type of service, so placing a Paratransit service and a Microtransit service under the same name and colour can create ambiguity. When a rider sees a single layer, they will reasonably assume that everything within it works in the same way, is booked in the same way, and follows the same eligibility rules.
We recommend giving each type of service its own category so the map clearly reflects what riders can actually expect from each service.
Does a category have to be visible to riders?
No. Turning off Show zones in the rider app lets you group services for your own organization without showing them to riders, which is useful for internal or staff-only services.
Will riders see services they cannot book?
No. Eligibility is applied per rider, so riders only see areas they are eligible to book.
If I delete a category, do I lose the services in it?
No. The services become uncategorized and their zones remain on the rider map.