Tours and charters are some of the best jobs a Jamaican fleet can win. A day trip to Dunn's River, a run out to Negril for sunset, a wedding party moving between church and reception, or a corporate group heading from Kingston to the north coast: these trips are booked ahead, they fill a whole vehicle, and they are often paid at a better rate than a quick ride across town. They are also the jobs most likely to be lost in a long WhatsApp thread. This guide covers how to sell them through your own branded app.
Why tours and charters belong in your own app
Visitors and groups usually plan ahead. They want to know what is included, what it costs and who will pick them up, and they often decide days before they travel. That makes tours and charters a natural fit for booking in an app:
- Your name, not someone else's. When a guest books a tour in your branded app, the relationship stays with your company. Next time they visit, they come back to you.
- Clear details in writing. Date, time, pickup point, group size and vehicle are all recorded, not scattered across voice notes.
- Payment sorted before the day. Card in the app for guests who want it, cash logged for those who prefer to pay the driver.
- One view for the office. Tours sit on the same dispatch dashboard as your airport runs and daily rides, so you can plan vehicles and drivers properly.
Decide what you are selling
Before anything goes in the app, write down a short list of trips you are confident you can deliver well. Start with the tours your drivers already know. For a Kingston-based fleet that might include:
- Port Royal and the Palisadoes.
- Blue Mountains and coffee country, if your vehicles and drivers suit the roads.
- Day trips to Ocho Rios for Dunn's River.
- A Kingston city and culture tour.
A north-coast operator might focus on Ocho Rios attractions, Montego Bay to Negril, and transfers between Sangster and resorts along the coast. Five well-described trips will sell better than twenty vague ones.
Describe each trip clearly
Guests choose tours on detail. For each one, decide:
- Where it goes and how long it takes. A simple outline, such as pickup, main stops and return time.
- What is included. Transport and driver, waiting time at stops, bottled water. Be clear that entry fees, food and drinks are paid separately if they are.
- Which vehicles it runs in. Car, minivan or coaster, with the passenger limit for each.
- Where you pick up. Hotels in a named area, the airport, or a meeting point.
- The price. Per vehicle is usually simplest for private tours. Agree it up front so nothing changes on the day.
Our guide to setting vehicle types and fares covers how to price by vehicle and keep cash and app prices consistent.
Charters and private hire
Charters are less predictable than set tours. A church group, a film crew, a sports team or a family reunion will each want something different. Treat them as scheduled bookings with a quoted price:
- Collect the date, start time, rough route, group size and any special needs.
- Quote a price for the vehicle and the hours, with any extras written down.
- Enter the confirmed booking on your dispatch dashboard so the job, the driver and the vehicle are locked in.
- Send the customer the driver's details before the day.
Even when a charter starts with a phone call or WhatsApp message, putting it into the same system as every other trip means nothing is double-booked and every job is counted.
Plan the day properly
A tour ties up a vehicle and driver for hours. A few habits keep it running smoothly:
- Assign the driver early and make sure they know the route and stops.
- Confirm the day before with the guest, especially for early starts from hotels.
- Use live trip tracking so guests can see the vehicle arriving at their hotel, and the office knows where the group is without calling the driver mid-tour.
- Plan around the rest of the day. A Negril day trip from Montego Bay means that vehicle is not available for airport runs until evening.
- Choose the right drivers. Tours reward drivers who know the stories behind the places and enjoy sharing them.
Reach guests before they arrive
Tour bookings often happen before guests land, or on their first evening at the hotel. Put your app where they are looking:
- Hotel desks and guest houses. Branded cards or small stands with a QR code that leads to your app.
- Airport transfers. Your driver collecting a guest at Norman Manley or Sangster is the perfect moment to mention the tours they can book in the same app.
- Google Business Profile. Add your tours to your listing, with photos and a link to download the app. Reply to reviews.
- Social media. Short videos from the road, such as the view over Kingston Harbour or the falls at Ocho Rios, show visitors exactly what they are booking.
- Every receipt. App receipts carry your company name, which makes it easy for guests to find you again or recommend you.
After the trip
Ratings and receipts arrive in your company's name, so a good tour builds your reputation, not a platform's. Look at which tours sell, which vehicles groups choose and which hotels send you the most bookings, and put more effort behind what works. Ask guests who rate you well to leave a review on Google as well.
How Conduence fits
With Conduence, your tours, charters, airport runs and daily rides all run through one branded booking app on the App Store and Google Play under your own name, with card and cash payments, live tracking and receipts in your name. You keep 95% of each completed app booking and Conduence takes 5%, and we stay on hand through the first two weeks of live trips. Read more on why operators choose Conduence, or get in touch to talk about your tours.