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Your Service: Do you Shuttle?

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joe.pistell

joe.pistell

Uncle Joe
Apr 7, 2009
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#1
Does your store offer service customers a way to get to work and back to your store?

Do you shuttle? If so, how busy is this part of your business?

Provide free taxi or Uber? If so, how busy is this part of your business?

Do you give out loaners? If so, how busy is this part of your business?
 
#2
Being a smaller Benz store we do have 1 Shuttle for our customers that want to take advantage of that particular service. We also do a LOT of pickup and delivery...

Depending on the car and customer this either includes us picking their vehicle up on a flatbed and bringing it back to the dealer for service OR we drive a loaner vehicle to their house or business and swap out our loaner for their vehicle that needs service.
 
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#6
JoePistell said:
How do you coordinate shuttle scheduling and communications (pick-up and delivery)? Do you have a person assigned? If so, how busy is this person?
Click to expand...

We have a dispatcher that handles the pick-up and delivery coordination at our main store. That person is very busy. Also, we don't just shuttle people to their work. If they want to go to the mall, museum, lunch at a restaurant, etc... We'll take them there and when they're ready to be picked back up they simply give the driver a time for pick-up or they will call the dispatcher. It's crazy!!! We even have a 24hr roadside service as well! If you buy the car from us, new or used, you have access to the service. It's not a shuttle service. We have to restrict that service to a radius around the dealership. I think it's a 25 mile radius around the dealership.
 
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#7
As a customer, I appreciate the shuttle service whenever I drop off my Prius (used to be Yaris) for service and repairs. The shuttle drivers they hire are local retirees (including several veterans) who are usually just looking for a flexible part-time gig for extra spending money. The drivers are responsible for stocking the bathrooms and the waiting area with supplies and snacks when they're not waiting for a customer to stop by.
 
#10
We tested a UX/App for Shuttle Drivers where the advisers, cashiers, customers were able to send pick-up and drop off requests to a phone/pad in the service shuttle. It would even route the quickest route based on address(s) and knew (or the driver could adjust) how many people were in the shuttle so it could give an estimate ETA/etc. Problem was that most dealers didn't like the price-point for the app/service. $399/month was "too much for them when same could be accomplished with a pad of paper and phone calls to the drivers". Maybe I didn't sell my vision correctly, maybe I need to revisit?

The dealerships I posted that are now using "Uber for Business" https://www.uber.com/business/central -- are larger dealers (about 2500-3000 ROs/month each). They each had 2 shuttles and 2 drivers. They are now exclusively using Uber for all "shuttle requests" - they even have special Uber parking at the dealerships. They have cut costs (slightly), don't have to deal with the "mad morning rush" or "evening rush pick-up", dont have to maintain shuttles, worry about vehicle insurance, payroll/benefits, etc. Sounds to me like a win/win/win.

Per the site -
"Uber Central lets you deliver reliable rides to anyone - whether the ride is needed immediately or can be scheduled in advance. Best of all, to arrange a ride you'll only need a guest name, their mobile phone number, and destination. Plus, your rider won't need the Uber app."
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