Choosing start and end times, and how times are handled

Every booking is defined by a start time and an end time. This article explains the rules those times must follow and how MobilityManager interprets and stores them so your reservation behaves predictably.

The basic rules

• The end time must be after the start time. Equal or reversed times are rejected with "End time must be after start time".
• The start time cannot be in the past. When you create a booking, the start must be now or later, so you cannot back-date a reservation ("Cannot create booking in the past").
• The window you choose is the window that is reserved — the vehicle is held for the whole period from start to end.

How times are normalized

Internally, all booking times are stored and compared in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). The web app sends the times you pick as UTC timestamps, and the server keeps them that way. This matters for two reasons:

• Availability and overlap checks are always performed on the same UTC instants that get stored, so what you see as "free" is exactly what gets reserved.
• The "cannot book in the past" check compares your start time against the current UTC time, so it behaves consistently regardless of where you or the vehicle are located.

You do not need to convert anything yourself — pick the local date and time you want in the interface, and the app handles the conversion. Just be aware that displayed times reflect this underlying UTC value.

Note: Because the check is against the actual current time, avoid setting a start time that is only seconds away. Give yourself a small buffer so the request does not slip into the past between selecting and submitting.

Back-to-back bookings are allowed

Availability uses a half-open interval rule: a booking occupies its slot from the start time up to (but not including) the end time. Two bookings where one ends exactly when the next begins are not treated as overlapping.

For example, if a colleague has a vehicle booked until 12:00, you can book the same vehicle starting at 12:00 without a conflict. If you instead tried to start at 11:59, the windows would overlap and your booking would be refused.

Tip: If you plan to keep a vehicle longer than you first booked, and the next slot is free, extend by cancelling and rebooking, or ask a fleet manager. There is no partial "trim" of an existing window from the self-service screen.

Choosing a realistic window

Reserve the full period you actually expect to need the vehicle, including buffer for return. Over-reserving blocks the vehicle for others; under-reserving may leave you without a valid booking if your trip runs long. When you later start and end the trip, the system records the actual times separately from your planned window.

Related

• Book a vehicle yourself (self-service)
• Understanding booking conflicts and vehicle availability
• Starting and ending a trip
• Cancelling a booking