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On a large resort, hotel campus, or residential community, getting from place to place is part of the guest experience. Most properties start with a fixed shuttle loop or a phone number that reaches a dispatcher with a radio. Both work until the property gets busy. This guide covers how to run an on-demand cart or shuttle service instead: guests request a ride from their phone, the nearest cart comes, and your team sees the whole service on one screen.
Fixed loops, radio calls, and on-demand
Each model suits some properties, and it helps to be honest about the trade-offs.
| Model | How guests ride | Where it works | Where it struggles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed loop | Wait at a stop for the next cart | Compact properties with a few busy stops | Waits between carts, empty carts on quiet legs, no door-to-door service |
| Radio or phone dispatch | Call the desk, and a dispatcher radios a driver | Low volume with an experienced dispatcher | Hold times, no arrival time for the guest, guessing which cart is closest, no records |
| On-demand app | Request from a phone or at the front desk, then watch the cart arrive | Spread-out properties, villas, and busy peaks | Needs drivers online at the right hours and a way to book for guests without the app |
The main advantage of on-demand is that nobody has to guess. The request goes to the closest available cart, the guest sees when it will arrive, and every trip leaves a record you can use to plan staffing. A guest who knows the cart is four minutes away doesn't call the desk again or set off on foot in the heat.
On-demand doesn't have to replace a loop entirely. Some properties keep a loop on the busiest stretch, such as lobby to beach, and use on-demand for everything else.
Named pickup points
Guests don't know addresses on a resort. They know the lobby, the pool, the spa, the marina, and Villa 12. Build your service around named places:
- List every place guests actually go, including restaurants, pools, beach access, parking, and each villa or building.
- Put the pin where the cart actually stops, not in the middle of the building. A pin in the center of a large building can send a cart to the wrong entrance.
- Use the names guests see on signs and property maps, so the app matches what they're looking at.
- Add staff-only points, such as a service entrance or a bag drop, if drivers also move staff or luggage.
- Review the list after the first few weeks. Pickups that keep happening away from any named point tell you a place is missing.
Fares: free, flat, or charged to the room
Most resort and community services use one of three approaches, and some mix them by area or vehicle.
- Free. The service is an amenity, paid for by the property or covered by resort or association fees. It's the simplest option for guests. Record every trip anyway, because trip data is how you justify the cost and size the fleet.
- Flat fares. A fixed price per ride or per zone, such as one price inside the main grounds and another to an outlying area. Riders know the price before they book.
- Charged to the room or residence. Guests charge the ride to their room or residence account and settle it later, the way they would a restaurant bill.
Hypothetical example: a resort might keep rides free inside the main grounds, charge a flat $5 to an outlying beach club, and let guests bill both to the room. The numbers are illustrative only; set yours from your costs and what your guests expect.
Decide your tipping policy too. If drivers can accept tips, tell guests in the app and tell drivers how tips are handled.
Staffing drivers
On private property, cart drivers are usually staff, often from the transportation, bell, or valet team. A few things make the difference:
- Schedule to demand, not to a fixed headcount. Check-in and check-out, meal times, and the end of pool or beach hours are common peaks. Late nights may need one cart, or none.
- Train for your property. Routes, path speed limits, pedestrian areas, luggage handling, and where not to stop.
- Give drivers one app. Offers, navigation, and arrival should live on the phone in their pocket, not be split between a radio and a notepad.
- Set shift rules. Cap the hours a driver can be online, and plan charging so carts aren't flat at the busy hour.
- Keep the front desk in the loop. Guests who don't want an app should still be able to ask the desk or call, and the desk should book the ride into the same queue as app requests.
Check the rules that apply to your carts and drivers. If carts cross or use public roads, vehicle and licensing rules may apply; see our guide to street-legal carts and LSVs. Talk to your insurer about carrying guests before you launch.
Measuring wait times
The number guests feel is how long they wait, so measure it the same way every week:
- Time to match: from the request to a driver accepting it.
- Pickup time: from acceptance to the cart arriving.
- Total wait: from the request to the guest getting in.
- Unfilled requests: requests no driver accepted.
- Cancellations: guests who gave up, and at what point.
Look at these by hour of day and by pickup point. A long wait at the same hour every day is a staffing problem. A long wait at one pickup point is a positioning problem: carts are waiting in the wrong place. Set a target that suits your property, track it weekly, and adjust shifts before you add carts.
For fleet sizing, charging, and maintenance, see our golf cart fleet management guide.
Getting started
- Map the property and list your named pickup points.
- Choose free, flat, or room-charge fares, and a tipping policy.
- Decide who drives, and write the shift plan.
- Train drivers and the front desk.
- Soft-launch in one area or during a quieter week, then expand.
- Review wait times weekly for the first few months.
How Levy fits
Levy ride-hailing runs this kind of service. Guests request from an app under your brand or a booking widget on your website, choosing named places like "Pool" or "Villa 12", and they see the cart number, driver, and live position as it arrives. Front-desk staff can book rides for guests who call or walk up. Each request goes to the available driver with the shortest pickup time, and dispatchers can assign or reassign any trip from the console.
Fares can be free, flat by zone, or billed to a room or residence through house accounts invoiced monthly, and free rides are still recorded for reporting. Drivers use the Levy Driver app on their phones, so no hardware is needed in the cart. Reports cover trips, completion rate, time to match, and cancellations, and every trip has a timestamped timeline.
If you also rent carts to guests, Levy's golf cart fleet platform runs in the same dashboard. See the resort shuttle app page for details, or book a demo.