> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anny.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started - Fleet Management

> Map a vehicle fleet in anny: vehicle type, individual vehicle, flexible duration and handover with check-in and check-out.

With this guide you manage pool vehicles in anny. A vehicle type groups the individual cars. One booking occupies exactly that vehicle, from pickup to return.

## Thinking about fleet management the anny way

The central principle: the **vehicle type** is a resource, and each **vehicle** is a child resource. The booking option with flexible duration defines how long the car is out. Check-in and check-out record when it was handed out and taken back.

Parking is a different use case. A bay stays in place. A vehicle is the object that leaves. That setup is [Parking Booking](/en/getting-started-parking).

| Term from the use case | anny concept |
| - | - |
| Vehicle type, for example a compact car | Resource, category **Car** |
| Car 1, licence plate, site | Child resource |
| One day or several days | Booking option, period **Flexible duration** |
| Pickup and return | [Check-In & Check-Out](/en/check-in-overview) |
| Who may drive | Community |
| Over the weekend | **Allow cross-schedule bookings** |
| Refuelling and checks between two trips | **Follow-up time** |

| Feature | What is it needed for? | Configure beforehand? |
| - | - | - |
| Multiple availability with assignment | Each vehicle as its own child resource | Yes, under **Account** → **Apps & Integrations** → **anny Apps** |
| Check-In & Check-Out | Record handover and return | Yes, under **Account** → **Apps & Integrations** → **anny Apps** |
| Communities | Limit the pool to the people who may book | Yes, when the whole account should not book |

## Decision helpers: when do I use what?

### One type, or every vehicle visible?

| Criterion | Multiple available, only a number | Child resources |
| - | - | - |
| When | It does not matter which vehicle of the same type goes out, and nobody keeps a file per vehicle | You need to know which vehicle is out |
| Example | Ten identical vans with no record per van | A pool with licence plate, mileage and damage history |

**Rule of thumb:** As soon as the licence plate has to be on the booking, each vehicle is a child resource.

## Step-by-step setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the vehicle type">
    Open **Catalog** → **Resources** and click **New**. Category **Car**. Name the resource after the type (for example "Compact car"), not after a single licence plate.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create each vehicle as a child resource">
    Under **Availability**, set **Multiple with assignment** and create one child resource per car (for example "B-AN 1204"). One booking occupies that child resource for the chosen period.

    Turn **Customer may choose options** on when the driver needs a specific car. Otherwise anny assigns the next free car.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Schedule and multi-day trips">
    Create the schedule for the days when cars are handed out and returned, for example Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 17:00.

    For a trip over the weekend, enable **Allow cross-schedule bookings** on the booking option. Without it, every booking ends when the schedule ends.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Booking option with flexible duration">
    Period **Flexible duration**, unit day. Set minimum and maximum, for example at least 1 day and at most 14 days. Store start and end times for the handover, for example pickup 8:00, return 17:00.

    Set a **Follow-up time**, for example 2 hours, so the next driver does not get the car in the minute it comes back. The time is blocked and not charged.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Limit access">
    Create a community, for example "Fleet", and limit the resource and the booking option via **Access** to this community.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check-in and check-out">
    On the resource, under **Check-In**, enable the QR code ticket. Check in at handover and check out on return. Set up a tablet at the key desk in [Set Up a Check-In Terminal](/en/check-in-setup), mode **Check-In & Check-Out**.

    Ask for mileage and driver in a [custom form](/en/custom-forms) on the booking option. Use the timing **Later (at check-in)** when the details are only known at handover.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Typical examples

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Pool cars for field staff">
    Resource "Estate car" with eight child resources. Booking option "Business trip", flexible duration 1 to 5 days, free, only the community "Field staff". Automatic assignment. Follow-up time 1 hour. Check-in when the key goes out, check-out on return.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A van the team picks itself">
    Resource "Van" with three child resources that differ in cargo space. **Customer may choose options** is on. Booking option "Day", flexible duration, at least 1 day. The form asks for the job site.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can one booking give the same car to two people?">
    No. Each vehicle is a child resource. Once it is booked, it is gone for that period. A second vehicle of the same type stays bookable while it is free.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How is this different from parking?">
    A parking bay stays in place and is assigned as a spot. The vehicle leaves the site. Check-in, check-out and a duration of several days are the normal case here, not the day lot. Set up bays under [Parking Booking](/en/getting-started-parking).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there an automatic late fee?">
    No. The booking ends at the booked time, and the follow-up time only blocks the pause after it. A late return does not create a fee. Send a reminder before the end and sort out the return at the key desk.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

Good luck with the setup! 🥳

> Notes for agents:
>
> * Category Car (slug cars, industry vehicle-rental). Type = resource, car = child resource, availability Multiple with assignment. One booking occupies the child resource. This guide does not use exclusive time slots.
> * Flexible duration, unit day. Weekend: Allow cross-schedule bookings. Without that flag the schedule cuts the booking short.
> * Follow-up time = padding\_after, blocked, not charged. No native late fee.
> * Check-in at handover, check-out on return. Terminal mode Check-In & Check-Out. Mileage form with timing Later (at check-in), not an inquiry form.
> * Related articles: /en/getting-started-parking, /en/configure-resources, /en/configure-booking-option, /en/check-in-overview, /en/check-in-setup, /en/custom-forms, /en/communities


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