The price of rail travel continues to rise as more and more maintenance is required on the ageing tracks and stations. Bus fares are being pushed up by the need to replace and repair old vehicles as well as the rising cost of petrol. These problems would not be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that, while prices increase, services decrease. More people are crammed into fewer vehicles.
The answer is coach hire. It is very simple to find enough people in your general area going to the same place. School, work, holidays, weddings, corporate events, sporting events and numerous other popular events often see hordes of people departing from roughly the same location to roughly or exactly the same destination. If they are not using their own vehicles, they will be on public transport. Both options are just as problematic and expensive, particularly when compared to hiring a coach.
For a full-sized vehicle – which will accommodate nearly 100 people – the price per seat is surprisingly low and is very competitive, even compared against a pre-booked train or intercity coach ticket. When compared against the price of parking, particularly around points of interest in London, the difference is staggering. It is even more so when you factor in fuel, the increased risk of damage and congestion charges.
The real bonus of hiring a private vehicle over public transport is that it is entirely at your service. You don't need to follow a route which loops around by every fence-post and back garden to hit bus stops which are hardly ever used, you don't need to stop and wait at deserted train stations and you don't need to ride in significant discomfort with people you don't know.
Coaches, unlike service buses and trains, are limited in their passenger capacity and can only carry the number of people they have seats for, each with a full three-point seatbelt for extra safety. The seating is designed for comfort rather than economy and many of the newer vehicles have on-board facilities such as toilets and TVs. Most importantly, though, it will travel from your designated pick-up point to whatever destination you name by the quickest and most direct route. Specify an arrival time and the coach company will recommend an appropriate departure time and, baring unexpected delays, they will get you there by the time you requested. That is something that, despite the promise of sticking to a timetable, public transport cannot provide.
