A "bus" refers to the overall route that any camp-provided vehicle(s) will take to transport multiple campers to or from camp.
- There are 3 types of buses, depending on the type of route the bus will take.
- Each bus can contain multiple vehicles that travel the same route. Create as many vehicles as you need, depending on how many campers need to be transported along the route.
- Buses are added to session groups to make specific buses available for specific sessions on your transportation form.
Bus Overview
Bus Mode
Day: Bus routes that transport campers to/from camp every day that camp is session.
Residential: Bus routes that transport campers twice - on the first and last day camp is in session.
- Residential routes include an option to allow campers to select "flight" instead of "bus" as their transportation method on the transportation form, if that's relevant to your camp.
Note that camp is considered "in session" on the "active days" that fall between the session start end date.
Direction
Arriving: Bus routes that transport campers arriving to camp.
Departing: Bus routes that transport campers departing from camp.
Each bus you create is designated as either arriving or departing. With that, you can configure the same or a different bus route for arriving to vs. departing from camp. It also allows campers to choose a different bus route for arriving vs. departing (if you allow it, per your transportation settings).
If you plan to run the same route in both directions, create your arriving bus and then "clone" it to the opposite direction. If you plan to run different routes for each direction, create 2 different arriving / departing buses.
Route Types
The "route type" determines which/how many stops the bus makes.
Central location bus routes stop once at a central point that you specify - e.g. a public parking lot.
- These buses make (1) stop at the central location you specify. All campers riding this bus arrive at that central location for pickup, and are brought back to that central location for dropoff.
Defined stop bus routes stop at several specific stops (e.g. cross streets) defined by your camp. Campers can select which stop best suits them.
- These buses make multiple stops along their route to pick up/drop off campers.
- Each camper on the defined stop bus will be assigned to specific stops for pickup/dropoff.
Door-to-door buses go "door-to-door" to pick up and drop off at each camper's address.
- The exact route for these buses is based on the addresses of all campers who have selected this bus.
- A Google Maps plugin will automatically determine the order in which campers are picked up/dropped off for the most efficient route. However, you can customize this as needed.
- While Central Location and Define Stop bus stops are defined before campers sign up for those buses, door-to-door bus routes are established after campers have signed up for that bus - i.e. when registration is over (for the most part)
Creating a Central Location Bus
- Assign the bus name. Parents are presented the bus by name on your transportation form.
- Select Day or Residential mode
- Select Arriving or Departing direction
- Select Central Location for the route type
- Set the time when the bus will arrive to or depart from the central location
- Provide the address of the central location
- Provide a bus description. Parents are presented the description after selecting the bus.
To learn how to set up a Central Location bus after creating it, click here.
Creating a Defined Stop Bus
- Assign the bus name. Parents are presented the bus by name on your transportation form.
- Select Day or Residential mode
- Select Arriving or Departing direction
- Select Defined Stop as the route type
- Set the time when the bus will arrive or depart from the address you designate
- Provide the origin or departure address
- Origin address (for Arriving buses): where the bus will leave from to travel to the first defined stop.
- Destination address (for Departing buses): where the bus will park after the last defined stop.
- Provide a bus description. Parents are presented the description after selecting the bus.
After creating the bus, you'll create the stops the bus will make on the next page that appears.
Creating a Door-to-Door Bus
- Assign the bus name. Parents are presented the bus by name on your transportation form.
- Select Day or Residential mode
- Select Arriving or Departing direction
- Select Defined Stop as the route type
- Set the time when the bus will arrive or depart from the address you designate
- Provide the origin or departure address
- Origin address (for Arriving buses): where the bus will leave from to travel to the first camper's home.
- Destination address (for Departing buses): where the bus will park after the last camper's home.
- Provide a bus description. Parents are presented the description after selecting the bus.
After the bus is created and all of your campers have made their transportation selections, you'll create the route (i.e. the order campers are picked up/dropped off in).
To learn how to set up a Door-to-Door bus after creating it, click here.
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