Designing a staff transport network: routes, fleet size and arrival plans
A practical study linking demand, routes, cycle time and vehicle capacity, with a reproducible example and a pre-contract review method.
Start with the result, not the vehicle
Staff transport must balance cost, journey length and reliable shift arrival. One vehicle may reduce direct expenditure while adding a long loop through several neighbourhoods. Two parallel routes may cost more but reduce passenger time and limit the impact of a disruption. Define priorities and acceptable service limits before selecting capacity.
This is an original Deal Master planning study, not a claim about a completed customer project. Its worked figures are explicitly hypothetical. The objective is a comparison whose assumptions can be checked, rather than a promise of a fixed saving.
What the research contributes
Auad and Van Hentenryck studied network design and fleet sizing for services combining fixed routes with demand-responsive shuttles. Their overseas case is not a forecast for Riyadh. The useful principle is to consider route design and vehicle requirements together.
Our planning interpretation groups origins and simultaneous demand, builds feasible routes, then tests capacity. A mixed fleet can be sensible where access, group size or passenger expectations differ. Research informs the method; local evidence determines the recommendation.
Build a demand table
Connect each pickup cluster to its workplace, shift, passenger count and required arrival time. Registered company headcount is different from peak simultaneous demand. A smaller group may require more vehicles when origins are scattered or arrival windows are tight.
Include baggage, boarding assistance, suitable stops and site gates. Record missing data as an assumption that needs confirmation. Do not quietly replace an unknown gate delay or shift overlap with an optimistic number.
Compare geographically sensible routes
Map origins and destinations, but assess safe stopping, road direction, access and actual travel time. Nearby locations can take surprisingly different amounts of time to serve. Measure driving, boarding and waiting, including the journey experienced by the first passenger.
Compare a single collection loop with parallel routes. Use operating-time bus journeys rather than an off-peak car estimate. Assess both the last pickup and the workplace gate in the time window the service will use.
A transparent shuttle calculation
For illustration, assume a 36-minute complete cycle and a departure every 12 minutes. The theoretical active fleet is the cycle divided by the interval, rounded up: three buses. A 48-minute cycle requires four at the same interval. Reserve vehicles, driver breaks and charging are outside this simple calculation.
A 49-seat bus departing five times an hour offers 245 theoretical seat departures in the service direction. This is not measured passenger throughput: uneven arrivals, boarding time, occupancy and reverse-direction demand affect delivery. The diagram represents teaching inputs, not Deal Master performance.
Match the category to the operation
Medium buses may serve clustered staff routes; touring or workforce categories may support larger groups. Review storage, vehicle length, turning space, journey comfort and actual permitted seating. A smaller vehicle with more frequent departures may suit a constrained site.
Executive transfers prioritise privacy and ease of boarding. Project transport may prioritise shift reliability and gate procedures. Document why the category fits the job so comparison does not stop at model names.
Stress-test the plan
Recalculate when cycle times increase, attendance changes or shifts finish late. Specify who activates a replacement, who informs passengers and where groups wait. A driver telephone number alone is not an incident plan.
During a suitable initial operating period, review arrivals against an agreed window, delay reasons and peak occupancy. A quiet day does not establish performance for a whole season. Use the review to refine the route and its contingencies.
Deliver an actionable study
The output should include routes, timetables, active vehicles by period, proposed categories, peak assumptions, contingencies and comparable financial scope. State unresolved inputs and who will confirm them. Assess each option against cost, passenger time and flexibility.
Provide origins, workplaces, passengers by shift, operating days, arrival deadlines and access restrictions to begin. The resulting plan supports a precise enquiry. Availability, vehicles, inclusions and prices remain subject to a written quotation.