This is a step-by-step guide to setting up your new database, and with each step is a link to a video explaining each topic. Please perform these steps and videos in order—they build upon each other. We recommend that you complete each step in your new database before moving on to the next video in order to best understand the software.
You may go back and review them in any order after completing the initial process. Before we get started, here are a few terms you will need to know:
- Route - A Route is the combination of a vehicle, driver, and riders.
- Ride - Also called a “Reservation.” A ride is a single rider going from point A (getting on the vehicle) to point B (leaving the vehicle.) The terms “Route” and “Ride” are not the same.
- Time - All time entered in Trip Master is in military time (24-hour) format.
The videos linked below are part of CTS’s online training program. As a CTS customer, you have access to the entire set of online tools, including in-depth training of all features and options. Happy training!
Step One: Logging into your database
TripMaster is a web-based program that you can access from any computer. To access your database, click the link below and log in with the information CTS has provided for this purpose:
https://app.tripmastersoftware.com/
Once you log in, you will be taken to the Daily Schedule screen. Below is an image of a typical Daily Schedule. Yours will be blank at first, but we will fill parts of it in during this tutorial.
Step Two: Master pages
Your database will be built from information in the Master Pages. Below is a list of the core Master Pages necessary to build your database. (In all Master Pages, if the red error message “this field is required” appears when you click “save” on a page, you will need to fill in that field.).
Vehicle Master- Vehicle Master – CTS Software (zendesk.com)
The Vehicle Master contains a record for each vehicle in your fleet. After entering the required information, you can always return to the Master Page to edit this record.
Driver Master- Driver Master – CTS Software (zendesk.com)
The Driver Master contains a record for each individual driver. As with the Vehicle Master, you can always return to edit records later.
Account Master- Account Master – CTS Software (zendesk.com)
Accounts, also known as funding sources, are required when making reservations. You can enter as many accounts as necessary, and you can also edit them later.
Site Master- How to Edit Sites – CTS Software (zendesk.com)
You'll most often create a site when a creating a reservation for a Rider. Adding the pickup and drop off locations in the reservation will automatically add them to your Site Master upon saving. The same is true for any reservation that is manually imported or reservations that come through an electronic integration. After this, the Site Master is the tool you will use to additionally add, categorize, and manage addresses.
Rider Master- How to Create a New Rider – CTS Software (zendesk.com)
The Rider Master is where you can add new Riders to your database. It also includes a record for each individual rider. From the Rider Master, you can also add one-time or recurring reservations and view past and future reservations. Riders can also be edited at any time to add or update information. A Rider Profile is also created whenever reservations are manually imported or come through the electronic integration.
Step Three: Subscription Routes
To create Routes onto which you will place riders, click Subscription Routes.
How to Create New Subscription Routes - Tutorial (opens in new tab)
You will create a separate Route for each driver and/or vehicle availability. If you don’t know the exact driver or vehicle for each route, you can leave those fields blank and adjust them the day of the Route on the Daily Schedule.
Note: Route Description is used to identify a route quickly when dispatching. This can be the driver’s name, type of route (“Weekday Senior Center,” for example), vehicle number etc.
Step Four: Reservations
Now that we have the Master Pages and our Routes set up, it’s time to create and schedule some reservations for riders.
Understanding Priorities
In Trip Master there are three Priority Types for reservations,
- Drop Off Priority: Typically, an initial trip or “A leg”, where a passenger is picked up at home or a primary residence and “dropped off” at a location or for an appointment. When the most important aspect of the “leg” of the trip is dropping a passenger off at or before a certain time, typically directly linked to an appointment time. This priority ensures that the Trip Scheduler will never create a schedule in which the passenger gets dropped off after the “drop off time”.
- Pickup Priority: Typically, a “B leg”, “Return Trip”, etc. These additional legs traditionally involve returning the Rider back to their primary residence or in the case of a multi legged trip, taking them to multiple stops and then eventually back home.
- Will Call Priority: These trips don't have an actual Priority Time - we don't know what the Priority Time is until the Rider calls and lets us know they are ready. Generally, these are "B legs."
Demand Reservations or Subscription Reservations
- A Demand Reservation is a single occurrence ride, which is to say not reoccurring on a set schedule. EX: A person needs a ride to the pharmacy and back home.
- A Subscription Reservation is a reoccurring ride or rides that occur on a set schedule. An example of this would be reservations for dialysis, a patient rides every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, every week, from the same location, to the same location, at the same times each day.
Now that your database has been set up it is ready to start creating or receiving reservations for Riders. Once you have a days’ worth of reservations in your Holding Pen on the Daily Schedule you can begin to learn how to use the Trip Scheduler or Manually schedule rides on the Daily Schedule. This will be outlined in the trainings and manuals covering the Daily Schedule and Scheduling.