A transport plan can become fragile when the assistant who arranged it finishes work and another person takes over. The new organiser needs to know what is confirmed, what is still waiting for a decision and who has already been told about a change. A useful handover is a current operational snapshot, not a forwarded collection of every email sent during the previous week.
Start with the next uncompleted movement
Put the next pickup at the top of the handover, with its booking reference, passenger contact, location and agreed time. Continue in chronological order through the remaining journeys. Mark completed trips separately so the incoming assistant does not accidentally rearrange them. If the party is already travelling, identify the relevant contact and the last confirmed destination without assuming that a vehicle location or private tracking link is available.
Label the status of every open item
Use clear statuses such as confirmed, change requested, awaiting traveller answer or quotation only. A proposed time should not appear in the same style as a confirmed pickup. Note who must reply and what decision depends on that response. This allows the incoming assistant to continue the conversation accurately, rather than treating an unanswered request as an agreement simply because it appears near the end of a message thread.
A useful unresolved note is specific: revised hotel pickup requested, dispatch acknowledgement outstanding, passenger still holding the original instruction. That tells the incoming assistant exactly what to do next. A note saying timing changed gives no indication of whether the change was proposed, accepted or communicated to the person who will travel.
Transfer the authority boundary
Explain what the new assistant can approve: a timing change, an additional stop, a replacement passenger or an extra fare. If another manager must authorise spending, include the contact and the scope of that approval. Dispatch should know who now speaks for the group. Send a short introduction in the existing booking conversation so the new organiser’s messages are recognised and the outgoing contact is no longer the only route for decisions.
Keep sensitive information proportionate
The handover needs passenger names, usable contacts and journey details, not copies of every delegate’s identification or private diary. Use your company’s approved channel for the information shared. Where a traveller has a practical assistance requirement, describe the transport need rather than an unnecessary personal history. Separate general event notes from instructions that belong to one passenger so the wrong details are not circulated to the whole delegation.
Check understanding with one concrete recap
Before ending the handover, ask the incoming assistant to confirm the next pickup and the most important unresolved item. This exposes mismatches while both people are available. Record the time of the handover and leave one authoritative itinerary for future edits. If a change arrives during the transition, state explicitly which assistant will handle it, then update dispatch once rather than sending two conflicting responses.
Questions about this journey
Should the new assistant receive every old email?
They need access to relevant records, but a current summary should distinguish confirmed journeys from unresolved requests.
Must dispatch be told about the new contact?
Yes. Introduce the replacement organiser in the existing booking conversation.
What should be checked first?
The next uncompleted pickup and any change awaiting acknowledgement.