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Transportation Management

ChurchBuddy’s transportation management system helps you coordinate ground transportation for your events. You can manage vehicles, drivers, routes, assign passengers, and use QR code scanning for check-in.

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Overview

Transportation management includes:

• Vehicles - Manage vehicles available for transportation
• Drivers - Manage drivers who operate vehicles
• Routes - Create pickup routes with multiple stops
• Assignments - Assign registrants to routes or mark them as self-driving
• QR Code Check-In - Use registration QR codes for route check-in
• Dashboards - Driver dashboard for route management

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Setting Up Transportation

Transportation is managed at the event level. To set up transportation for an event:

1. Open your event
2. Go to the Transportation tab in the event dashboard
3. Start by creating vehicles and drivers, then create routes

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Vehicles

Vehicles represent the physical vehicles used for transportation (buses, shuttles, vans, cars, etc.).

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Creating a Vehicle

1. In the Transportation tab, click ”+ Add Vehicle” or go to the Vehicles section
2. Fill in the vehicle details:
   • Name - Vehicle identifier (e.g., “Bus 1”, “Shuttle Van A”)
   • Vehicle Type - Type of vehicle (bus, shuttle, van, car, etc.)
   • Capacity - Maximum number of passengers (includes the driver)
   • Checked Bag Capacity - Maximum number of checked bags
   • Carry-On Bag Capacity - Maximum number of carry-on bags
   • License Plate - Vehicle license plate number (optional)
   • Notes - Additional notes about the vehicle (optional)
3. Click “Save” to create the vehicle

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Editing a Vehicle

1. Find the vehicle in the Vehicles list
2. Click the edit icon (pencil) on the vehicle card
3. Update the fields you want to change
4. Click “Save” to update

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Vehicle Capacity

Vehicle capacity includes the driver. For example, if a bus has a capacity of 40, it can hold 39 passengers plus 1 driver. When assigning passengers to routes that use this vehicle, the system will track capacity to prevent overbooking.

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Drivers

Drivers are people who operate vehicles for transportation.

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Creating a Driver

1. In the Transportation tab, go to the Drivers section
2. Click ”+ Add Driver”
3. Fill in the driver details:
   • Name - Driver’s full name
   • Email - Driver’s email address (optional, for notifications)
   • Phone - Driver’s phone number (optional)
   • Vehicle - Optionally link this driver to a specific vehicle
   • Notes - Additional notes (optional)
4. Click “Save” to create the driver

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Driver Dashboard

Drivers can access a special dashboard to view their assigned routes and passengers. The driver dashboard shows:

• All routes assigned to the driver
• Passenger list for each route
• Pickup locations and times
• Check-in status for each passenger
• Route details (origin, dropoff location, departure/arrival times)

To access the driver dashboard:

1. Navigate to /driver-dashboard/?org={org_id}&event={event_id}&driver={driver_id}
2. The dashboard will show all routes for that driver

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Routes

Routes define ground transportation pickup routes with multiple stops. Each route has:

• A name (e.g., “Airport Shuttle - 3pm Pickup”)
• Route type (arrival or departure)
• Multiple ordered pickup locations
• A dropoff location
• Departure and arrival times
• An assigned vehicle and driver
• Optional capacity override
• Optional QR code check-in (uses registration QR codes)

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Creating a Route

1. In the Transportation tab, go to the Routes section
2. Click ”+ Add Route”
3. Fill in the route details: Basic Information:
   • Route Name - Descriptive name for the route
   • Route Type - Choose “Arrival” or “Departure”
   • Origin - Where the driver starts from (optional)
   • Dropoff Location - Event location or custom address
   Pickup Locations:
   • Click ”+ Add Pickup Location”
   • Select location type:
     • Airport - Use airport code (e.g., “CLT”, “LAX”)
     • Bus Station - Station name
     • Train Station - Station name
     • Address - Street address
   • Enter the location (airport code, station name, or address)
   • Set the order/sequence (1, 2, 3, etc.) - determines the pickup order
   • Add multiple pickup locations as needed
   Schedule:
   • Departure DateTime - When the vehicle leaves to pick up passengers (ISO datetime)
   • Arrival DateTime - When the vehicle arrives at the event (ISO datetime)
   Vehicle & Driver:
   • Vehicle - Select a vehicle from your vehicles list
   • Driver - Select a driver from your drivers list
   Capacity:
   • Capacity Override - Optionally override the vehicle’s capacity for this route
   QR Code Check-In:
   • Send QR Tickets - Enable QR code check-in reminders for this route
   • If enabled, passengers will be reminded to use their registration QR code for check-in when you send route notifications
4. Click “Save” to create the route

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Route Types

• Arrival - Routes for picking up passengers arriving at the event
• Departure - Routes for transporting passengers leaving after the event

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Editing and Deleting Routes

To edit a route:

1. Find the route in the Routes list
2. Click the edit icon
3. Update the fields
4. Click “Save”

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Viewing Route Passengers

To see all passengers assigned to a route:

1. Find the route in the Routes list
2. Click “View Passengers” or the route name
3. You’ll see:
   • List of all assigned passengers
   • Check-in status for each passenger
   • Contact information
   • Total count and checked-in count

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Assigning Passengers

You can assign registrants to routes or mark them as self-driving.

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Transportation Assignment Types

• Assigned Route - Registrant is assigned to a specific route
• Self Car - Registrant is driving themselves

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Individual Assignment

1. In the Transportation tab, go to the Assignments section
2. Click ”+ Assign Transportation” or find a registrant
3. Select the registrant
4. Choose transportation type:
   • Assigned Route - Select a route from the dropdown
   • Self Car - Mark as self-driving
5. If assigned to a route, you can also:
   • Set luggage counts (checked bags, carry-ons)
   • Add notes
6. Click “Save”

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Bulk Assignment

To assign multiple registrants at once:

1. Go to the Assignments section
2. Click “Bulk Assign” or “Bulk Actions”
3. Select multiple registrants
4. Choose transportation type:
   • For Assigned Route: Select the route
   • For Self Car: All selected will be marked as self-driving
5. Optionally add:
   • Luggage counts
6. Click “Assign” to assign all selected registrants

The system will:

• Check capacity for route assignments
• Skip registrants already assigned
• Create assignments for all selected registrants

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Capacity Management

When assigning passengers to routes:

• The system checks route capacity (or vehicle capacity if route capacity isn’t set)
• Capacity includes the driver
• You’ll see a warning if assigning would exceed capacity
• The system prevents overbooking by counting unique registrants

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Assignment Details

Each assignment can include:

• Transportation Type - assigned_route or self_car
• Route ID - If assigned to a route
• Luggage - Count of checked bags and carry-ons
• Notes - Additional notes
• Check-in Status - Whether the passenger has checked in
• Checked In At - Timestamp of check-in
• Checked In By - Who checked them in

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QR Code Check-In for Routes

Routes can use QR code check-in for passengers. Passengers use the same QR code they received when registering for the event.

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Enabling QR Code Check-In

When creating or editing a route:

1. Find the “QR Tickets” section
2. Enable “Send QR Tickets”
3. Save the route

When QR code check-in is enabled:

• Passengers use their registration QR code (the same QR code they received when registering for the event)
• When you send route notifications, the system will remind passengers to use their registration QR code for check-in
• No separate QR codes are generated for routes

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QR Code Check-In Process

Passengers present their registration QR code at transportation check-in:

1. Use the Transportation Scanner (see Transportation Scanner below)
2. Select the route
3. Scan the passenger’s registration QR code (the same one from their event registration)
4. The system verifies:
   • The QR code is valid for this event
   • The passenger is assigned to the selected route
   • Then checks them in for transportation

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Transportation Scanner

The transportation scanner is used to check in passengers for routes using their registration QR codes.

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Using the Transportation Scanner

1. Navigate to /transportation-scanner/?org={org_id}&event={event_id}
2. Select the route you want to check passengers in for
3. Scan passengers’ registration QR codes using your device’s camera
4. The system will:
   • Verify the QR code is valid for this event
   • Check if the passenger is assigned to the selected route
   • Mark them as checked in for transportation
   • Show confirmation

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Scanner Features

• Route selection dropdown
• Camera-based QR code scanning
• Real-time verification using registration QR codes
• Check-in confirmation
• List of checked-in passengers

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Route Notifications

To send notifications to passengers and drivers on a route:

1. Find the route in the Routes list
2. You’ll see one or more notification buttons depending on the route settings: Send tickets and route info (always available):
   • Sends route information to all assigned passengers
   • Sends route information to the driver (if assigned)
   • Includes route details, pickup locations, times, and driver information
   Send Reminder/Confirmation (if QR code check-in is enabled):
   • Sends reminder emails to passengers about using their registration QR code for check-in
   • Shows as “Resend Reminder” if already sent once
   • Reminds passengers to use their registration QR code from their event registration
   Send to Driver (if a driver is assigned and QR code check-in is enabled):
   • Sends notification email to the assigned driver
   • Includes passenger information and route details

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Exports

You can export transportation data for reporting or coordination:

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Transportation Export

1. Go to the Transportation tab
2. Click “Export” or “Export Data”
3. Choose export format (CSV, Excel)
4. The export includes:
   • All routes
   • All assignments
   • Passenger information
   • Vehicle and driver assignments
   • Check-in status

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Best Practices

1. Plan ahead - Create vehicles and drivers before creating routes
2. Use descriptive route names - Include time and destination (e.g., “Airport Shuttle - 3pm Pickup”)
3. Set accurate capacity - Include driver in capacity calculations
4. Use QR code check-in - Enable QR code check-in for faster check-in on event day (passengers use their registration QR code)
5. Test the scanner - Before the event, test the transportation scanner to ensure it works
6. Share driver dashboards - Give drivers access to their dashboards so they can see passenger lists
7. Monitor capacity - Regularly check route capacity to avoid overbooking
8. Send notifications early - Notify passengers about their routes well in advance
9. Export data - Export transportation data as backup before the event

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Troubleshooting

Can’t delete a vehicle:

• The vehicle is assigned to one or more routes
• Remove the vehicle from all routes first, or delete the routes

Can’t assign passenger to route:

• Check if the route is at capacity
• Verify the route exists and is active
• Make sure the registrant is registered for the event

QR code not scanning:

• Ensure QR code check-in is enabled for the route
• Verify the passenger is using their registration QR code (from their event registration)
• Check that the passenger is assigned to the selected route
• Make sure the QR code is for the correct event

Driver dashboard not showing routes:

• Verify the driver is assigned to routes
• Check that the driver_id in the URL is correct
• Ensure the event has active routes