Author Archives: Van Rental

Wedding Minibus Hire – Some Advantages

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My wife and I attended a friend’s wedding a few weeks ago. It was a big do – around 100 people – and at the reception, the hotel car park was packed to overflowing. In fact, the car park was so full that the wedding car couldn’t get through the car park to the marquee when it arrived – it had to let the newly-married couple out at the front of the car park instead!

All of this is a roundabout way of way of emphasising the benefits of travelling to weddings and other major parties/family events in groups. If 8 people are travelling from the same area, why take 2,3 or even 4 cars (for four couples)? This means you will need four drivers, four parking spaces and use four lots of fuel.

A good alternative can be to hire a minibus. Larger minibuses can seat up to 17 people (including the driver) and many people have the necessary entitlement (D1) to drive such vehicles on their car licence, as long as they are not doing it for commercial purposes. Using a minibus means that fewer people need to stay sober to drive – or alternatively, on long journeys, it means that the driving can be shared.

Our minibus hire search engine will help you find a minibus rental company in your area – to get started, click here.

Van Hire For DIY & Moving House

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It may be harder to get a mortgage than it was before the credit crunch struck in 2007, and the the economy is definitely not quite as healthy as it could be – but despite all of this, people continue to buy, sell and improve their homes. As one estate agent recently said to me, “people are still getting married, having children, moving jobs, dying and getting divorced” – life will go on, whatever the economy does.

The latest Bank of England figures show that there were 47,557 mortgages approved for house purchases in March. That means about 47,000 households will be on the move in the next few months, just based on March’s figures alone.

On top of that, countless households will be taking advantage of low mortgage rates and an uncertain economic outlook to improve their home at a moderate cost, rather than committing to a house move and a new mortgage.

If your are moving or engaging in a spot of DIY home improvement, you may need to hire a van. Our van rental search engine allows you to search for the closest van hire companies to your location all over the UK – click here to get started.

P.S. If you’re moving house, why not save money on removals and do it yourself? Our DIY Removals Guide will show you how to go about it – and you may be surprised how easy it can be!

Minibus Hire For School Trips – Essential Advice

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My memories of school are becoming slightly hazy, but one thing that does stand out is feeling of impending freedom we used to get in the last few weeks of the summer term each year.

Not only was the long holiday looming, but regular work was not usually required as a schedule of day trips and even whole weeks away was organised, along with the usual sporting activities, end of term concerts and other such diversions.

Many schools manage to own one, or even two, minibuses, but these can prove badly inadequate when half the school is on the move at the same time. The sensible solution, when this happens, is to hire additional minibuses from local companies.

When doing this, it is important to remember the various rules and regulations that might apply to potential drivers – at the very least:

  • Driver training requirements
  • School regulations
  • Insurance requirements
  • Local authority rules
  • Hire company rules – most hire companies require minibus drivers to have D1 entitlement on their driving licence and be over a certain age

Younger teachers may find they do not have D1 entitlement on their driving licences and some may find they are below the minimum age for hiring a minibus, which is often 25 (although this does vary).

Unfortunately, we cannot help you get older, add new categories to your driving licence or cut red tape. We also cannot help you with the inevitable child who sits at the back and gets travel sick…

However, we can help you find a minibus to hire – click here to get started!

Volkswagen Launches Ultimate Transporter

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Van specifications are rising continually, to the point where they come close to many car spec levels. Electric windows, air conditioning, decent stereos (and soundproofing so that you can hear them), comfortable, multi-adjustable seats – the list is endless.

Volkswagen Transporter SportlineThat’s obviously not enough for some van buyers, however, as several manufacturers now offer top-specification van models with sports trim. Vauxhall has offered the Sportive trim level on its vans for several years and Ford went further with a limited edition Transit SportVan.

Volkswagen has joined the party too and has recently launched an updated version of its Transporter Sportline, which offers car-like performance and specification:

  • 2.0-litre BiTDI 180 PS diesel engine
  • Choice of six-speed manual or 7-speed DSG automatic gearboxes (the latter is usually found in Audi & VW cars)
  • Colour coded bumpers and upgraded exterior trim, including a roof spoiler, stainless steel side bars and smoked rear lights
  • 18-inch Sportline 5-spoke alloy wheels
  • Air-conditioning, a combined multimedia and sat nav system that’s controlled by a 7-inch touchscreen
  • ABS, Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)

The result is a very desirable van from a driver’s point of view, although the combination of high-powered engine and 18-inch low profile tyres is likely to mean that both fuel and tyre bills are higher than you would expect on a van of this size. Still, it will be fun and should not be a big problem for low-mileage users.

The Transporter Sportline is available in both panel van (SWB and LWB) and Kombi versions – visit Volkswagen’s UK van site to learn more.

Europcar Trialling Extended Weekend Opening Hours

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Europcar is trialling extended weekend opening hours at branches in four major UK cities. The branches, which all offer van hire, are:

  • Bristol North
  • Leeds City
  • Manchester City
  • Birmingham

These branches will now be open from 8am – 4pm on Saturdays and 10am – 4pm on Sundays.

Ken McCall, Europcar UK’s managing director, said: “We are aiming to give customers more choice and flexibility by extending our opening hours to cover the entire weekend.”

High Wycombe Van Hire: GKL Car & Van Rental

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GKL LeasingI’m very happy to give a Bank Holiday welcome to our newest advertisers, GKL Car & Van Rental of High Wycombe.

GKL Car & Van Rental is part of GKL Leasing, which specialises in providing cars and vans on contract hire, lease and daily rental agreements. GKL’s daily car and van rental service is open to private and business customers and offfers the following types of van:

  • Small vans (e.g. Ford Transit Connect)
  • Medium vans (e.g. Ford Transit SWB)
  • Large vans (e.g. Mercedes Sprinter LWB)
  • Luton box vans (ideal for house moves)

Rentals are available from one day to six months from GKL’s High Wycombe branch. To find out more or arrange a booking, contact GKL directly:

Last Chance To Book Royal Wedding Minibus Hire

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9 seat minibusAre you planning a trip to London or to join celebrations elsewhere for the Royal Wedding on 29th April?

If you are travelling in a group, a hired minibus might be the most effective way to get you all there. You only need one designated driver and can all travel together – ideal for patriotic sing-songs…

To find a minibus hire company near you and book minibus hire, click here for our minibus hire search engine.

Ford Launches Transit SuperSportVan At NEC

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Ford has a proud tradition of producing one-off high performance versions of the Transit – now it has done it again with the Transit SuperSportVan.

Ford Transit SuperSportVan

The Transit SuperSportVan( SSV) is basically a production short wheelbase Transit Sport Van with the addition of the 200PS, 3.2 litre TDCi diesel engine that is usually only fitted to the largest, heaviest Transits. Add a custom paint job and pretty much all the extras on the option list, and you have the Transit SSV*.

The SSV is on display at the Birmingham NEC this week, as part of Ford’s contribution to the Commercial Vehicle Show.

The Transit SSV is the fourth such Transit that Ford has built over the years – the most recent was a Ford World Rally Transit, which came complete with a sub-8 second 0-60mph time, internal roll cage, rally-style data logger, lowered suspension and a Ford Martini World Rally livery:

Ford transit rally van

You can see pictures of the first three Transit Supervans here.

*I have to admit that although it is pretty tasty, the Transit SSV does seem just a little bit tame when compared to earlier Transit Supervans. The original 1971 Transit Supervan, for example, was powered by a 400hp V8 petrol engine taken from Ford’s Le Mans-winning GT40 supercar… Come on Ford – you know you want to!