The purpose of this transportation protocol is to provide the Client and Client Employees with a binding set of transport protocols that govern the Site where Etapath provides its transportation service.
Ad Hoc Trip means any new trip booked outside of the monthly or weekly shift pattern that is usually at a unique timeslot. i.e. times not indicated on the monthly or weekly shift pattern
Admin Fee means the fee applied (per person) when a change to the shift pattern is made outside of the scheduled key performance indicators (“KPI”)
Best Practice means a set of nonbinding guidelines that indicate when optimal results will be achieved
Call Out Fee means a fee that is applied to a trip that is canceled outside of the KPI’s after a driver has been dispatched
Cancelation means any occurrence whereby the Client or Client Employees cancel a trip
Client means an organization or company using the services of Etapath
Client Employees means employees, passengers, or users employed by the Client
Emergencies mean urgent trips that must be booked immediately
Etapath Application means the software application used to book / schedule trips for the Client Employees
Inbound Trips means any trip where the Client Employee is transported from their residential address to their place of work
Large Shift Pattern Change means changes that need to be made for an entire line of Client Employees or 4 or more Client Employees which must be communicated 24 hours in advance
Late Bookings means any booking that is made or requested within 2 hours of the pick-up time.
Logistics Specialists means an Etapath employee who specializes in managing the operations and logistics of Sites
Outbound Trips means any trip where the Client Employee is transported from their place of work to their residential address
Parties means the Client and Etapath and 'Party' means any one of them as the context may indicate
Scheduled Trips means all trips booked according to the monthly or weekly shift pattern or schedule
Shift Pattern means transport schedules indicating the name, surname, inbound shift time, and outbound shift time of the Client Employee
Site means the Client's physical address where transportation of the Client Employees occurs.
The Client must adhere to the following responsibilities: The requirements as set forth in this Transportation Protocol. The requirements as set forth in the Passenger Guidelines for Health and Safety Practices. Any other requirements expressly stated and agreed on by the Parties.
Etapath must adhere to the following responsibilities: The KPIs that are set by the Client.
Etapath requires the Site Shift Pattern to be sent by the Client one week in advance.
Upon receiving the weekly Shift Pattern, Logistics Specialists will analyze the data and make the bookings in advance that are specified in the weekly Shift Pattern.
Any alterations or cancellations to the weekly Shift Pattern must be communicated according to the communication protocol below.
The following channels of communication can be used to communicate changes or trips with Etapath employees:
The WhatsApp group set up by Etapath is the main communication line between Etapath and the Client and Client Employees.
The WhatsApp group has the following functions: bookings, cancelations, alterations, ad-hoc bookings, and troubleshooting.
Emails from the basis for all formal communication between Etapath and the Client and Client Employees.
Emails have the following functions: large shift pattern changes, adding additional Client Employees for transportation and updating client employee details, or changing Client Employees’ residential addresses.
The helpline forms the basis of all last-minute or emergency communication.
The helpline has the following functions: urgent bookings, cancellations or alterations, unresponsive WhatsApp groups, and emergencies.
All bookings are made by Logistics Specialists according to the Shift Pattern and booking confirmation messages contained in the WhatsApp group.
Booking format:
Booking Name: In / outbound: Time: Date:
Any cancellation to a trip must be communicated by Client Employees in the WhatsApp group and actioned by Logistics Specialists by confirming the cancellation in the WhatsApp group and actioning the cancellation in the Etapath Software Application.
Cancellation format:
Cancelation Name: In / outbound: Time: Date:
Any alterations to a trip must be communicated by the Client Employees in the WhatsApp group and actioned by Logistics Specialists by confirming the alteration in the WhatsApp group and actioning the alteration in the Etapath Software Application.
Alteration format:
Alteration Current Trip: Name: In / outbound: Time: Date:
New Trip: Name: In / outbound: Time: Date:
All Ad Hoc Trips must be communicated by the Client Employees in the WhatsApp group and actioned by Logistics Specialists by confirming the Ad Hoc Trip in the WhatsApp group and actioning the Ad Hoc Trip in the Etapath Software Application.
Should an Ad Hoc Trip booking not be responded to within the WhatsApp group, the Client Employee can proceed to contact the Logistics Specialist on the 24-hour helpline to make an urgent booking.
Once an Ad Hoc Trip is confirmed, the Client Employees will receive their trip confirmation SMS and driver assigned SMS as soon as possible.
A large Shift Pattern change is a change where an entire line or 4 or more Client Employees shift times are cancelled or altered. Large Shift Pattern Changes must be communicated to Etapath by email at least 24 hours in advance.
For every trip each Client Employee will receive 2 SMSs:
A booking confirmation SMS
A driver and vehicle assignment SMS.
Alterations must be communicated via the WhatsApp group as soon as possible (BP is at least 2 hours) before the pick-up time.
Should a Client Employee need to cancel a trip, the cancellation must be communicated via the WhatsApp group as soon as possible (BP is at least 2 hours) before the pick-up time.
On arrival, the driver will contact the Client Employee.
In the lapse of 5 minutes, the driver will contact the Client Employee for s second time and final time.
In the lapse of a further 5 minutes (10 minutes in total), the driver will move on to the next pick-up.
All evidence of phone calls will be posted on the WhatsApp group.
The driver will arrive on-site 30 minutes before the Client Employee’s shift end time. Drivers will then wait for Client Employees and then proceed to transport Client Employees to their respective home addresses.
The Client may incur additional costs should any of the following circumstances arise:
Should a cancelation be received within 2 hours of the scheduled trip and the driver already dispatched.
Should an Ad-Hoc Trip be booked and subsequently canceled.
Should a Large Shift Pattern Change be communicated within 24 hours of the requested change.
Client Employees that need to be added or updated on the Etapath Software Application can do so by requesting that their authorized representative (e.g. HR or manager) send an email to Etapath requesting the addition or update with the requisite details.
Client Employee details will not be changed or updated without an authorizing email from an authorized representative of the Client
Incidents that arise pre, during or post transportation follow the incident report procedure: The issue is raised by Etapath or the Client An investigation into the incident is performed Actions are taken by Etapath An incident report is sent to the Client Actions are taken by the Client.
The Client or the Client Employees may communicate incidents through the WhatsApp group or email or the helpline.
Etapath sets out its Best Practices for using its transportation service as:
Morning Trips: Client Employees are encouraged to communicate all changes and or amendments to Shift Patterns by WhatsApp before 8:00 pm every night for the following day's trips.
Evening Trips: Client Employees are encouraged to communicate all changes and or amendments to Shift Patterns by WhatsApp before 12:00 pm every day for afternoon or evening trips.