Category Archives: Minibus Hire

Last Night Of The Proms & Festival Minibus Hire

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It’s summer – and that means that people all over the UK have a sudden urge to do things outdoors that they would normally do indoors, like cooking, drinking and listening to live music.

If live music outdoors is your thing, you may be planning a trip to one of the year’s major outdoor music events – we’ve already had Glastonbury, but the BBC’s Proms in the Park is still to come, as are a load of other outdoor music events:

  • Leeds Festival & Reading Festival (26th – 28th August)
  • V Festival (20th-21st Augus, near Birmingham & Chelmsford)
  • Creamfields (26th August)
  • Bestival (8th September)
  • …plus the unmissable Wakefield Rock n Wrestle Festival!

Check out the UK Festival Calendar website for loads more info and ideas!

While I’m talking about BBC Proms in the Park, it’s worth noting that it is not just taking place in London‘s Hyde Park this year – concerts are also being put on in Dundee, Caerphilly and Bangor (just east of Belfast, not the Welsh one!).

There’s also a new ‘Last Night of the Proms’ taking place this year – at Scarborough‘s Open Air Theatre, which only opened in 2010 but has already played host to Elton John, Jose Carreras and N-DUBZ, amongst others. This year’s Last Night of the Proms will be a classical event starring opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Why not treat yourself to a weekend by the seaside?

Getting There

If you are planning to travel in a group to any of these events, then what you will probably need is to hire a minibus. (Unless you are playing at any of them, in which case you may need to hire a splitter van).

Hiring a minibus makes a lot more sense than taking two or three cars. Not only are you doing your bit to reduce traffic congestion going to the event (and thus reduce your queueing time), you will also spend less on fuel and only need to make sure that you have one driver who is sober and correct when the time comes to drive home – leaving everyone else free to carry on partying a  little longer…

If you are driving the minibus, don’t forget that it will not go under car park height barriers and it will be wider, slower through corners and need longer to brake than you may be used to. Apart from that, you shouldn’t find any major differences – modern vans and minibuses are very easy and pleasant to drive.

Olympic 2012 Minibus Hire – Book Now, It’s Not Too Early!

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If you applied for tickets for the 2012 London Olympics, then you should know by now whether you have been successful or not and what events you will be going to see (according to the official website, “A notification will be sent to confirm which tickets you have been allocated by 24 June 2011“).

Assuming you do not live in or close to London, the next big decision (and expense) is in working out your transport and accommodation arrangements.

Train travel has the advantage of not requiring you to park or pay the congestion charge, but it is horrendously expensive for more than a couple of people. Carrying any amount of luggage on the train is also hard work and often inconvenient.

Far cheaper, if you are in a group, is to hire a people carrier or minibus that can carry your whole party together. This will almost certainly work out much cheaper than train travel if you are travelling any distance and will make it easier to carry a mixture of luggage, adults and children than when travelling on the train.

vanrental.co.uk’s minibus hire search engine makes it incredibly easy to find a minibus rental company near you, wherever you are in the UK – so why not click here to get started and get a quote today?

It is not too early to book for 2012 and availability will almost certainly be poor nearer to the event, as groups of visitors from all over the UK and abroad compete for hire cars and minibuses.

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.

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!

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.

Royal Wedding Minibus Hire – Book Now

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Are you planning to hire a minibus to travel down to London with a group of people for the royal wedding in April? If you are planning to see Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot, then you will need to act soon.

If you need to hire a minibus for the royal wedding, I would suggest that you book it as soon as possible. Availability of hire minibuses is limited and there will be a peak in demand for this period, especially as it is also a bank holiday weekend.

Visit our minibus hire page now to find minibus hire companies in your area and get a quote – you don’t want to be disappointed on the day.

Click here to get a minibus hire quote

Minibus Hire – Who Can Drive A Rented Minibus?

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If you want to drive a self-drive hired minibus, the first thing to check is whether you have category D1 on your driving licence.

If you passed your car driving test before the 1st January, 1997, then you should have D1 on your licence and can drive minibuses with up to 17 seats.

If you passed your car test after that date, you probably won’t have D1 entitlement, unless you have taken an additional minibus driving test since then.

Despite this, the law does allow people without D1 entitlement to drive minibuses up to 17 seats under certain circumstances.

The problem is that most minibus hire companies require drivers to have D1 entitlement – even if they might be legally allowed to drive the minibus without it. The only possible solution to this problem is to ring around local, independent hire companies who might be more flexible.

The other choice, if you want to drive minibuses regularly – for a sports or social club, perhaps – is to take your minibus driving test and have category D1 added to your licence.

Minibus Hire For Theme Park Visits & Race Days

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It’s that time of year again – “Mum, please can we go to Alton Towers/Drayton Manor/A N Other Theme Park?” Perhaps you and your friends are planning a day at the races?

Whatever kind of day out you are having, you’ll need to consider transport arrangements.

Public transport often doesn’t work out very well and although using several cars is often an option, it’s not very cost efficient and means several people have to drive and you can’t travel together – not ideal.

One option that often works out better is minibus hire, which comes in two flavours:

Both of these options have pros and cons – the right choice depends partly on whether you have someone in your group who is licenced and happy to do all of the driving (many hire companies require drivers of minibuses with more than 9 seats to have category D1 on their driving licence).

If you are not sure about driving or simply would like to have someone else do the hard work, then a minibus with driver hire is probably the best option. This is basically like hiring a minibus taxi for the day – to take you there and then bring you back again. It will cost a little more, but give you a much more relaxing and simple day.

Minibus Hire For Stag & Hen Nights

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Summer weddings are always popular and are very often preceded by a stag or hen night!

If you’ve drawn the short straw and are in charge of organising the evening, then you will need to give some thought to transport.

Trains, taxis, public buses and feet(!) are all solutions that can work well but one of the best options is often minibus hire – either self-drive or with a driver.

Minibuses can seat up to 17 people (including the driver) – any more than this and it becomes a bus or coach, requiring a professional driver with a suitable licence.

There are pros and cons to hiring a minibus with a driver:

Pros

  • You don’t have to collect or return the minibus from the hire company
  • No one has to stay sober!
  • You don’t have to park the minibus or navigate your way to unfamiliar locations
  • You may not have anyone in your party who is comfortable with driving a minibus
  • You may not have anyone with the right driving licence entitlement to drive a minibus
  • It’s not your responsibility if something goes wrong or you have a bump

Cons

  • Obviously it will cost a little more as you are paying for a driver
  • You will be asked for a pre-planned route
  • If you are staying away for a night and want to keep the minibus, you will have to pay for the driver’s room, too

Overall, I’d say it depends what you’re doing. If you are heading away for a long weekend where you won’t be driving much, then a self-drive minibus makes much more sense. If you’re going to be touring local towns for a big night out, then a minibus with a driver is a much better option.

Click here for a SELF-DRIVE minibus hire quote

Click here for a minibus WITH DRIVER quote

World Cup Minibus Hire – Don’t Leave It Too Late

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The 2010 World Cup is about to start and some lucky football fans will be travelling to South Africa to see all the action. Many, many more will be gathering in pubs and clubs across England to watch their team play – no doubt with the help of a few pints of ‘refreshment’ to keep their throats well lubricated!

If you’re planning on travelling to South Africa in a group, then you may need a minibus to take you to the airport. Hiring a minibus with driver for airport transfers for four or more people often works out to be cheaper than airport car parking – especially if you are going to be away for more than a week.

Staying At Home? Don’t Rely On Des – Get A Professional

If your world cup plans involve staying closer to home and meeting up with friends and family at a local pub, the chances are that some of you will still need to drive to get there – raising the problem of not being able to have a drink with the game.

One alternative is to hire a minibus with driver to take you to and from the pub – that way, everyone gets picked up and dropped off together and you can rely on a professional driver to take care of the driving – leaving you free to unwind with a beer.

Remember – the police will be on the lookout for drink drivers after big England games. Unfortunately, they know that some people will take the chance on having a few beers and then driving home – despite the possible consequences. Make sure you’re not one of those people – book a taxi or minibus instead or make sure you’ve got a designated driver you can trust.