With thousands of bus routes having been scrapped over the last few years and 78% of people now thinking owning a car is unaffordable, businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on staff shuttle bus services. Setting up employee workplace transport can feel overwhelming. To get started, we’ll run you through the different types of service available and how they all work.
What is a staff shuttle?
A staff shuttle is a private bus service put on by businesses for their employees. These bus shuttles enable staff to get to work in areas underserved by public transport, during off-peak times, or in a more environmentally friendly way. There are numerous benefits to organising a shuttle service for employees:
Benefits of a staff shuttle service
- Employee recruitment and retention
- Ease on-site parking pressures
- Increase sustainability
- Save time and money
- Encourage the return to the office
- Reduce admin burden
- Improve staff attendance
Types of staff shuttle services
Home-to-work staff shuttle
A home-to-work staff shuttle is designed around employees’ home locations. At RideTandem, we conduct in-depth postcode analysis to identify the most efficient locations for drop-off and pick-up points, taking into account staff home locations, daily traffic patterns and estimated travel times.
Last-mile staff shuttle
A last-mile staff shuttle is used to pick employees up from a local transport hub, such as a public bus or train station, and take them to work. This is a great solution for businesses whose employees commute from further afield and need a way to connect their site to local transport links.
Out-of-hours staff shuttle
An out-of-hours staff shuttle is used for staff who need to get to work during hours when public transport doesn’t operate. For early, late and night shift workers, transport can be a real barrier to accessing work, RideTandem not only offer 24/7 shuttles, but we also have passenger support available all through the night.
How does it work?
Tech-only service
Already running a staff shuttle service? No problem. RideTandem tech-only packages allow you to enjoy use of RideTandem’s Rider App and Hub independently. RideTandem tech gives you access to data that’s vital for the efficient operation of an in-house staff shuttle service. Seamlessly integrate RideTandem tech into your operation today to enjoy route optimisation, your way.
Fully-managed services
- Route design
The first step is to design your route. We work with you to design a route for your staff anywhere in the UK. Whether that’s a home-to-work, last-mile service, out-of-hours, or anything else in between, we’ll survey your employees to analyse demand and curate a route that’s both time and cost efficient.
- Matching and vetting
The next step is for us to procure and vet the best value operator from our nationwide network. We’re proud to have a network of over 2,000 transport operators across the UK and Germany. We only work with transport providers we trust, and every one of our drivers is vetted and fully licensed. Whether you need a small mini-bus or a double-decker coach, we’ll find you the right vehicles for the right price.
- RideTandem tech
Whether you’ve run a bus service before or it’s your first time, onboarding staff onto a new ticketing and payment system can be daunting. Our team are here to help. We run in-person staff training days and are always on hand to answer any questions you may have about the RideTandem Rider App and Hub, so staff feel confident to book their first tickets.
- Real-time data
As soon as a route is up and running, employers have unparalleled access to real-time data analytics. You can track who has booked and boarded the vehicle, as well as view the live vehicle location and much more via our RideTandem Hub. Not only does this help to monitor your route performance and efficiency, but your Account Manager will also help you to monitor your carbon emissions.
- Live management
If you’ve run a staff shuttle before, you’ll know how much time it takes to make sure it runs smoothly. Our dedicated team of in-house Transport Operations Specialists take the admin burden away by actively monitoring every route 24/7 and communicating with passengers in the unfortunate event of a delay.
- Optimisation
As well as having a 24/7 in-house team monitoring live routes, we also have dedicated account managers so you’ll always have a single point of contact and regular performance reports. Your account manager will work closely with you to optimise your service over time for maximum efficiency.
Get a free quote
If you’re considering a staff shuttle service for the first time, if you’re currently running a service, or if you’ve run one in the past, we can help. Speak to the team today to get a free, no-obligation quote.
