Vending machine in an industrial corridor

For bus and tram depots

Smart fridge
for a bus depot

A driver sees the depot twice a day: at sign-on and at sign-off. That is exactly when everything is shut. Anyone signing on at five has not had breakfast; anyone coming back after midnight finds nothing; anyone on a split duty sits at the depot for a few hours in the middle of the day with nothing to eat. A chilled cabinet by the signing-on point covers all three moments.

Early and late duties Split duties For the workshop too

Check your depot Logistics and transport

The situation

The only fixed place
in a day on the road

A driver is on the road all day and only comes to the depot at the start and end of a duty, or during a break in it. Those are exactly the hours when nothing is open. Lorry drivers at a dock have a different pattern; see smart fridge for logistics.

A split duty makes it harder still: a few hours at the depot in the middle of the day, without it being a real break, and often with nothing nearby. Anyone who brought nothing waits until the end of the duty.

Then there is the workshop: maintenance crews getting the vehicles ready overnight. They run into the same questions as any other night shift; see sorting out food for the night shift.

Bus Tram Workshop

What is missing now

Breakfast for those signing on at five
Something after midnight for the last duty
Food during a split duty
Something to take on the road
Food for the overnight workshop
A canteen that covers all those hours

A day in pieces

Every duty,
a different moment

Duty	When at the depot	What is open now
Early duty	Signing on before dawn	Nothing; brought from home or skipped
Split duty	A break in the middle of the day	Sometimes a canteen, often nothing
Late duty	Signing off after midnight	Nothing
Workshop	In shifts, also at night	Whatever the crew brings

What works in the morning is covered in breakfast at work; what fits in a short break in short lunch break.

Signals at the depot

What a depot looks like
where a cabinet pays off

Duties start before six
Duties end after midnight
There are split duties
A workshop with a night shift
The canteen has limited hours or there is none
A hundred or more drivers and technicians
Drivers take something for the road
Several depots in the region

If you tick most points, a cabinet at your depot sells through quickly enough. With two or fewer, we recommend a smaller solution.

Approach

How to start
at a depot

Duty roster

Earliest sign-on, latest sign-off, split duties and the workshop’s hours.

Choose the spot

By the signing-on point or the changing rooms, where every driver passes.

Range

Breakfast, something for the road and a meal for the break.

Adjust

After a few weeks you can see what each duty takes, and the mix can be adjusted to it.

What goes in

Something for now,
something for the road

Breakfast and cold drinks for the early duty, a meal to heat up during a break, and something that can go on the road: sandwiches, fruit, a bottle of water. Restock during the day, so the cabinet is full for the first departures.

Want to give drivers a subsidy? Link the cabinet to the staff badge. The payment options themselves are covered in paying at a smart fridge.

Frequently asked questions

Bus depot:
your questions

Can drivers take something for the road?

Yes. Sandwiches, fruit, dairy and drinks are wrapped and can go on the road. Anything meant to be eaten hot is better kept for the break at the depot.

Where should the cabinet go: by the signing-on point or in the canteen?

Where every driver passes at the start of a duty, usually by the signing-on point or the changing rooms. A canteen that is only open during the day is less suitable.

Can we link a subsidy to the staff badge?

Yes. Staff then get a subsidy or a budget, and others pay by bank card or app. You set that on the cabinet itself.

Does it work for the workshop crew doing maintenance at night?

Yes. The cabinet is open day and night. If the workshop is far from the drivers’ room, check whether one spot is enough or two are needed.

We have several depots. Do we start everywhere at once?

Better not. Start at the depot with the greatest need, see what sells there and then expand, with central arrangements for all sites.

What does your last driver find after midnight?

Answer eight short questions about the depot, the duties and the workshop. Then you hear from us whether a cabinet makes sense there.

Free site check See the options

Takes about 90 seconds · no obligation · no contact details until the last step

Smart fridgefor a bus depot

The only fixed placein a day on the road

Every duty,a different moment

What a depot looks likewhere a cabinet pays off

How to startat a depot