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Titanic coach tour launches in Belfast

30/01/2012 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

A themed coach tour through the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland swung into action for the very first time this weekend. The Titanic Explorer will allow visitors to take in the different parts of the city which helped in the creation of the world famous ship, the Titanic.

While the story of the Titanic and its tragic demise on its maiden voyage is well documented, the story of ship’s creation which started in Belfast is not as well known and so this brand new bus tour will seek to educate visitors on the birth of the ship that was dubbed “unsinkable”.

The Belfast coach tour is a collaboration between the Titanic Walking Tours and Belfast City Sightseeing who have joined together to create a hop on/ hop off coach tour taking in all of the different areas of the city which contributed to the creation of the Titanic.

Starting off from Belfast City Centre, the bus tour takes in a number of locations which are significant to the maritime history of the city including the H&W Drawing Offices, SS Nomadic, Thompson Dry Dock, the Northern Ireland Science Park  and the Titanic Belfast Visitor attraction which is due to open in March. The experience of the tour will be enhanced with the use of character guides in full early 1900’s costumes who will lead the sightseeing bus experiences.

Regular Titanic bus tours will commence in February.

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Harry Potter’s Knight Bus goes on display at Watford studios

27/01/2012 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

The iconic triple-decker purple bus famed for its role as the Knight Bus in the Harry Potter movies, is due to go on display at the Leavesden Studios in Watford this week so fans of the movies can get up and close to the actual vehicle used during filming for the films.

Contrary to the belief of many Harry Potter fans who assumed the Knight Bus was created using CGI and computer graphics, the giant purple bus was in fact created by the Harry Potter set designers who actually made the vehicle from scratch by taking two 60-year-old London Routemaster buses, taking them apart, and then bolting them back together again to create the triple-decker bus.

The project took several weeks to complete as a great deal of strengthening work had to be done on the 60-year-old body of the bus to ensure it was safe and secure in its new triple-decker form.

The extended height of the Knight Bus also caused a few problems during filming on location in London as the vehicle was unable to travel on many routes in the city as it was unable to travel under the vast majority of bridges.

The Knight Bus will be on display at the Leavesden Studios along with other authentic sets, props and costumes from the Harry Potter movies.

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More disabled and wheelchair access coaches and minibuses added by Coach Broker

10/01/2012 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

Leading UK based coach and minibus hire provider, Coach Broker, have just announced plans to introduce extra disabled and wheelchair access minibuses and coaches to their fleet throughout 2012.

Coach Broker offers transport hire services throughout the UK and the coach hire provider is extremely committed to the provision of transportation with facilities to allow disabled passengers and those with mobility difficulties, easy access to their coaches and minibuses.

Recent government statistics estimate that as many as 10.8 million people in the UK, which works out as almost 20% of the country’s population, are disabled. With such a high percentage of the population struggling with mobility issues, Coach Broker decided to enhance its fleet of wheelchair access coaches and minibuses to ensure these individuals have access to a convenient and extremely usable transport solution.

Whether you need to hire coach with disabled access for a day trip, weekend away, for transport to a special occasion such as a birthday, wedding, or anniversary celebration, or perhaps you work with a club or association which requires wheelchair access coach or minibus hire on a regular basis, Coach Broker will be able to offer a coach hire service tailored to meet the exact needs of your party.

Coach Broker’s disabled access coaches and minibuses are available for hire in a range of sizes from 8 seats to 80, and all feature either a lift or adapted boarding ramp with extra wide doors to allow easy access for wheelchair users.

Onboard, the coaches have flat one-level floors so disabled passengers have the freedom to navigate their wheelchair into a convenient spot, with specially created areas for wheelchairs to be clamped securely into place within easy reach of a three point seat belt for the passenger to ensure a safe and pleasant journey.

Coach Broker are planning to roll out more of these specially adapted coaches and buses throughout 2012, to learn more about coach hire services for disabled passengers, and to request a free quote, get in touch with Coach Broker today.

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London bus workers demanding extra money for working the Olympics

20/12/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

London bus workers are demanding an extra £500 each for working over the Olympic Games this summer. The union, Unite have written a letter on behalf of the 28,000 workers who say they should be paid £500 extra because their buses will be extremely busy during the three weeks while the Olympics Games is in the capital.

The bus workers are arguing that the extra £500 payment would put their pay in line with what other London transport workers will receive during the Games in 2012. However, paying each London bus worker an extra £500 just for turning up for work during the Olympics will stretch Transport for London’s budget further, costing the taxpayer and passengers an extra £14 million over the duration of the sporting event.

London Mayor, Boris Johnson, does not support the bus worker’s appeal for more money during the Olympics and has described both the tube and bus staff of attempting to take advantage of their position to lever more money out of TFL.

An extra 800,000 passengers are expected to use London buses during the Olympic Games this summer, and the London Bus staff believe that they should be duly rewarded as their services will be especially busy as a result. The union has not ruled out industrial action if a resolution is not found.

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Coach hire firm one step closer to achieving its expansion goal

16/12/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

Runcorn based coach hire providers, Selwyns, are another step closer to achieving their goal of expanding its client base in the North West after completing the takeover of Manchester based coach operators, Haytons, last week.

Selwyns hope to increase their turnover by 50% following the acquisition of Haytons in a bid which is believed to have cost the long running company £4 million. Along with the fleet of 25 coaches, Selwyns also take on 70 new staff, many of which were the original management team at Haytons, including the drivers, senior managers and engineers.

The Manchester based company’s former head quarters in Gorton will continue to operate under the new leadership of Selwyns and will form a separate division of the company.

Having provided private coach hire services throughout the North West for the past 40 years, Selwyns has succeeded in generating a firm client base in the region. While the established company admitted the last few years since the credit crunch hit have been challenging, thanks to their strong client base and position, they’ve been able to take advantage of opportunities that their rivals may have not been able to fulfil most recently.

Selwyns say they have identified a number of opportunities and markets they hope to target over the next 12 months which will be aided following the acquisition of Haytons and the manpower and vehicles the takeover brings with it.

The coach travel company now boasts a work force of 250 people with bases in three different locations including Runcorn, St Helens and now Manchester.

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Sleeping coach driver woken by school pupil who saves bus ride from disaster

12/12/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

A 17-year-old school pupil saved a recent bus trip from disaster after he woken the driver after he noticed the 65-year-old had fallen asleep while behind the wheel.

The incident occurred in Tacoma, Washington, during a routine school bus trip on which 17-year-old Emmanuel Williams regularly travelled. The pupil said he had noticed the driver was periodically closing and opening his eyes for short spaces of time while driving the school bus full of children, but when the student noticed the bus started to veer across the road, he quickly jumped to his feet and ran to the front of the bus to rouse the driver who had dozed off.

The moment the watchful teen leaps to his feet, grabbing the steering wheel and simultaneously waking the driver from his sleep, was captured on the CCTV camera installed on the bus.

Luckily the driver snapped awake and quickly regained control of the school bus, averting disaster. The bus travel company say they are investigating following the report of the near miss on the school route, however they added that the 65-year-old bus driver in question has an impeccable driving record without a single incident or accident reported in the 8 years he’s been with the company.

The travel firm say the bus driver in questioned has been put on leave while the matter is investigated. The bosses say they are looking into whether the driver’s drowsiness was caused by medication or a health condition.

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National Express launch festive coach travel offer

08/12/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

Passengers booking a ticket for travel on a National Express coach service during December are in for a very special treat as they’ll be rewarded with a 50% discount voucher for their first coach trip made in 2012.

The UK’s largest coach transport operator is offering half price travel on coach bookings made between January 4th and March 23rd 2012 on any service booked anywhere in the country. To be eligible to make the most of this value for money offer, all you need do is book your seat on a National Express coach service anytime between December 1st and December 31st and you’ll be awarded the money off coupon for use on your next journey.

Over 900 destinations are included in the deal and up to five passengers can benefit from the 50% discount when booking travel at the same time as one party. E-vouchers will be emailed over or paper versions can be obtained also for customers to use to deem their discount. Bookings using the half price discount must be made 7 days in advance.

So if you’re planning a trip to see family over the festive period, or maybe you’re organising a weekend away to do your Christmas shopping, National Express have 150,000 services with seats available for less than £6 in December so now’s your chance to make some serious savings on festive travel.

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Discounted coach hire deals for Grimsby town football fans

24/11/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

Grimsby Town Football fans received some welcome news today as the club have announced discounted tickets for coach hire for fans travelling to next week’s second round clash of the Mariner’s FA Cup.

Football fans heading to Salisbury for the match between Grimsby Town and Salisbury City will be able to take advantage of discounted coach travel with tickets being sold from the main Grimsby Town ticket office for just £10 for season ticket holders and £15 for non season ticket holders. The number of coaches being laid on for football fans travelling to the second round clash will depend upon demand.

As well as the cheap coach hire deals being offered from the football club, the Grimsby Town Supporter’s Club are also running their own transport offers for fans planning a trip to Salisbury for the game, so there really is no excuse for Grimsby Town fans to not get behind their team on December 3rd for the second round of the Mariner’s FA Cup.

A total of 1,300 uncovered standing tickets will be available for Grimsby Town football fans with an initial run of 600 tickets going on sale this Monday morning at 9am from Blundell Park.

For affordable deals on coach hire for other sporting events taking place throughout the UK or Europe, get in touch with Coach Broker. They offer low cost deal on chauffeur driven minibuses and coaches throughout the country so wherever you’re travelling to or from, do it in style by enlisting the expert coach hire services of Coach Broker.

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Contactless payment card system to be rolled out on London buses

18/11/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

Contactless payment via personal bank cards will be introduced on London buses from the start of the 2012. The new “wave and pay” system will allow passengers who don’t have an Oyster Card to benefit from low cost travel and to pay for their bus fare with the minimum amount of hassle.

However the new technology is not without its doubters, with the London Assembly’s Transport Committee making a number of recommendations before the scheme is rolled out throughout the London bus network.

The committee wants reassurances that those without personal debit or credit cards will still have access to the best travel fares, and also protection against electronic pick pockets who could attempt to intercept the new contactless payment system to gain access to personal bank accounts.

The payment for the fare will be taken directly from the passenger’s personal bank account via the new wave and pay system, however a version of the smart card Oyster card service, whereby payment is taken via the card which is pre-loaded with credit, will remain in some form, it has been revealed.

The scheme will cost TFL £75 million, with the system being included on London buses from next spring, with the intention of rolling it out on tubes, over ground and DLR services towards the end of the year.

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Family plan to live on a bus to beat the recession

24/10/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

A family of five from South London plan to swap their 3-bedroom council flat for a 4-bedroom double-decker converted bus in a bid to beat the economic downturn.

The growing family which consists of 12-year-old Albert, 4-year-old Arthur and 2-year-old Kenny and mum and dad Arthur Sharp and Lisa Luke were rapidly running out of space in their council flat, but were told there was a 6 year waiting list for a bigger property.

With Arthur now unable to work due to emphysema, and Lisa looking after the children and caring for Arthur full time, money is tight for the couple, however desperate for a bigger property, the couple decided to pool their resources and purchase a disused double-decker bus with a view to creating their own home onboard.

After buying an old double-decker bus on eBay for £2,000, work has started on transforming the former public transport vehicle into a home for the South London family. Three bedrooms complete with bunk beds have been created on the upper level, with a kitchen and sofa bed which sleeps two fitted on the lower deck, the family plan to move into the bus in 6 months time.

The couple have managed to keep costs to a minimum by scouring scrap yards for materials, although their biggest expense during the renovation has been the installation of a new boiler at a cost of £2,000.

Living onboard the converted double-decker bus will also allow the family from Croydon to escape to the country as they plan to leave South London once the bus is complete.

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