Still looking around?

Practical comparisons to help you choose the right coach for your group, before you even send a request.

10 guides
Written and checked by Martijn Smeets

Where do you start if you know nothing yet?

Most people who come here hire a coach once in their life. That is exactly why comparing is so hard: you don't know what to compare with. Three questions get you somewhere fastest, in this order.

01
How big is your group, and how certain is that number? This determines almost everything. Coaches come in fixed sizes, and falling just above a size is the most expensive thing that can happen to you: with fifty-six people, no fifty-five-seater coach will do, and then a second coach comes along or you go up a size. So two cancellations can mean a different price.
02
Does the coach stay with you, or does it drop you off and drive away? A day trip where the coach stays put is mostly waiting time, and a company charges much less for that than for driving. Two separate trips bring the fixed costs and the drive out twice. That makes more of a difference than people expect.
03
What really has to be on board? A toilet on board, a wheelchair lift, a fridge: those are the things that narrow down the offer. Anything you don't need, you don't need to filter on either. Then you keep more companies to compare.

The guides below work through those questions. If you already know the answers, you can also enter your trip straight away; then you see what it really costs with the affiliated companies instead of what it usually costs.

All guides

Choosing a coachHow many people fit in a coach? Overview by typeChoosing the right size of vehicle can easily save you tens of euros. A coach that is too big for a small group is a waste of money, and one that is too small simply won't fit everyone. Below is the capacity per type at a glance.Read more Choosing a coachWhat size of coach you needMost people choose a coach first and count their group afterwards. That's the wrong way round, and it costs money. Below is how to get from a group to a vehicle size, and where the limits are at which the choice narrows.Read more Understanding the priceWhat determines the price of a coachTwo groups of fifty, the same coach, the same day, and still a difference of hundreds of euros. That is almost never down to distance alone. Below you'll find what a coach price really consists of, and the four points where you still have some influence yourself.Read more Choosing a coachCoach or double-decker: which suits your group?From around 60 people you have a choice: one double-decker, or two smaller coaches. Both options have pros and cons that aren't always clear until you ask for a price estimate.Read more Choosing a coachMidibus or coach: what's the difference?For a group of around 35 to 40 people the answer isn't always obvious: do you choose a (slightly too full) midibus, or a (slightly too roomy) coach?Read more PlanningHow far in advance should you book a coach?There's no hard rule, but there is a clear pattern: in busy periods availability shrinks quickly, while in quiet periods you can often still find keenly priced spare capacity at short notice.Read more PlanningOrganising a school trip or staff outingArranging a coach isn't difficult, but the order matters. If you ask for prices first and settle your programme afterwards, you end up requesting two or three times and comparing apples with oranges. Below is the order that does work, with the things organisers most often forget.Read more PlanningDriving and rest times of a coach driver: what they mean for your tripA day trip to Paris and back again in the evening sounds like a long day. Usually it isn't a long day but an impossible one: the driver isn't allowed to work those hours. Below are the limits per day, per week and between two travel days, why waiting counts too, when a second driver has to come along, and which four changes really make a day that's too long shorter.Read more Assessing a quoteWhat should a quote include? A checklist for comparingTwo prices side by side don't always say the same thing: one may be all-inclusive, the other not quite. This is what to look out for so you compare like with like.Read more AccessibilityArranging wheelchair-accessible transport: what to look forNot every bus that is called "accessible" works the same way, and not every coach company has one in its fleet as standard. This helps you ask the right questions in advance.Read more