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School Trips

Coach Hire for School Travel: Day Trips & Excursions

When organising a school trip, you probably decided on your destination and then risk assess the Trip but how much do you think about the Coach Company you have hired. Below is a guidance with Document links to ensure your school is sourcing safe reliable school transport.

The Company:

Dons Coaches has 72 years’ experience in the transportation of Passengers and has accumulated a vast knowledge of the coach industry over time, we pride ourselves in having a very low turnover of drivers some being with us 30 plus years.
 

We specialise in all aspects of the trade predominantly in the conveying of Student travel our fleet comprises of a selection of size vehicles Ranging from 25 seats to 85 seats and have 88 seat double deckers with seat belts which are PSVAR Certified.
 

Either via the website an e-mail or phone call the friendly Helpful office staff are on hand to assist with all your booking needs backed up by a comprehensive booking system they can assist with pre-planned bookings or help to set up a bespoke Trips & Tours.

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Hiring a Coach

As a group leader you expect the company to offer the appropriate assurances to support the service, they provide set out below are a number of Questions and answers to assure you the right company is being booked.

  • Does Dons have a risk Assessment for Coach Travel?
    Yes, we do please click the link below to access. Travel Risk Assessment Policy
  • Have Dons got the appropriate Licences & Insurance?
    It is a legal requirement to have the following. PSV Operators Licence European community Licence Liability Insurance Motor Insurance
  • What do we expect of the Party Leader?
    We encourage our Drivers to interact to be approachable helpful and friendly and be part of your day trip or excursion once the party has boarded and seated, he will give a welcome speech which will include health and safety but once he sits behind the wheel he cannot drive and supervise at the same time. The first order of the day is to make ensure all students have Their seat belts Fastened this will be included in the driver’s welcome speech. We ask for the safety of your Students Staff are positioned around the coach preferably by Emergency exits this is mandatory when travelling abroad. Try to Limit movement around the Coach when in motion Before you leave your pickup point Confirm Destination and if you have any permits or specific instruction it would be great to make the driver aware of this and always swap contact numbers. If on a long journey discuss comfort breaks, there will be an on-board washroom but try to limit its use to emergency only so encourage Students to use toilet facility’s when having a comfort break. When Travelling by Coach we understand there will be an accumulation of Rubbish we ask the group leader to instruct the group to keep rubbish to a minimum and dispose of it in the bins provided and at the end of the trip check the vehicle and where necessary get the students to clear up their area. In the Event of a breakdown the group should remain under the direct supervision of the group leader or assistant leaders liase with the driver who will risk assess if it is safe to leave the group on board or if in a dangerous place to disembark and move the group to a safe place contacting the police to provide safety support.
  • What is Dons Breakdown Policy?
    Depending on the locality of the Breakdown rest assured we always have cover if local we have fully trained mechanics which can be dispatched at a moment notice and always have a replacement vehicle on standby to recover the passengers. If further afield, we have national and international breakdown cover and a network of companies across the UK and Europe we can call on to convey the passengers to their destination.

Your Driver:

When we hire a driver at dons’ coaches, we take them for a driving assessment and four times a year they have licence checks.


All drivers must hold a valid Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) Which they must Undergo 35 hrs of periodic training every 5 years. (this includes driving and non-driving hr laws, Legal breaks)


All drivers have random Alcohol and drug testing throughout the year.
 

Our drivers always receive their Paperwork for route planning and familiarisation of the trip in advance.
 

All Drivers must have a full enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)

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