When the schedule lives in one person's head
In many small taxi and tour businesses, one person knows where every vehicle and driver is. That works until that person is busy, unwell or on leave. Then a vehicle gets booked twice for the same morning, a driver arrives at the wrong hotel or an airport pickup is missed. Each mistake hurts your reputation with the guest and with the travel agent who referred them.
A written, shared schedule fixes most of this. The tips below help you build one your whole team can rely on.
Keep one calendar for all vehicles
Every vehicle should appear on a single calendar with each duty marked by date and time. When someone takes a new booking, they look at the calendar first. If a vehicle is already busy, they see it immediately and choose another.
Include your own vehicles and any you hire from other operators. Mark hired vehicles clearly so you know which bookings depend on outside partners.
Record complete duty details
A duty is more than a time and a vehicle. Drivers need full details to do the job well. For every duty, record:
- Guest name and contact number
- Pickup time and exact pickup point
- Drop point and any stops on the way
- Flight or train number for airport and station pickups
- Special requests such as child seats or extra luggage
Plan buffer time between duties
Traffic, late flights and guests who take longer at a sightseeing spot are part of the job. If you schedule duties back to back with no gap, one delay spreads to the whole day. Leave reasonable buffer time between duties, more in cities with heavy traffic and on routes with unpredictable roads.
For long trips, also plan driver rest. A tired driver is a safety risk, and guests notice when a driver is exhausted.
Share duties with drivers in advance
Send each driver their duties for the next day by the previous evening. Include all the details listed above so they do not need to call the office. Ask drivers to confirm they have received the duty. If a driver does not confirm, call them before the end of the day.
Keep guests informed
Guests feel more comfortable when they know who is coming to pick them up. Share the driver's name, vehicle type and number before the pickup. For early morning airport pickups, a message the evening before is very reassuring.
Ask drivers to update the office when a duty starts and when it is done. This lets the office answer guest questions quickly and spot problems early.
Handle changes carefully
Changes are where most mistakes happen. A guest moves their pickup by two hours, and the driver is told but the calendar is not updated, or the other way round. Make it a rule that every change is first made on the schedule and then shared with the driver and guest.
Common mistakes
These are the errors we see most often:
- Taking bookings without checking the vehicle calendar
- Giving drivers incomplete pickup details
- No buffer time between duties
- Changing a duty on the phone without updating the schedule
- Not telling guests who their driver is
Look after vehicle paperwork and upkeep
A vehicle that fails on the road ruins a guest's day and can cost you a repeat customer. Keep a simple record for each vehicle with service dates, permit and insurance renewal dates and any repairs. Block the vehicle on the calendar when it is due for service, just as you would for a booking.
Check documents before long outstation trips in particular. A missing permit or expired paper can hold a vehicle at a check post for hours. Driver documents need the same attention, so keep copies of licences on file and note when they need renewal.
How VegaTrip helps
VegaTrip's driver and vehicle schedule shows duties by day with a clash warning when a vehicle is already booked. Each duty holds pickup time, place and guest name, can be shared with the driver and is marked as assigned, on duty or done. Trip details can go to guests on WhatsApp. Book a free demo on WhatsApp at +91 95116 38160.
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