Writing a transport plan for a large site

Map how people and loads actually move

A transport plan starts with movement, not vehicles. Walk the site, on paper or on foot, and map where people and loads actually go: car park to entrance, entrance to the main areas, between zones, back again, plus the load runs for kit and supplies. Mark the distances and the ground on each route, including anything that changes in the wet.

That map is the foundation. It shows where the real demand is, which routes matter, and where a buggy saves the most, and it stops the plan being a guess dressed up as a number. Everything else follows from getting this right.

Size to the peaks

The single most important principle is that peaks size the fleet, not totals. A site that sees a thousand people across a day but concentrates arrival into a twenty-minute window before a start needs enough capacity for that window, not for the daily total. Identify the busiest moments, arrivals, a session change, the end of the day, and size the vehicles and drivers to those.

Being honest about the peaks avoids the two common failures: too few buggies, so a queue forms at the worst possible moment, or too many, sitting idle most of the day. Either wastes money or goodwill. The plan should say clearly what each peak needs.

Fix routes and pick-up points

On a large or busy site, a buggy weaving freely through crowds is neither efficient nor safe. Fixed routes and designated pick-up points make the operation predictable, which is what makes it both quicker and safer. Set the routes to avoid the busiest pedestrian areas where possible, and mark the pick-up points clearly so people know where to find the service.

Predictability is worth more than flexibility here. A known route running to a known pattern moves more people safely than a vehicle improvising through a crowd, and it is far easier to marshal.

Decide drivers, speeds and marshalling

Settle the operating rules before the day. Who drives, and are they trained and briefed? What are the speed limits on each route, particularly near crowds and children? Where is marshalling needed to keep the vehicle and pedestrians separated? For an event with drinks or families, a nominated driver rather than self-drive is usually the sensible line, and the plan should say so.

Write it down

A transport plan is more useful written than carried in someone's head. It briefs the drivers and marshals, it coordinates with the wider event or site plan, and it doubles as evidence for the safety file and any audit. It need not be long, but it should be clear enough that someone who was not in the planning could run the operation from it.

Common questions

What should a buggy transport plan cover

The routes, pick-up points, peak times, driver arrangements, speeds, marshalling and the number of vehicles, all based on how people and loads actually move across the site. It should be clear enough to run the operation from.

How many buggies does a large site need

Enough for the peaks, not the daily total. Identify the busiest moments, arrivals, a session change, the end of the day, and size the vehicles and drivers to those, since that is where a shortfall shows.

Why fix routes and pick-up points

Because predictability is safer and more efficient than a buggy improvising through crowds. Fixed routes and marked pick-up points move more people safely and are far easier to marshal.

Does the plan help with safety compliance

Yes. A written transport plan briefs drivers and marshals, coordinates with the wider site plan, and serves as evidence for the safety file and any audit.