The difference between shared pools and personal assignment
This article compares the two ways a driver can gain access to a pool's vehicles in MobilityManager: automatic access through the shared pool, and explicit access through a personal driver-to-pool assignment. Understanding the difference helps you decide how to structure your fleet.
Two access models
MobilityManager decides whether a driver can use a vehicle based on the vehicle's pool and the driver's access to that pool. Access is granted in one of two ways:
| Shared pool (automatic) | Personal assignment (explicit) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can access | Every active driver | Only drivers assigned to that pool |
| How access is granted | Implicit — no action needed | A fleet manager assigns the driver to the pool |
| Applies to | The single "Shared Car-Sharing Pool" | Any non-shared pool |
| Membership record | None stored per driver | An assignment record with date and who assigned it |
| Shown in listings as | Automatic | Explicitly assigned |
The shared pool
Each tenant has exactly one shared pool, created automatically and marked as the shared car-sharing pool. Every active driver can access its vehicles without any assignment, and an access check for the shared pool always succeeds for active drivers. Use the shared pool for vehicles you want to make freely available across the organisation.
Personal (explicit) assignment
For any non-shared pool there is no automatic access. A driver can only book its vehicles after a fleet manager creates a driver-to-pool assignment linking that driver to that pool. This is how you restrict a group of vehicles to a specific set of drivers, such as reserving executive vehicles for eligible staff.
Where the "common pool" fits in
A tenant can designate one pool as its common pool in tenant settings. This designation is a label used in the interface to highlight a default pool; it is marked as the common pool in driver and pool listings.
Note: Being the common pool does not, on its own, grant automatic access. Unless the common pool is also the shared pool, drivers still need an explicit assignment to book its vehicles. Only the shared pool grants implicit access.
Choosing an approach
- Put vehicles anyone may drive in the shared pool.
- Put restricted vehicles in a non-shared pool and assign only the drivers who should use them.
Related
- Assigning drivers to a pool
- Restricting bookings to pool members
- Creating a vehicle pool
- Viewing pool membership
