Sukli: give the right change
A repeatable routine for handing back sukli in Diesel n' Steel so you stop losing EXP on fares, plus how a passenger's stop decides what the fare really is.
Sukli is change, and handing it back correctly is the single mechanical skill that separates a profitable shift from a wasteful one. The routine is always the same four steps: read the fare, read the cash the passenger tendered, subtract, return the difference. The arithmetic is simple. What costs people EXP is doing it out of order while a queue is watching.
Worked example with the arithmetic only: the fare is 13 and the passenger hands you 20, so the sukli is 7.
The four step routine
| Step | What you do | What goes wrong if you skip it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find the passenger's stop in the route's fare matrix | You guess a fare and guess wrong |
| 2 | Check whether they are a discounted passenger | You charge PHP 2 too much and lose EXP |
| 3 | Note the fare before you take the cash | You take the cash and forget the number |
| 4 | Subtract fare from tendered and return the difference | You count up while driving and short someone |
Worked examples you can rehearse
| Stop | Regular fare | Cash tendered | Sukli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matungao, regular passenger | PHP 13 | PHP 20 | PHP 7 |
| Matungao, student | PHP 11 | PHP 20 | PHP 9 |
| Wawa, regular passenger | PHP 15 | PHP 20 | PHP 5 |
| Mambog, regular passenger | PHP 15 | PHP 50 | PHP 35 |
| San Juan, regular passenger | PHP 25 | PHP 50 | PHP 25 |
| San Juan, senior | PHP 23 | PHP 50 | PHP 27 |
Copy the pattern rather than the numbers. The fare for a passenger is fixed by the stop and their class, so once you know those two things, the arithmetic is one subtraction.
The three mistakes that actually cost EXP
The first is counting up from the fare instead of subtracting. Passengers hand over round numbers, so subtracting is faster and harder to fumble.
The second is forgetting the discount. A student pays PHP 2 less than the regular column, and if you hand back change computed from the wrong column, you have made exactly the mistake the game penalises.
The third is doing the arithmetic after you have already taken the cash and turned back to the road. Decide the fare before the money moves.
Keeping small notes so you are never short
Running out of small denominations is what forces people into shortcuts. Fix it at a sari-sari store: the pabarya function exchanges money for smaller notes, with a daytime limit that runs from PHP 100 to PHP 1,000 and a night-time limit between PHP 650 and PHP 500.
Get into the habit of topping up your change during the quiet part of a route, not at the terminal where every jeepney is trying to load.
Practising without burning a shift
Run the Guiguinto route with the flat fare until returning change is automatic. Then move to Balagtas, which adds the PHP 15 Wawa stop, and only then take on the Malolos ladder with its seven steps. That progression is also the one in the beginner guide, for the same reason.
The full set of prices you will be subtracting from is on the fare matrix, and the discounted column you must not confuse with the regular one is spelled out on student and senior fare discount.
FAQ
What does sukli mean?
Change. It is the difference between the fare and the cash the passenger handed you.
How much EXP do I lose for wrong change?
1 EXP per miscalculation.
What if the passenger has no small notes?
That is what the pabarya exchange at sari-sari stores is for. Break your own notes before the queue builds.
Do I have to give change to a discounted passenger differently?
No. You use the discounted fare in the same subtraction: fare minus tendered equals sukli.
