Overview
Opening hours tell Mobaro when a Location is actually open, so Downtime is measured against real operating time rather than a full 24-hour day. You define them by attaching a Calendar — often called the Location's opening-hours Calendar — and a time zone to the Location. This article covers how to set them up, how the opening-hours Calendar differs from Schedules and scheduling Calendars, and what it does and doesn't affect.
Why this matters: Without opening hours, a Downtime that spans overnight or starts before opening counts every elapsed minute. With opening hours, Mobaro trims the out-of-hours minutes so Downtime reports reflect time the ride was actually meant to be running.
Opening-hours Calendar vs. Schedules and scheduling Calendars
This is the distinction that causes the most confusion, so it's worth pinning down first. Mobaro uses one Calendar object type, but what a Calendar does depends entirely on where it's attached. Attached to a Schedule, it controls when a Checklist is available. Attached to a Location's Opening hours, it only defines operating time for Downtime. They are unrelated jobs.
Concept | What it is | What it controls |
Schedule | A rule that makes a Checklist available to complete (Calendar, Continuous, or Ad Hoc type). | When and where a Checklist appears for Users to complete. Nothing to do with Downtime. |
Scheduling Calendar | A Calendar attached to a Calendar-type Schedule. | The recurring date/time windows in which that scheduled Checklist is available. |
Opening-hours Calendar | A Calendar attached to a Location's Opening hours (plus a time zone). | The operating window Mobaro measures Downtime against. It does not schedule anything. |
Note: Because both roles use the same Calendar object type, it's technically possible to attach one Calendar to a Schedule and to a Location's Opening hours. That rarely makes sense — a Checklist's availability window and a ride's open-to-close hours are usually different — so in almost all cases you create a dedicated Calendar for opening hours.
How opening hours work
A few specifics are worth understanding before you set this up:
Aspect | Detail |
It's a dedicated Calendar | The opening-hours Calendar is created specifically for opening hours. It is usually not the same Calendar used for Checklist scheduling — the two serve different purposes and rarely share the same hours. |
Attached to the Location | The Calendar is attached directly to a Location, together with a time zone so the hours are interpreted in the Location's local time. |
One Calendar per Location | A Location can have only one opening-hours Calendar at a time. |
Used only for Downtime math | The Calendar's sole job is to calculate accurate Downtime. It does not gate operation, drive compliance, schedule Checklists, or enforce anything. |
There is no penalty for inaccurate open days
This is the most commonly misunderstood point. The opening-hours Calendar is used only to calculate Downtime accurately. It is not an attendance or compliance record.
Heads-up: If a Location's Calendar says it's open on a day it isn't actually open, nothing bad happens — there is no flag, no compliance hit, and no effect on readiness. The only consequence is on Downtime calculation: if no Downtime is logged that day, the incorrect open day has no effect at all.
What the Calendar does do is trim out-of-hours time from Downtime. For example, if a Downtime starts at 9:53 AM but the Location's opening hours begin at 10:00 AM, Mobaro removes those 7 minutes — the Downtime is only counted from 10:00 AM onward. The same trimming applies at the end of the operating day.
Open the Location editor
1. Go to Locations
In the Mobaro Backend, navigate to Locations.
2. Select the Location
Choose the Location you want to configure.
3. Open the editor
Click the Edit icon to open the Location editor.
Assign a Calendar and time zone
In the Location editor, find the Opening hours section.
1. Add the Calendar
Click Add calendar and select the Calendar that defines this Location's open hours. If a suitable Calendar doesn't exist yet, create one under Configuration > Calendars first.
2. Set the time zone
Choose the Time zone that matches the Location's local operating hours. This must be set explicitly so the hours are interpreted correctly.
3. Save
Save your changes. Mobaro will use this Calendar and time zone for the Location's Downtime calculations going forward.
Critical: An incorrect time zone produces incorrect Downtime totals — the operating window shifts by the offset, so in-hours minutes get trimmed and out-of-hours minutes get counted. Always confirm the time zone matches the Location's physical location.
How this affects Downtime tracking
Once a Calendar and time zone are assigned, Downtime is counted only during the defined operating hours, a Downtime that starts outside operating hours doesn't accrue until the next operating period begins, and out-of-hours minutes are trimmed from the total (the 9:53 AM vs. 10:00 AM example above).
Heads-up: Downtime is recalculated when the Downtime is closed, not while it's active. While still open, a Downtime can look longer than it really is because it temporarily includes out-of-hours time. Once closed, Mobaro recalculates to the accurate in-hours duration. For worked examples, see How operating hours affect downtime tracking.
Best practices
Use a dedicated Calendar — create a Calendar specifically for opening hours rather than reusing a scheduling Calendar.
Always set the time zone — an incorrect time zone is the most common cause of inaccurate Downtime totals.
Review Calendars seasonally — recheck the linked Calendar when park or seasonal hours change.
Be consistent across Locations — consistent opening hours keep Downtime comparisons on Dashboards and reports meaningful.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is the opening-hours Calendar the same as a Schedule?
A: No. A Schedule makes a Checklist available to complete; an opening-hours Calendar defines a Location's opening window for Downtime. They're separate features that don't affect each other — see the comparison above.
Q: Is it the same as my Checklist scheduling Calendar?
A: Usually no. Both use the same Calendar object type, but the opening-hours Calendar is created separately and attached to the Location. A scheduling Calendar would only work here if it happens to represent the exact open-to-close hours, which is unusual — create a dedicated Calendar instead.
Q: Can I assign more than one Calendar to a Location?
A: No. Each Location supports only one opening-hours Calendar at a time.
Q: What happens if the Calendar says we're open on a day we're actually closed?
A: Nothing is penalized. The Calendar is only used to calculate Downtime accurately — there's no compliance flag or readiness impact. If no Downtime is logged that day, the incorrect open day has no effect at all.
Q: What happens if no Calendar is assigned?
A: Downtime defaults to a full 24-hour day, so out-of-hours time is not trimmed.
Q: Why does a Downtime look longer before it's closed?
A: Mobaro recalculates the trimmed duration when the Downtime is closed. While it's still open, the full elapsed time is shown.