Dedicated fleet vs seat-based transport: which model fits your organisation?
Two ways to buy the same service. One gives you the whole vehicle, the other gives you the seat. Here is how to tell which one your numbers support.
BusCaro Team
Mobility desk · Published
Choosing between a dedicated fleet and seat-based transport is the first decision an organisation makes when it sets up a commute service. Both deliver the same ride: a verified captain, an inspected vehicle and a tracked route. What changes is who the vehicle serves and how the cost is divided.
How a dedicated fleet works
In the corporate model, vehicles are assigned to your organisation and carry only your people. Routes and timings are designed around your shifts, and you pay per vehicle.
Strengths
- Full control over routes and timings
- Simple to adapt when a shift changes
- Only colleagues on board
Watch for
- Empty seats. You pay for the vehicle whether it is full or not.
How seat-based transport works
In the seat-based model, commuters from more than one organisation share a route and each seat is priced individually. The operator plans routes for maximum utilisation, and that is what keeps the price per person low.
Strengths
- You pay only for the seats you use
- Works for small numbers
- Easy to add or remove a seat
Watch for
- Less control. Pick-up points and timings have to work for everyone on the route.
Dedicated fleet vs seat-based transport: the comparison
Cost
A dedicated vehicle is cheapest per person when it runs full. Below that, seat-based pricing usually wins because someone else is paying for the seats you are not using.
Flexibility
A dedicated fleet bends to your timetable. A shared route has its own timetable that you join.
Coverage
If your people live in a handful of areas, dedicated routes are easy to build. If they are scattered, shared routes reach more of them.
A simple way to decide
- List the home areas of everyone who needs transport.
- Group them into likely routes.
- Count the people on each route at each shift.
- Dedicate vehicles where the count fills most of the seats, and buy seats everywhere else.
When to switch
Numbers change. When a shared route fills up with your own people, it is time to dedicate a vehicle. When a dedicated vehicle starts running half empty, it is time to move those people to seats. Your account manager should raise both before you have to ask.
Not sure which way your numbers point? Send us your details and we will model both options for you.
Questions people ask
It depends on occupancy. A dedicated vehicle is cheaper per person when it is full; seat-based pricing is cheaper when you cannot fill a vehicle.
Yes. Dedicated vehicles can serve the busiest routes while seats are bought on shared routes for everyone else.
No. Captain verification, vehicle inspection, tracking and support are the same on both.
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- #seat-based model
- #pricing
- #employee transport
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