How To Set Up Your Own Shuttle Business?

Recently, the shuttle business has risen through the ranks to become an extremely profitable venture. Transit booking services can comprise a dedicated app or customer care helpline that lets you book a shuttle for yourself as per your timing and route.

It has shown the potential to be an extremely profitable venture as a start-up. This is because the younger, tech-savvy generation finds it more convenient to hire a ride at the end of a hectic day. The profits can flow thick and fast with a vast potential customer base. Further, it requires minimal initial investment. All you need is to spend money on the initial stages of your shuttle booking business app development. 

Is Shuttle Business Profitable?

Various surveys have revealed that shuttle businesses witnessed sustained growth and made $3.1 billion in revenue from 2016 to 2019. Although COVID-19 pandemic affected the growth resulting in 15.4% drop in revenue growth, now the industry has restored the growth in the post-pandemic era. Shuttle services can be a good source of making money if you:

1. Tap into the well-optimized (less traffic and faster) routes

2. Hire trained drivers

3. Provide satisfying customer experience

4. Build alliances with beneficial business partners

Shuttle Business And Its Variants

1. College Or School Student Pick-Up And Drop

Pool cars and buses have been helping students move to and fro from schools and colleges for ages. A shuttle booking business can be an upgrade to the existing system where the students can book a ride for themselves in the car of their choice.

Related read: School Bus Tracking Software Development Complete Guide

2. Corporate Employees’ Pick-Up And Drop

Another concept that is fast gaining prominence is the corporate pick-up and drop. Some organizations are taking the initiative to hire shuttle booking services to ensure a safe, healthy, and comfortable rise for their employees. Riding a shuttle to and fro from the office can help boost employee morale and productivity. Further, it can help employees save considerable time and effort by availing public transport to offices. This shows how public transportation has changed in recent years. 

3. Airport Shuttle Service

An airport shuttle service has become a profitable business venture worldwide.  You can successfully own, operate, and market a shuttle service by making alliances and partnerships with companies and local businesses that can help you with hotels, tour operators, travel agents, and large operations. All you need is a single digital solution to manage customers, drivers, and partners.

4. E-Commerce Product Delivery

An off-beat utilization of the shuttle service is delivering products that customers order via e-commerce websites right to their doorsteps. Using shuttle services to deliver goods to customers residing in the same area can reduce the cost of transportation while not compromising on the speed of delivery.

Steps To Setting Up A Successful Shuttle Booking Business

Now, before you jump headlong into setting up your own shuttle booking business, you must understand that every business requires considerable planning and fine-tuning to succeed. You must weed out the initial plan’s loopholes and develop a fail-safe business proposition.

Related read: How To Create A Shuttle Transportation Service App

So, it is crucial to consider the following steps minutely before you venture into setting up a shuttle service:

A. Select Your Target Audience

First, you need to decide on the section of the society to which you’ll be catering your shuttle booking services. This can vary based on demographics, social and economic strata, and the geographical location of clients. 

B. Choose a Vehicle For Your Shuttle Booking Business

Based on your clientele, you need to fix the kind of vehicle you’ll be using for your shuttle business. It depends upon the number of passengers you’ll have daily, the routes you will take, etc. Once you decide on the number of customers or goods you want to transport daily, you can decide on the size and make of the vehicle you want to use.

 

C. Conduct Thorough Market Research

It is essential to find out if you are venturing into uncharted territories or if there is existing competition in the market. With the help of in-depth market research, you can identify areas lacking shuttle services and target those areas. This way, you can stay prepared for any challenges the business brings.

D. Your Shuttle Booking Business Needs A Pricing Model

A significant step is to determine the amount of money you will be charging per customer per ride. For this, you need to consider various factors such as fuel costs, the number of customers, the cost of vehicle maintenance, and so on. The more affordable your services are, the more customers you get. Accordingly, you can develop multiple pricing or business models. 

E. Conduct A Feasibility Analysis

By weighing the pros and cons of the venture, analyze if it has a chance of being profitable by carrying out a feasibility analysis. A well-conducted study can help point out the problematic areas in your business plan. Thus, you can introduce changes and enhance the chances of maximum return on investment. 

F. You Need To Obtain Relevant Permits For Your Shuttle Booking Business

A variety of government and environmental permits for passengers and vehicles must be obtained before kicking off your shuttle booking service. This helps maintain transparency in your services and creates an excellent brand image. Also, by getting a valid permit from the government, you will be free from all the hassles.

Related read: In Just 4 Ways On Demand Transport App Reduce Business Hassles

G. Hire Experienced Drivers

You must search the market and hire reliable, professional, and experienced drivers to ensure your shuttle booking service is successful. Always remember that you are looking to offer your customers a smooth and comfortable journey. Thus, half of your troubles are over if you get seasoned drivers for your shuttle services.

H. Develop A Dedicated Shuttle Booking Business App

Designing a dedicated booking app and setting up customer care portals is crucial. The app has to be user-friendly and glitch-free so that most customers feel encouraged to use it. Most importantly, it has to offer round-the-clock services to cater to every customer. 

I. Extensive Publicity

Before launching, it is crucial to spread the word about your venture via advertisements and other forms of innovative marketing. You can do so via various unique forms of digital marketing hacks, such as email marketing and social media marketing. Due to the vast outreach of the internet, you can attract a maximum number of clients for your shuttle booking business with the help of minimum investment.

So, Are You Ready To Venture Into Your Own Shuttle Booking Business?

Shuttle services are essential in times of the extreme global environmental crisis that we are facing today. So, not only can it help you develop a profitable business model, but you can also work for the greater good and change the world for the better. Thus, setting up a shuttle business as your start-up venture can be the life-altering change you have been waiting for.

We have been delivering the best transport-based solutions to our clients for several years by helping them get ROI. If you are willing to take your shuttle app idea to the market, you can blindly rely on our shuttle app development experts. Upgrade your business with us today.