Yes, past a radius you pick and publish. The standard shape is a free zone around your base, 15 to 25 miles for most operators, with a per-mile or per-band fee beyond it. Close bookings stay simple, and the far ones stop quietly eating your margin one Saturday at a time.
Why distance is a real cost
A party 45 minutes out costs you three things the invoice doesn't show: 90 minutes of round-trip crew wages, fuel and vehicle wear, and, on a busy Saturday, the buffer math. The drive can be the reason a second party doesn't fit that day, which makes a far booking cost you part of a near one. The travel fee prices the first two. Only your judgment prices the third.
The three shapes that work
- Free radius plus per mile. "Free within 20 miles of town, 2 dollars per mile beyond." Precise and fair, slightly annoying to quote by hand, trivial if your booking form does the math.
- Free radius plus flat bands. "20 to 35 miles: 50. 35 to 50 miles: 100." Easier to say on the phone and easier for clients to predict.
- Zone pricing by county or town list. Cleanest for metro operators whose drive time doesn't track mileage. Name the towns in each zone on the website.
Pick the one you can say in one sentence. A travel fee that needs a paragraph invites negotiation.
Where to cap it
Somewhere out there is a booking that isn't worth taking at any realistic fee: the two-hour drive that burns a whole crew day for one party. Set a hard service boundary and, past it, quote a full-day rate instead of a travel fee. "We do go that far, and it books as a full-day event" turns the fringe inquiry into either a real payday or a polite pass.
The line to remember
The free radius is a marketing decision. The fee past it is a math decision. Keep them separate and both get easier.