There are various reasons for student organizations to hire a bus apart from field trips. Inter-school competitions, campus visits, student advocacy trips, hackathons, and Greek events are among them.
However, there are just as many obstacles for the student event planner. When traveling with minors, you must take safety measures, choose the best charter bus rental, hold everyone together, improve school morale, and operate under a budget.
Take a look at this guide to get started on “school bus rental near me”.
Choosing the Most Appropriate Bus for Your Journey
You shouldn’t travel on a yellow school bus only because you’re a student! School buses are perfect for short journeys, but they aren’t quite the right charter bus rental for trips of more than 2.5 hours. You’ll want to book a coach bus at that stage.
On the coach bus, there is Wi-Fi, audio-visual facilities, leather seats, and air conditioning. They also have on-board toilets, eliminating the need for unplanned pit stops. If you’re travelling with a smaller party, book a minibus or mini coach bus.
Just make sure there’s ample luggage space in your bus rental. This is particularly important if you’re taking sports equipment with you.
How Many Buses Do You Rent?
There are two key factors to remember when determining the number of bus rentals you’ll need: the number of passengers and the amount of baggage. A coach bus seats around 55 people, a school bus seats around 47 people, a mini coach bus seats 32 people, and a minibus seats less than 20 people.
When you finalize your passenger list, keep these figures in mind. If you’re not on a coach bus, you’ll need to account for luggage space in your figures. It’s important to remember that keeping baggage in bus aisles is banned.
Budgeting for Transportation as a Student
We know how small student budgets can be. You may not be able to incorporate any of the features you want within your budget. At the end of the day, though, a charter bus is the most cost-effective way to transport large numbers.
Book your charter bus rental early to get the best price. When you book early, you can skip the price increases that come before your departure date.
A Reminder on Permission Slips
If you’re taking a bus rental with minors, you’ll need to gather two categories of documentation:
- A parent must sign a contract granting permission for the minor to travel and recognizing that the chaperon is responsible for their child, and
- the chaperon must sign a document acknowledging their responsibility.
Begin gathering these records as soon as possible. When you fly, keep it in a folder. This is particularly important while travelling across state lines.
Ask for Assistance!
There’s a lot to remember when it comes to student’s school bus rental, but you don’t have to go it alone. To get some of the travel costs paid, reach out to sponsors or supporters. Request the assistance of a faculty assistant in organizing permission slips. Assemble a student event organizing committee and distribute the workload.
