Setting Up Commuter Use and Private Use Bookings

Formbird FLEET supports two types of bookings that differ from standard pool bookings: Commuter Use and Private Use.

There are two ways commuter use bookings can be created:

Automatic generation — when a user is allocated to a specific vehicle, bookings are automatically generated during the vehicle's off-hire hours. This covers overnight and weekend commuter use for permanently or temporarily assigned drivers.
Repeat booking tool — users who belong to a pool designated as commuter use can select Commuter Use as the booking reason and use the repeat booking tool to create multiple commuter bookings at once across any vehicle they can already book.

This article covers how to configure both methods.

Setting Up Automatic Commuter Use Bookings

Automatic commuter use bookings are generated for users who are allocated to a specific vehicle. To set this up:

Step 1 — Configure Available Hire Times on the Asset

Commuter use bookings are generated during the periods the asset is not available for general hire. Setting the hire times accurately is essential.

Navigate to the asset and open the Booking / Hire panel.
Select the days the asset is available for hire in Available For Hire Days.
Set a Day Start Time and Day End Time.
Save the changes.

Step 2 — Create an Allocation with Booking Documents Enabled

Navigate to the asset and open the Booking / Hire panel.
In the Allocation table, select Add a new child document and choose New Allocation.
Select the Allocation Type.
For Temporary Allocation, enter an Expected Allocation Expiry date. Automatic bookings stop generating once that date passes.
Select the user in the Allocated To field.
Tick Create Booking Documents to enable automatic commuter use booking generation.
Save the allocation.

Bookings will be automatically generated for the allocated user during the vehicle's off-hire periods. Learn more about Allocations.

Setting Up the Repeat Booking Tool for Commuter Use

This method allows users in a commuter use pool to book any vehicle in the pool for commuter use, using the repeat booking tool to create multiple bookings at once.

Step 1 — Enable the Booking Reason and Repeat Booking Fields

In the booking Configuration page:

From the System Administrator Menu, open the Asset Booking dropdown and select Configuration.
Under Booking Form Fields, ensure Display Booking Reason is turned on.
Under Booking Behaviour, turn on Show repeat booking fields.
In the Booking Reason Configuration section, tick Commuter Use.
Ticking Commuter Use here also controls whether the repeat booking tool is displayed when a user selects that reason.
Save the configuration.

Step 2 — Create a Commuter Use Pool

From the System Administrator Menu, open the Asset Booking dropdown and select Pool Management.
Select New Pool or open an existing pool you want to designate for commuter use.
Set the Pool Type to Commuter Use.
Save the pool.

Users assigned to this pool will see the Commuter Use reason in their booking dropdown. They can make commuter use bookings for any vehicle they already have access to — the pool itself does not need to contain specific assets.

Step 3 — Assign Users to the Commuter Use Pool

Users must belong to the commuter use pool to see the Commuter Use reason in their booking dropdown. Assign users to the pool the same way you would any other pool — see Setup and Configuration for details.

Optional — Editing Other Users' Commuter Use Bookings

Users can edit their own commuter use bookings without any special permission. If you want certain account types to be able to edit commuter use bookings belonging to other users, enable Permission to edit commuter use bookings for those account types in the booking Configuration page under Permission Settings.

How Users Create Commuter Use Bookings

For a guide on how users make commuter use bookings from the booking calendar, see Commuter Use Bookings.

Published: June 2026 · Formbird FLEET 4.2.8