Vehicle booking with approval
Anyone with a login asks for a vehicle from the back office, a web page or the Rider app. The request goes through your approval chain, the office assigns a free vehicle and driver, and the trip records the odometer.
PLANSScale only
The problem it solves
- Vehicles are booked by phone and two departments get the same car.
- A request sits with one manager for days and nobody knows where it is.
- The car sent has an expired insurance or is due back for a school run.
- Nobody can say how many kilometres each department used.
How it works
- The requester gives the purpose, from, to, out and back times, passengers or the number of persons, the vehicle type and a note.
- The request goes to its approval chain: the transport office to start with, more levels if you add them, or Approved at Once.
- Each approver gets a to-do and a message, and approves or rejects with a reason on the web or in the Rider app.
- Once approved, the requester and passengers are told and the transport office is asked to assign.
- Assign Vehicle offers only vehicles free at that time, on the road, with valid papers and enough seats. It says why a choice clashes.
- The requester, passengers and driver are told. The driver presses Start Trip and End Trip; the odometer gives the kilometres.
Everything it does
The request
- Purpose, pickup, destination, out and back date and time
- Passengers (users) and Persons
- Vehicle type wanted, or any, and a note
Statuses
- Draft, To Approve, Approved, Assigned, On Trip, Done; or Rejected with a reason, or Cancelled
- The requester or the office can cancel until the trip starts
Approval
- One chain per Entity under Transport > Configuration > General > Approval Chains
- To start with: one level, the transport office; the requester is not among the usual approvers
- Add levels of named people, or set Approved at Once
- The transport office can approve on an approver's behalf, one level at a time
Clash check when assigning
- A vehicle on a route run from its first to its last planned stop plus 30 minutes is busy
- A vehicle or driver on another assigned or started booking at that time is busy
- Off the road, a lapsed paper, too few seats or the wrong type rules a vehicle out
- A driver on a run or booking then, or with a lapsed paper, is ruled out
- Drivers are chosen from users with the Transport Driver / Helper role
The trip
- Start Trip and End Trip by the assigned driver or the office
- Start and end odometer and the trip's kilometres
- With the trip checklist required, the trip takes its readings from it and waits for it, unless the office writes a reason
Finding bookings
- List and week calendar coloured by vehicle
- Filters: To Approve, To Assign, Upcoming, Mine
- Others see only bookings they asked for, travel on, drive or approve
- Every change is in the booking's history
Who uses it
RequesterAsks for a vehicle, follows the request and cancels it if plans change.
ApproverApproves or rejects with a reason, on the web, under Approvals or in the Rider app.
Transport officeAssigns a free vehicle and driver, books for others and approves on someone's behalf.
DriverSees the trips assigned to them, and starts and ends each one with the odometer.
Where you use it
- Web: Transport > Operations > Bookings (list, calendar, form)
- Web page: /my/transport/bookings for anyone with a login, portal users too
- The SmartMy Transit Rider app: ask, follow, cancel, approve and reject (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- The SmartMy Transit Crew app: start and end booked trips with the checklist (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Not charged: bookings are not billed to departments
What you control
Settings
- The Vehicle booking approval chain: the transport office to start with
- Vehicle categories and seats on each vehicle
Approvals
- Vehicle booking: one chain per Entity; the transport office approves to start with; add levels of named people, or set it to Approved at Once
Notifications
- Booking to Approve: to the approvers of each level, with a to-do
- Booking Approved, Booking Rejected (with the reason): to the requester and passengers
- Booking to Assign: to the transport office
- Booking Assigned: to the requester, passengers and driver
- Booking Cancelled: to the requester, passengers and any assigned driver, not the person who cancelled
- All at once, in the app and by email, WhatsApp, SMS or phone notification where you have them on; no reminder before the trip
Works with
SmartMy HRMSStarting and ending a booked trip punches the driver in and out, like route runs.
Questions
Can parents or portal users book?
Anyone with a login can ask on the Vehicle Bookings web page, portal users included. Whether it is approved is up to your chain.Can we skip approval for small trips?
Set the chain to Approved at Once and every request is approved when sent, then goes to the office to assign. A chain can also apply only to some requests.Is a vehicle checked when the request is made?
The clash check runs when the office assigns. The request itself only names a type and the number of persons.Can a booking take a bus that has a school run that afternoon?
Only if the times do not overlap. A run holds its vehicle and crew from its first to its last planned stop plus 30 minutes.Related features
ACROSS SMARTMY TRANSITApproval chainsA request for a vehicle goes to the right people in the right order before the transport office assigns a vehicle and a driver. You set the levels without code, from no approval to several named people, and every decision is kept with who made it, when and why.ACROSS SMARTMY TRANSITNotificationsSmartMy Transit tells parents when the bus starts, nears the stop and their child boards. It tells the office about SOS alerts and riders not riding, and keeps people asking for a vehicle informed. Each event has its own recipients and channels: phone notification, in-app, WhatsApp, SMS or email.TRIP CHECKLISTTrip checklist with stamped photosAt the start and end of a run or booked trip, the driver records the odometer, fuel level and remarks. They add camera photos stamped with the time and place. You decide when it is needed; without it the run does not start.DOCUMENTSVehicle and driver papers with remindersKeep each vehicle's registration, insurance, pollution certificate, fitness, permit and road tax. Keep each driver's and helper's licence, badge, medical and police verification, with their end dates. You are reminded before they lapse, and a run does not start with a lapsed paper unless the office writes a reason.PHONE APPSThe Rider app for riders and parentsSmartMy Transit Rider shows riders and parents today's rides, the stop time, the rider's state and past rides. They can also say "not riding". From Growth the bus moves on a map with the expected time at your stop.WITH SMARTMY HRMSDrivers from SmartMy HRMS, trips as attendanceWith SmartMy HRMS, employees become riders in one pick. A run whose driver or helper is on approved leave is flagged, with a to-do for the transport office. Starting and ending a run or a booking trip counts as the crew's attendance.
See your own routes on the map.
Send us your stops and routes and we will show you a demo with them.