If you will need to hire a van or minibus in London or the south-east of England during the Olympic Games (July 27 to August 12) or Paralympic Games (August 29-September 9), you should book it now.

At a recent transport planning seminar held by the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO), Ian Wainwright, of Transport for London told attendees that up to 800,000 spectators and 55,000 athletes, officials, organisers and members of the media would be travelling to and from the Olympic venues every day.

The Government has said that the overall transport ambition is to reduce non-Olympic demand during the Games by 30% but Wainwright advised attendees to consider the ‘4rs’ – reduce travel, reschedule travel, re-route travel to avoid busy transport corridors and revise travel modes.

This advice applies to anyone seeking to rent self-drive vans and minibuses, too. Demand will be sky high and anyone leaving it to the last minute will have to take a big risk on availability – plus there is also the possibility that prices will rise in response to sky-high levels of demand.

Follow our advice for a trouble-free Games:

1. Work out what your van and minibus requirements will be and book it all now.
2. If in doubt, book an extra day (or an extra vehicle). Don’t cut it fine – you will not be able to extend your booking at the last minute.
3. Reschedule for before or after the Games if possible.
4. Remember that there are Olympic venues all over the south of England and so disruption will extend far beyond London – click here for a list of all Olympic venues.
5. Remember to compare prices to find the best deal – we offer the UK’s most comprehensive van hire price comparison and minibus hire price comparison services.