Use this guide to learn the core Smart Route planning functions.

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Smart Route helps you plan bus routes using student locations, stops, and waypoints. This guide covers the basic workflow from opening a planning version to reviewing and saving a proposed route.

Planning area: Smart Route is a sandbox. Changes made here are not automatically applied to live services. Publishing is a separate step.

1 Open a planning version

• Select Smart Route from the main menu.
• Choose to start a new planning version or load a previously saved version.
• Select Apply to open it.

2 Choose your planning view

• Work on one Event Group at a time, such as AM or PM.
• Use the filter at the top to select a campus or All. You can select one specific campus at a time.
• Show or hide Casual students as needed. Bus Travellers help you review regular demand; Casual students can help you identify potential demand.
• Zoom into the area you want to plan.

3 Read the map and panels

• The left panel lists existing stops, with waypoints below.
• Zoom in to separate grouped student markers and inspect locations. A number on a marker can represent more than one student at that location.
• Select a route name to view its stops. Use Show Route Map to display its path.
• A stop takes on the route colour when it is added to that route.

Build a route

4 Select a route and arrange its stops

• Choose the route you want to work on and enable its Select control before selecting stops for it.
• Add the required stops to the selected route.
• Drag the stops into the intended travel order. For a journey to campus, place the campus stop last. For a return journey from campus, place it first.
• Review the path with Show Route Map. If needed, switch the display off and on after changing the order.

Stop order matters: Arrange and review the sequence yourself. Do not assume that selecting stops in any order will automatically produce the best route.

5 Create a stop or waypoint when needed

• Select the Create Stop / Waypoint control.
• Double-click the required location on the map, then select the add prompt.
• Choose whether you are creating a stop or a waypoint. Enter its name and location details. For a stop, also review the address and geofence size.
• Save the new item, then add it to your selected route.

Waypoints: Use a waypoint to guide the route along a preferred path between stops. Drag it from the left panel into the route, check the resulting path, and save.

Waypoints are routing markers, not student pick-up or drop-off stops. Students cannot be allocated to a waypoint.

6 Allocate students to stops

• Select the students you want to include on the route.
• Use Allocate Students to Stops. This assigns selected students to their nearest stop.
• Review the allocations and make sure they match the service you intend to provide. Selecting students and allocating them to stops are separate actions.

Review and save

7 Check the plan and save your work

• Review the stop order, route path, displayed journey time, and student allocations. Check the planned load against the bus capacity.
• Use Lock when you are happy with a route to prevent accidental selection changes.
• Select Save after changes or a group of changes. Save regularly throughout planning.

8 Reuse a plan and prepare it for live use

• For a return journey, use the AM-to-PM clone option and review the reversed stop order. Check that the campus is first for the return journey.
• Save the planning version so you can load it again later.
• When the plan is ready, move it to Draft for review. Publishing from Draft to Production applies the plan to live services.

Before publishing: Review the route with the people responsible for operating it. Confirm the path, stops, allocations, and capacity before making it live.

Next Steps / Related Articles

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