How collision centers keep customers and repairs moving
By the time customers arrive at a collision center, an accident has already disrupted their day. They may be dealing with tow trucks, insurance companies, and a long list of logistical questions: How do I get to work? Pick up the kids? Make it to an appointment? Get home?
In a 2025 Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) survey, 37% of drivers who had recently experienced a collision said repair delays made it difficult to commute to work or school, while 28% said they missed necessary appointments or events.
A courtesy ride removes one source of friction during a stressful experience. Giving customers a practical way to get where they need to go while their vehicle is in the shop can help customers feel taken care of from the very beginning.
But transportation is only one piece of the puzzle. Modern collision repairs often involve more than fixing visible damage. When shops need to order parts, inspect hidden damage, or adjust vehicle cameras and sensors, the timeline can stretch. CCC found that repairs with multiple calibrations averaged more than 17 days in Q1 2025, compared with 13 days for repairs with none. For collision centers, the challenge is helping customers stay mobile, without adding another task for teams already juggling estimates, parts, insurance coordination, and repair work.
Coordinating transportation across changing repair timelines
Collision centers may use a mix of rentals, loaners, and shuttles to help customers get where they need to go. Each option has a role to play, but none fits every situation.
For example, loaners may not be available when customers arrive. Rental coverage can be limited or run out before repairs are complete, and shuttles often operate on fixed routes or schedules. Beyond customer transportation, collision center employees may need a way back to the shop after handling sublet repairs, pickups, or deliveries.
As those needs add up, coordination becomes more complex. Service advisors and managers may find themselves calling customers, arranging rides, tracking receipts, approving expenses, coordinating with rental providers, and managing employee return trips. Across teams and locations, that work can make transportation spend harder to track and create uneven customer experiences.
What starts as a helpful customer service offering can quickly become another operational task to manage.
What makes a transportation program work
The best transportation programs are simple for teams to coordinate, easy for customers to use, and flexible enough to keep up with changing repair timelines.
When evaluating transportation options, collision centers should look for:
Flexibility when repair timelines change. A delayed part, added calibration, or a customer who needs to leave can quickly change the transportation plan—and these situations are common. In a recent ABPA survey, 44% of respondents said their collision repairs were delayed, and 41% said repairs took 3 weeks or more. Transportation options should be able to adjust as repair timelines shift.
Simple customer coordination. Teams need a way to arrange and manage rides quickly, share trip details clearly, and keep customers informed without paper logs, manual coordination, or reimbursement headaches. The right setup keeps customer transportation straightforward from start to finish.
Support beyond customer transportation. Parts pickups, sublet repairs, employee return trips, and vehicle deliveries all compete for staff time. And with staffing already tight, every minute counts. Transportation support should free teams to focus on repairs.
Built-in controls that keep spend on track. Teams need clear guidelines around who can request rides or deliveries, when transportation should be offered, and how ride activity should be tracked. Clear controls make it easier to manage spend, review activity, and link rides to repair orders where applicable.
Visibility across locations. Collision repair businesses with multiple locations need local teams to respond quickly while regional operations managers maintain visibility into transportation activity, usage, and spend across the business. A centralized setup standardizes tracking and coordination while allowing locations to adjust as needs change.
Where flexible transportation can reduce pressure
The biggest value often appears at a few recurring moments in the repair journey:
1. When customers need to leave the shop
Courtesy rides can help customers reach their next destination after dropping off a vehicle.
This service is ideal for delayed repairs, when a shop shuttle is unavailable, or when customers prefer not to wait on-site. It gives customers one less thing to manage while their vehicle is in the shop.
2. When rentals or loaners fall short
Rental and loaner programs are an important part of the customer experience. Availability can change, and not every customer has rental coverage.
A flexible ride option can help customers get to a rental counter, return home while waiting for a loaner, or stay mobile when rental coverage is unavailable.
3. When employees need to come and go
When an employee delivers or retrieves a customer vehicle, they need a reliable way back to the shop.
A flexible ride can reduce the need for a second employee or chase car. It can also help when a planned pickup changes at the last minute or an employee needs transportation to or from the shop.
Flexible transportation can also help employees get to the shop when a transportation issue could otherwise affect staffing or productivity.
Bring needed parts to the shop
Parts pickups can pull staff out of the shop and delay repairs, especially when a job depends on a specific replacement part, specialty paint, or another item that needs to arrive before work can continue.
With Uber for Business, teams can request parts deliveries from Central—the same dashboard they use to arrange customer and employee rides. A delivery option for last-minute parts pickups can keep employees in the shop and reduce extra company vehicle trips. Teams can also link each ride or delivery to a repair order number and use built-in controls and reporting to track spend.
Benefits of easier transportation management
A well-managed transportation program helps collision centers deliver more responsive service while giving teams a clearer view of how rides and deliveries are being used.
Teams spend less time coordinating
With a well-managed transportation program, operations teams can:
- Reduce manual coordination of customer and employee rides
- Keep technicians and support staff focused on repair work
- Track transportation activity and spend more consistently
- Set clear access and usage guidelines
- Improve consistency across locations
Straightaway Tire & Auto, an automotive service and tire repair operator, arranges and tracks local courtesy rides across its 94 service centers, while the parent organization maintains visibility into ride activity and spend across locations.
In April 2026, Straightaway Tire & Auto requested 3,000 courtesy rides through Uber for Business, with usage growing 6x from January to April as more locations adopted the program.
“Our customers enjoy the convenience of Uber rides,” says Jordan Cozatt, Director of National Fleet Accounts at Straightaway Tire & Auto. “It gives them a way to keep moving while their vehicle is being serviced.”
Customers get more support during repairs
With a well-managed transportation program, customers can:
- Get where they need to go after leaving a vehicle for repair
- Avoid waiting for shuttle, loaner, or staff availability
- Stay informed when repair timing changes
- Bridge gaps when rental coverage or availability falls short
- Experience more consistent service across locations
That support can help reduce stress during the repair experience.
Drive your operations forward with Uber for Business
Uber for Business helps collision centers keep transportation moving as repair needs change.
With Central, teams can request, schedule, and track rides and deliveries from one dashboard. Riders receive trip details by SMS—no Uber app required—while coordinators can view active and upcoming rides, track completed trips and costs, and download spend reports as needed.
That flexibility supports the day-to-day reality of collision centers: customer courtesy rides, trips to and from rental or loaner pickup, employee return rides after sublet work or vehicle transfers, and parts pickup and delivery.
When customers need more control over timing, Vouchers let teams provide ride credit with set limits on value, location, and time of use—all tracked through the same dashboard.
Uber for Business solutions complement existing rental, loaner, shuttle, and staff transportation workflows, giving collision centers another option when plans change. With no signup fee, built-in cost controls, and flexible billing options, you can add on-demand transportation support without fixed program costs.
Ready to drive your collision center forward? Chat with our automotive team.
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