Shutdown Transport Planning Guide

By the MineBus team · Bus Stop Sales & Service · Updated June 2026

A shutdown is a surge. For a few weeks your transport demand can double or triple, then vanish — plan for the peak, not the baseline.

Model the peak, not the average

Size crew transport to the busiest concurrent movement in the tie-in window, then count the vehicle-days across the outage calendar. That's the number that decides how many buses, and for how long. The Shutdown Calculator does the sums.

Ramp up with hire, and book early

Nobody owns a fleet sized for a shutdown. Short-term hire covers the surge — but shutdown windows compete for the same buses, so lock them in as soon as the dates firm. Shutdown transport is a booking race as much as a planning one.

Drivers and fatigue under a compressed roster

Compressed shutdown rosters put pressure on driver availability and fatigue rules. Plan the drivers with the same rigour as the buses, or the buses sit idle.

Stage, then demob

Marshalling, contingency vehicles and a clean off-hire plan keep the peak moving and stop you paying for buses after the work's done. Same discipline as any mobilisation.

Frequently asked questions

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