A phone call between owners and a job passed on by text
It is a busy Saturday in June: weddings, a golf society, a school prom and two day trips. Your fleet is full. You ring a neighbouring operator you have known for years and agree they will cover the prom with one of their 49-seaters, for a price agreed on the phone. You text their office the pick-up address, times and the organiser's number.
On the night, their driver goes to the right school but at the wrong time, because your text gave the earlier time the organiser had since changed. The prom organiser rings you, because the booking is with you. Six weeks later the other operator's invoice arrives for more than you remember agreeing, including waiting time you did not expect.
Sub-hire sits outside your normal process
Sub-hire is normal in the coach industry and relies on trust between operators. The problem is that the job leaves your system when it is handed over. Details are passed informally, changes are not passed on, and what was agreed is not written down.
- Price and conditions are agreed by phone and not recorded.
- Job details are passed on by text or email, once.
- Changes from the customer are not always forwarded.
- The other operator's vehicle and driver details are not recorded against the job.
- Invoices arrive late and are paid without checking against what was agreed.
What checks you make on other operators and what your agreement with them says are for your own policies. We deal with the information flow.
The customer blames you
The customer booked with you. If the sub-hired coach is late, wrong or not as promised, it is your reputation at stake, not the other operator's. Missed changes are the most common cause, and they are avoidable.
On the money side, paying invoices without checking them against what was agreed means paying for waiting time, extra mileage or charges you would have questioned if you had remembered the phone call.
Sub-hire as a proper part of the job
We build sub-hire into your bookings and planning board.
- When a job is sub-hired, it stays on your board, marked as covered by the other operator, with their vehicle type and features, and the driver details when known.
- The agreed price and conditions (waiting time, extras, cancellation terms) are recorded at the time of agreement, and a short confirmation is sent to the other operator so both sides have the same record.
- The other operator receives a full job pack: pick-ups, times, contacts on the day, passenger numbers, vehicle features promised and any special notes, from the booking itself.
- If the customer changes anything, the change is sent to the other operator automatically and they acknowledge it.
- Vehicle features on the sub-hired coach are checked against what the customer was promised, just as for your own fleet.
- When their invoice arrives, it is compared with the agreed price and conditions, and differences are flagged for a person to review before payment.
- Over time, you can see how much you sub-hire, to whom and when, which helps decide whether to add a vehicle or driver.
| Sub-hire step | Before | With sub-hire records |
|---|---|---|
| Agreeing the price | Phone call, remembered | Recorded and confirmed to both sides |
| Passing job details | Text, sent once | Full job pack from the booking |
| Customer changes | Sometimes forwarded | Sent automatically, acknowledged |
| Invoice | Paid as received | Checked against the agreement |
| Seeing the pattern | Not possible | Sub-hire history by date and operator |
The prom, sub-hired properly
You agree the prom sub-hire on the phone and record it straight away: 49-seater, agreed price, waiting included up to a set time. The other operator gets a confirmation and the job pack. When the organiser changes the pick-up time a week later, the other operator gets the change and acknowledges it. Their driver arrives on time.
When their invoice arrives, it matches the agreement except for an hour of extra waiting, which their driver recorded because the prom ran late. It is expected, it is fair and it is on the record, so it is paid without argument, and you have already charged the customer for it.
Is sub-hire managed by phone?
- Sub-hire prices are agreed by phone and not written down.
- Job details go to the other operator by text.
- Customer changes have not reached the sub-hired driver.
- Sub-hire invoices are paid without checking.
- You do not know how often you sub-hire, or from whom.