Field guide
Home services route math
Most home services franchises in South Africa depend on planning van routes that keep crews busy and costs controlled. The number of reachable homes and businesses in your chosen area shapes how many jobs your team can do and what you can earn.
Where route maths breaks down
Most franchise buyers see van routes as a simple map of service stops, but the real risk comes from poor spacing, bottlenecks and idle trips. Suburbs can look dense on paper but leave crews driving long distances or stuck between jobs. Every kilometre between clients pushes up fuel costs and eats into your paid hours.
Missed appointment slots often stack up when travel time is underestimated or when an area’s demand is patchy. Urban sprawl, security estates and business districts each change how easily your crews can move and reschedule. Even a few low-density pockets can bring route efficiency down, affecting both revenue and job quality.
Key lessons from local routes
South African home services crews face bigger gaps than most overseas operators. Highveld and coastal cities have scattered suburbs, and roadworks or traffic can quickly make a planned route unworkable. Some buyers also forget to allow for access controls, parking problems or call-outs that take longer because of site security checks.
The national minimum wage is R30.23 per ordinary hour, and ordinary work hours are limited to 45 per week under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. Too much idle time or Sunday work pulls up your wage bill and overtime costs. A reliable route keeps your team inside ordinary hours and limits long, empty driving.
A buyer’s wake-up call
One new owner in the northern suburbs of Gqeberha thought they could cover all jobs in one van with a single crew. They found that half their time was lost to trips between far-flung clients, especially in areas with limited access or traffic bottlenecks.
After a Numbers & Notes review, they realised their initial budget missed the real cost of fuel, overtime pay and lost working hours. Their territory plan changed to focus on denser clusters, with some jobs referred to neighbouring franchisees to keep routes tight and profitable.
Steps to check your own route maths
Working out the number of daily stops a team can handle involves detailed planning beyond simply marking areas on a map. You need to test demand, travel time and the pattern of jobs through the day. Territory choices should balance population size, service type and your own working capital.
- Count actual homes or businesses that match your franchise’s target client
- Map travel times for typical days and peak hours
- Check for school run, market and holiday bottlenecks
- Work out maximum crew hours within ordinary wage rates
- Cost for petrol, parking and any tolls
- List planned backup zones for overflow or missed slots
When to ask us for help
If you are unsure about local demand, territory boundaries or labour costing, bring your draft map and a typical day’s schedule to a Fit Finder session. We often see gaps between a franchisor’s sample territory and what really fills a van’s hours.
Request a Numbers & Notes pack or ask Mr Hemant Singh for a territory review by contacting us. We can help you check if your chosen area and crew setup will keep the business viable from the start.
Ask us about route maths fit
Share your service area, offering and routing questions with Ms Siphokazi Mbanjwa. We can help you check route density, capital needs and local demand before you sign.