How does VMS work? From transport request to trip
How does VMS work? A company posts a Pick & Drop or Rental request, fleets bid, the company picks, both sign, papers are checked, trips run, bills follow.
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The short answer to how does VMS work: a company posts one transport request, approved fleets bid, the company chooses the winner, both sides sign, and the monthly bill follows the trips that ran.
Key takeaways
One request covers one kind of service: Pick & Drop or Rental, never both at once.
The company, not VMS, chooses which fleet wins.
No live trip runs until VMS has checked that vehicle's and driver's papers.
Bills are built on the 1st of each month from the trips that ran.
What is VMS, in one sentence?
VMS, a business transport marketplace in Bangladesh, is where a company buys regular transport from approved fleets and then runs it day to day. The why behind it is in why we're building VMS. This post is the how.
To keep it concrete, we'll follow one example throughout. A pharmaceutical distributor in Tejgaon needs two things: a morning and evening service for 22 warehouse staff from Jatrabari, and one sedan for its regional manager. That's two requests, because each request holds one kind of service.
What goes into a request?
The company's transport admin opens a new request and picks a tile: Pick & Drop or Rental.
For the Jatrabari staff, the admin chooses Pick & Drop. She sets the route, the stops, and the times the vehicle must reach the warehouse and leave it in the evening.
For the manager, she raises a second request, this time for Rental. It asks for one sedan on a monthly basis. A Rental can also be daily, priced city by city.
Which papers should a fleet hold?
Before posting, the admin decides what company papers a bidder needs. The choices are a trade licence, a BIN and a TIN. Finance teams often need all three for VAT and audit reasons. A small office might ask for none.
The papers asked for shape who can bid. VMS doesn't decide this for you.
How do fleets bid?
Approved fleets see the request and send bids. Each bid arrives as a card with the same parts:
On the bid card | What the company learns |
|---|---|
Fleet size | How many vehicles stand behind this bid |
Monthly cost | The price to compare |
Proposed vehicle | Model and type the fleet plans to send |
Pitch | Why this fleet, in its own words |
Same layout every time, so the admin compares like with like. No WhatsApp screenshots in three formats.
Who picks the winner?
The company does. VMS ranks nothing and awards nothing.
For Rental requests with several vehicles, bids can be laid side by side, and each line awarded separately. Our distributor asked for one sedan, so it's a single award. A company asking for four vehicles could give two to one fleet and two to another.
Compare price per seat, not price per vehicle, when bids propose different vehicle sizes. Our staff transport guide for HR shows the method with a worked example.
How is the contract agreed?
Inside VMS. Both sides sign there, and the contract starts once both have signed. There is no paper to courier between Tejgaon and the fleet's office in Demra.
Some companies already have a supplier they're happy with. They can enter that existing contract in VMS and send the supplier an invite link. That supplier then runs trips and bills through VMS like any other fleet.
Later changes are recorded too. Either party can propose new rates from a future month, and the company decides. A fleet can also ask for an extension. Each change stays in the order's history.
What gets checked before day one?
The fleet assigns a real vehicle and a real driver, and their papers are uploaded. VMS checks them.
Until that check passes, no live trip can begin. The company can view those papers too. If a document expires mid-contract, the company is told, and the vehicle or driver can be put on hold until it is renewed.
What happens on a normal trip day?
This is where most of the time is spent. For the Jatrabari route, riders see their vehicle live from 30 minutes before pickup, and a warehouse worker who won't come in can mark "Not travelling" ahead of time, so the route knows. The company's admin can follow the vehicle while it is on a trip for them, and no other vehicle.
If something goes wrong, there are two routes. A complaint can be raised from either side, and the other side answers it. In a real emergency, the SOS button puts a call through to 999, and the buyer, fleet and VMS all get warned.
For the manager's sedan, the day is recorded as a trip sheet, with the km and any overtime. The company can check each sheet before it is billed.
What if the driver can't come?
Drivers fall sick. The fleet plans backup cover, and the company's bill stays the same. If a different driver or vehicle is sent for just one day, the company is asked to acknowledge it first.
How does billing work?
On the 1st, VMS builds the month's invoice from what actually happened.
Service | How the bill is counted |
|---|---|
Pick & Drop | Per leg run; a leg the fleet called off costs nothing |
Rental | Agreed monthly amount, then km, overtime and meals on top |
Each bill shows the trips behind it, with a map for every leg, and the company can review it before paying. TDS is recorded with the payment.
Payment itself happens outside VMS, by the company's usual method. VMS doesn't take payments online.
Can one request include both Pick & Drop and Rental?
No. Each request holds one kind of service. Post two requests if you need both.
Does VMS choose the fleet?
No. Fleets bid and the company picks the winner. VMS only shows the bids.
Can we keep our current transport supplier?
Yes. Enter your existing contract in VMS and invite the supplier by link.
How do employees join?
With their work email, through the employee app. It installs from the browser, not from an app store.
Post a transport request and see who bids
Draw your routes or list the vehicles you need. Approved fleets send bids, you pick one, and trips and bills run on VMS.