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Arriva launches free wedding bus competition for Valentines engagements

06/02/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

National bus and coach travel provider, Arriva, is offering couples who get engaged on Valentine’s Day the chance to enter their exclusive competition, the top prize of which is a free wedding bus on the big day.

The bus and coach transport operator came up with the idea of offering a free ride on their special “Love Bus” for brides and grooms-to-be as for many people, a bus trip may have played a significant part in their relationship, with many couples getting together after first meeting on a bus journey, or maybe their first date involved a trip on a bus.

If you’re planning to pop the question on February 14th, and your other half says “yes” you are eligible to enter the free prize draw to win a free wedding us courtesy of Arriva (remember ladies, 2012 is a leap year so if you’re sick of waiting for a proposal, now’s your chance to take matters into your own hands!) The competition is only open to those planning to tie the knot in 2012.

The winning couple can choose to ride in the Love Bus themselves, or alternatively the novelty coach could be used to transport all of their wedding guests. Arriva will deck the Love Bus out with decorations, as per the bride’s instructions, and the vehicle will also be filled with free goodies and presents courtesy of the bus and coach hire provider.

For full terms and conditions of the competition, and more information on the Love Bus prize and how you can enter, please visit the Arriva website.

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Cheap Coach hire to Wembley for Cardiff City fans

25/01/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Cardiff City supporters following the Bluebird’s victory over Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup semi final last night! If you’re a Cardiff footie fan you’re probably still on cloud nine after last night’s thrilling match, but once you come back down to earth, Coach Broker has even more good news as we’re offering all Bluebird fans the chance to bag an absolute bargain on chauffeur driven coach hire to Wembley on February 26th.

Whether it’s Liverpool FC or Manchester City Cardiff has to face in the final showdown at Wembley at the end of February, make sure you don’t miss a second of the action by enlisting the expert services of Coach Broker. We offer a door-to-door service so we’ll collect you from your home and transport right to the entrance of Wembley Stadium so there’s no need to worry about catching taxis and buses, we take care of your journey from start to finish so you can concentrate on more important matters – cheering your team onto victory!

Coach Broker operates throughout the UK so whether you’re travelling from Cardiff or Newport, Bridgend or Birmingham, Barry or Basingstoke, Leeds or Chester, Newcastle or York, Manchester or Norfolk, we can provide you with a coach or minibus hire service from your chosen location to London’s Wembley stadium at an all-time low cost rate.

Take your pick from literally hundreds of coaches and minibuses for match day transportation to the Carling Cup final at Wembley. Coach Broker has everything from 8-seater minibuses, to 16-seater minibuses, 25-seater mini coaches to 36-seater and 42-seater coaches and 60-seater executive style coaches and even double-decker coaches with the capacity to carry over 80 passengers, so however many Cardiff football fans are travelling to Wembley for the Carling Cup final, we have a coach to match your every need.

Get your hands on the very cheapest coach hire deals for transport to Wembley right now – call Coach Broker today and request your free quote for coach hire to London.

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Troubled coach holiday company finds new owners

18/01/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

Troubled coach holiday company from Norfolk, Harrison Holidays, has been bought out by the Australian owned OzBus based in Cambridgeshire. The Kings Lynn based company, which had been operating for 50 years, called in the administrators in November after the company had experienced a challenging period of trading, running up debts in the region of half a million pounds.

OzBus, the new owners of Harrison Holidays, say they were attracted to taking over the failing company for a number reasons, including the firm’s long standing history in the area, and also because OzBus believe Harrison Holidays is a strong brand with a loyal customer base.

The new owners plan to run as many of the scheduled coach hire trips as possible, and also revealed plans to reopen Harrison Holiday’s shop on Kings Lynn high street. OzBus say they are confident they can breathe new life into the company, and take the coach hire company forward. All customers who’d booked coach holidays with Harrisons will be contacted by OzBus with regard to updates on their booking.

OzBus specialises in epic 3-month long coach hire trips running from the UK to Australia. The company’s main head quarters is based in Brisbane, however the UK base for the Aussie firm is in Cambridgeshire.

Going forward, OzBus plan to continue to offer the UK and European coach holiday tours as Harrison Holidays did, although there are plans to run adventurous OzBus holidays alongside the more traditional coach tours.

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Coach holiday company in Gloucestershire calls in the administrators

16/01/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A Gloucestershire based coach travel company, Phoenix Travel, went into administration late last week with the immediate loss of 20 jobs. The coach holiday provider specialised in the provision of coach transportation for ski holidays, coach tours and also river cruises.

The organisation was rescued by two of its former managers back in 2008 when the coach holiday company, known then as Travelscope, was on the brink of collapse. Darren Parris and Anu Desai formed Phoenix Travel when they rescued failing Travelscope, however just four years after the company was saved from the brink of disaster, it appears the troubled firm has finally come to the end of road with the administrators being called in to wind down the company’s affairs once and for all.

At the time of Travelscope’s collapse in 2008, the company blamed a cancelled cruise for pushing the business into financial difficulty. 250 people lost their jobs as a result in 2008, and 12,000 holidays had to be cancelled.

While the picture is not expected to be as severe this time around as it was in 2008, 20 people were told they’d lost their jobs with immediate effect on Friday and would receive no pay. The administrators are currently working at the business, however there’s no news as yet on how customers who’ve booked coach holidays with the company will be affected.

Any Phoenix Travel customers who are currently aboard on one of the trips organised by the travel provider will receive a return transfer home, the Civil Aviation Association has confirmed.

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London bus stops to get Olympic inspired art

13/01/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

Bus stops in London are getting an art make over ahead of the Olympic Games this summer. As part of a special art commission, selected bus shelters will be decorated with changing displays on the roof, with 30 bus shelters in 20 London boroughs already boasting these innovative displays.

Mark Titchner is the artist behind the latest bus shelter art project in which motivational slogans and phrases are being flashed up on the top of bus stops. Commands including, “If you don’t like your life, you can change it” and “Act or be Acted Upon” are being displayed on the roofs of bus shelters so those travelling on the top deck of London buses can look down and read the phrase.

There are 31 different motivational statements in total which are being changed on a daily basis on the bus shelter displays so commuters will see a different one every day they pass the same stop. The system is controlled by curators via the internet who change the displays at different times of the day and on different routes. The idea is to give passengers a thought to take with them on their journey, the Turner Prize nominated artist revealed.

While a number of professional artists are involved in the creation of the art for the London bus shelters, the public can also get involved via Bus Tops, where the people can submit their ideas and suggestions for use as art displays on the shelters.

The project is part of a wider programme of 12 public art commissions rolled out throughout the rest of England, also Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

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New London Routemaster bus showcased in the city

11/01/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A prototype of the new Routemaster style double-decker bus received a preview in Golders Green last week ahead of the bus’s official debut scheduled for next month.

Around 500 people took to the streets in Golders Green in North London to see the “Boris bus” as it’s been nicknamed, up close for the very first time. An eclectic mix of people including students, tourists and local councillors turned out to give the new double-decker the once over and deliver their opinion on the re-mastered Routemaster last Friday.

The American tourists who’d arrived to view the new addition to London’s transport network were given a talk on the history of the original Routemaster before boarding the new version for a guided tour.

A technical consultant from Transport for London was also on hand to offer information on the new eco-friendly bus and to answer any questions from the people who’d arrived to look over the double-decker.

The new Routemaster features two staircases to allow easy access up and down from the top deck, as well as the original open back platform which was one of the distinguishing features of the original Routemaster.

The first new double-decker London bus is due to appear on London streets on February 20th and will operate on the number 38 bus route between Victoria and Hackney.

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Coach driver sacked after being snapped doing Sudoku puzzle while driving

07/12/2011 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A coach driver who was snapped tackling a Sudoku puzzle while driving a school bus has lost his job. A 12-year-old pupil travelling on the bus service to school in Dorset captured the driver doing the puzzle using the camera on his mobile, later showing the picture to his mother who alerted the authorities.

The driver of the coach was transporting a group of school children and was stuck in moving traffic when he decided to take his puzzle book out. The driver was seen with this head down, pen in hand, with his concentration focused on the Sudoku puzzle rather than his driving. Once the school bus driver realised he’d been photographed, he put the book aside.

The school alerted the transport company to the complaint as soon as it was received from the mother of the youngster who caught the driver playing Sudoku rather than paying attention to the road. The coach transport hire company were said to be “horrified” when they received the complaint and have launched a full investigation, the driver in question was also sacked from his job with immediate effect.

Both the mother and the school say were satisfied with the swift manner in which the matter was dealt with, although the parent added she hadn’t intended to have the driver lose his job, but felt it was her duty to alert the authorities as the driver was putting the lives of the children he was transporting at risk.

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Coach holiday company from Essex goes into administration

02/12/2011 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A coach holiday provider based in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex has called in the administrators this week. Crusaders Holidays had been operating for almost 40 years after the business was first launched in 1974. The administrators will be contacting customers within the next few days to advise them on the next steps to take.

The Essex based coach holiday company coordinated short trips throughout the UK and also parts of Europe. While many customers who’d booked coach trips for the upcoming festive period will be left disappointed at missing out on their holiday, there is some light at the end of the tunnel as passengers who’d paid in full for a trip won’t lose out financially.

Crusaders Holidays were a member of the Bonded Coach Holidays Scheme which means that any customers who had paid in full for an upcoming holiday, which included coach travel and at least one night’s accommodation, will be protected by the policy and will therefore receive a refund for the monies paid to the now defunct coach company.

The administrators called in to oversee the winding down of Crusaders Holidays will be contacting all customers who’d made bookings with the coach holiday provider over the coming days to inform them of the recent developments and how this affects them and their reservation. These customers will also be given information on how to obtain claim forms to request their money back.

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Passenger saves coach after driver collapses at the wheel

17/11/2011 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A coach passenger travelling on a morning bus service in Ireland last week has been commended for his quick-thinking after he saved a coach from causing a serious accident after the driver collapsed while behind the wheel.

The Bus Eireann Coach service was travelling between Limerick and Dublin at approximately 8am when Mosharaf Hossain, who was a passenger on the bus, noticed the vehicle was veering off the M7 motorway and swaying across the road dangerously. When Mr Hossain looked to the coach driver, he saw that he appeared to be slumped over the wheel and not in control of the coach.

Without thinking, Mr Hossain quickly jumped to his feet, grabbing the wheel of the coach and steering it safety onto the hard shoulder and bringing the vehicle to a halt. However in the process of bringing the coach under control, the bus seemed to hit another car and also a barrier.

An ambulance was called to take the coach driver away for medical checks, it’s still not known what happened for the driver to collapse at the wheel, but he was reported to have been able to walk from the coach to the ambulance.

The bus company say they are in the process of carrying out a full investigation into what happened and have taken statements from all 15 passengers travelling onboard at the time. Bus Eireann also expressed their gratitude to Mr Hossain for bringing the coach under control and added that they intend to give him due recognition for his role in bringing the coach and its passengers to safety.

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Calls for bus deigns for Arriva competition

16/11/2011 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

Transport operator, Arriva, is calling for their passengers to get arty and submit their designs for a new double-decker art bus. Whether you’re a professional or aspiring artist, or even a complete amateur, the competition is open to all so let your imagination run wild and completely reinvent the look of an Arriva bus.

The national competition is calling for people from across the UK to get involved, creating designs which may be inspired by their local area, or by anything they choose. There are no specific criteria detailing what your design must be based on, so you’re free to go with whatever inspires you.

All designs can be submitted to Arriva online via their website with the deadline set for the end of January. The bus operator have also included some detailed images of one of their double-decker buses on the art bus section of their site to help you create designs for specific areas of the double-decker.

The winning design will receive £2,500 to help take the design from the page to the bus with the finished art bus expected to tour the country following the makeover so the design will be seen and admired by thousands of people across the UK. The aim of the competition is to promote bus travel and encourage more people out of their cars and onto their local bus services.

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