Saturday needs six drivers, and the planner is texting
Your full-time drivers cover the school contracts and some weekday private hire. For weekends, summer and the Christmas party season, you rely on a pool of casual drivers: some retired from full-time driving, some who drive for other operators in the week, a couple of teachers who drive in the holidays.
It is Wednesday, and Saturday has six private hires. The planner texts the casual drivers one by one. Some reply at once, some the next day, one says "maybe". One says yes to Saturday and mentions he cannot do Sunday next week either, which the planner means to remember. By Thursday evening Saturday is covered, but two of the drivers are ones who only like short local work, and one of them has been given a long run to the coast.
Availability is held in a phone and a memory
Casual drivers are a normal part of coach work, and the relationship is informal. The problem is that the information the planner needs lives in texts, calls and memory, and it is gathered again for every busy weekend.
- Availability is gathered by texting drivers one at a time.
- Long-term unavailability (holidays, other work) is mentioned once and forgotten.
- Which vehicles each casual driver is used to, and what work they prefer, is not recorded.
- Work is offered to whoever replies first, so some drivers feel left out.
- Licence and check expiry dates for casual drivers are harder to keep track of.
How casual drivers are engaged and what that means for employment status is for your own advisers. We deal with the planning information.
Late cover and unhappy drivers
When cover is found late, the choice of driver is limited, and a job may go to someone who does not know the route or the vehicle. Some weekends cannot be covered at all, and work is turned away or sub-hired. Casual drivers who feel they are only called when nobody else is available drift to other operators, and a good casual pool takes years to build.
The planner also carries a great deal in their head. If they are off sick, the next person has no idea who to ask.
An availability page and fair offers
We build a driver availability page connected to your planning board.
- Each casual and part-time driver has a simple web page on their phone where they mark the days and times they can work, weeks ahead, and block out holidays or other commitments.
- The page also records preferences you agree with them: local work only, happy with overnight trips, vehicles they are familiar with, and the licence categories they hold.
- The planning board shows available drivers alongside unallocated jobs, with those who suit each job listed first.
- When the planner wants to fill a job, it can offer it to several suitable available drivers at once or in turn, with a time limit to accept. Replies come back to the board.
- Offers are spread according to rules you set, such as rotating who is asked first, so work is shared fairly.
- Licence, check and training expiry dates are held for each driver, and a driver with an expired item is not offered work until it is updated.
- Drivers see the jobs they have accepted, with job details closer to the day.
| Planning need | Before | With availability and offers |
|---|---|---|
| Who can work Saturday | Text everyone | Availability shown on the board |
| Who suits a long run | Planner's memory | Preferences and vehicles recorded |
| Offering the work | First reply wins | Offers to suitable drivers, fairly rotated |
| Holidays mentioned once | Forgotten | Blocked out on the page |
| Expired licence or check | Found by chance | Driver not offered work until updated |
Covering the weekend with the board
By Monday, most casual drivers have marked their availability for the coming weekends. On Wednesday, the planner sees Saturday's six jobs and nine available casual drivers. The long coast run is offered first to the two drivers who like long work. Short local jobs go to those who prefer them. By Wednesday afternoon, Saturday is covered, and the planner has not sent a single individual text.
When the planner is on holiday, whoever covers can see the same information and make the same offers.
Does finding weekend drivers take days?
- You text casual drivers one by one to find cover.
- Holidays and other commitments are mentioned once and forgotten.
- Driver preferences live in the planner's head.
- Some casual drivers feel they are only called as a last resort.
- Licence and check dates for casual drivers are hard to track.