Last Mile and Long Mile Employee Shuttle Services

illumina needs experts on-site, in-person, with no snags or inconsistencies in attendance. But with their workforce scattered across the country, how to get everyone to work on time, free from stress, and ready to collaborate on high-pressure projects was a challenge their previous transport provider didn’t manage to tackle effectively.

This prestigious company needed nothing less than a slick employee transportation solution with consistent, experienced drivers who could be reliable both behind the wheel and behind the screen, providing insightful updates via user-friendly technology, such as driver tracking, etc. They found that other suppliers they had worked with were not able to work with them as a partner, where the client could ask questions and modifications as and when they needed. They also required a clear overview of the many varied times and places the employees needed rides – for example from their homes (‘long mile’) and from the Bay Area’s BART system (from where the team needed ‘last mile’ shuttling).

After extensive discussions between illumina and our knowledgeable transport coordination team, we provided the client with what we term a heat map, displaying where everyone was coming from and when, and then created routes that made logical sense to everyone involved.

From this heat map, we could provide a comfortable and enjoyable employee experience where they could book a seat of their choice and, crucially, they could send us feedback in real-time to allow for adjustments.

Overall, we provided this client with a brand-new employee transport service: including a sound logistics program, new vehicles, and experienced tech-savvy drivers.

Some employees were required to pay for certain elements of their transportation out of their own pockets, as well as experiencing frustrations due to a lack of technology, and they had no clear oversight of when their rides would show up – or even where. The result was that employee retention was… not great.

It is a well-known fact that perks such as employee transportation benefits help to keep teams happy and stress-free as well as feel appreciated by their employers.

By offering both last-mile and long-mile employee shuttle services, we saved employees their own precious money on unnecessary transport connections and long or arduous commutes from home, which improved employee well-being and in turn, retention for this vital company.

illumina’s pledge is to nurture their people, integrate sustainability, and achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 (46% reduction by 2030). They can’t do this alone.

Well, we’re pretty happy to say that here at Swoop, we’re helping them achieve all three of these goals in one fell… Swoop!

Swoop’s transport service puts no extra strain on our planet because we use existing, established drivers whose cars are already on the road. So not only are we helping illumina to nurture their people with flexible and comfortable transport, we are also helping them to be sustainable, and reduce their carbon footprint.

Swoop is a carbon-neutral company – you can find out more here.

With so many brilliant minds based in many locations, illumina needed to know they could trust their transportation provider implicitly. Unfortunately, their last provider hadn’t managed to instill that confidence, so Swoop gladly took on the responsibility of getting everyone to work on time, every time.

This required providing experienced drivers, with knowledge of the local area, including residential areas and the BART transport hub, as well as drivers who were technologically competent to provide updates and receive adjustments on the day.

Swoop created what we call heat maps to show exactly what transportation was needed, when, and where, which then fed into a logical employee transportation program that everyone could access. Various sizes of vehicles were gathered, where employees could book a seat for extra peace of mind.

illumina couldn’t afford to include worry in their daily schedule; they needed complete faith in their employee shuttle service so that the teams could show up onsite and continue with their vital work. We were more than capable of providing that service for them.

All in all, illumina found it challenging to partner with a company that could check all their boxes – comfort, well-being, flexibility, money saving, and sustainability – and that would be there for them to help any time.

The partnership between illumina and Swoop goes beyond business. Shared, positive economic, cultural, and environmental values are at the core of both companies, creating a wonderful synergy between us.