Table of Contents

Overview

This document covers the setup required to run bus tours. Tour definitions, Special Pricing, Agents, Agent Tour Codes, Branches, Destinations, Suppliers, Services, Hotels, Routes, Schedules, Tour Pricing, Promotions, Drivers, Driver Rosters, Commissions, Drivers Leave, Concierges

Summary

A vehicle travelling to a destination may carry people who have purchased different tours and have different inclusions in their journey.

For example a bus to the Gold Coast may have some people who are going to the water park and some that are not.

Each Tour Definition includes the inclusions for that tour code as services that are provided (and will have to be paid for).

Examples include lunches, tickets to venues and accommodation.

Each Tour Definition has standard pricing for Adults, Children etc including pricing for multiple bookings if required.

Note that commissions may adjust the tour prices when they are sold via agencies.

Tours can be AM/PM, single of Multi-day tours.

Setting up Tours once fundamental setup done

Tour Definitions

Link the Services that are purchased if a customer purchases this Tour

To define the Services used on a tour

Lunches have a Special type of "Lunch" - you will need a different service for Adult and Child Lunches
1. If they are invoiced by the supplier separately then they will need to be "Buy and Sell"
Accommodation have a special type of "Accommodation" - You will need a separate service for every accommodation option (eg single room, double room, triple share etc).
Once you have linked the supplier to the service - you will see the services listed on the supplier

Special pricing and Agent Tour Codes

Fundamental Setup

Setting up Branches

Branches are setup on the Host Company and used to limit visibility of users and enhance reporting in the system. They are not required but might be used if the business operates a single ABN with multiple trading names.

See Host Company

Setting up Destinations

Destinations are used to group tours onto vehicles.

All customers going to the same destination will be in the destination list for that date and may be grouped onto vehicles or travel independently depending on the booking.

see Shuttle Destinations

Setting up Suppliers

Suppliers are paid for services they provide to a tour - it may be a lunch or tickets for entry or accommodation

First Setup the Company as a Creditor.

Then enter Services for that Creditor

When will a tour be picked up and from where

Tours often pickup from known destinations (known as route stops)

From where - Flag a company as a Stop

If the vehicle might pickup from a stop (hotel, railway station etc) then it needs to be defined as a stop.

A stop is a company that is flagged as a stop. Define a company and flag it as a stop.

To enable to Route stop on the company card - turn it on in the Host Company

When - The proposed route is a series of stops

The route has the number of minutes after starting that each stop will be reached if it is to be visited.

A route may be travelled a number of times each day by different vehicles - hence a route is based on the time after starting the route that any destination would be reached.

As not all stops are visited each time many stops may share the same time.

Note the "On Demand Only" flag indicates that the vehicle only visits if there are bookings to pickup - otherwise it will not be visited.

The times vehicles depart on the Proposed Route

Vehicles start at a particular time and carry tours.

Normally they travel around the proposed route picking up travellers - then heads off to the destination.

AM / PM Tours vs full day / multi-day tours

Half day tours have a setting of AM or PM on the Tour to group in planner. So the sale of a tour code will result in the correct destination and also time.

Vehicles depart at different times based on the Tours (AM/PM/Full day)

Bus Routes show the times different vehicles depart from the base - and the Route they follow.

Note the TAGS used and their impact:

AM tours depart based on a A Tag in the Schedule
PM tours depart based on a P Tag in the schedule
All other tours depart based on a 1 Tag in the Schedule

Using the departure time and the route the system knows the expected pickup time to put on the booking

Setting up Prices for Tours

Standard prices are on the Tour Definition

Note that Agent commissions may affect final sales prices

Tour Promotions - Bonus Tours

When a tour operator is offered bonus tours - the reference must be the same on the booking

If two bookings with the same reference are created - the pricing will use the promotion and the booking will appear in the list of bookings that used the promotion