Everyone we know has a dream, or has something that they want to achieve. Here at Bus and Coach Insurance, we have found that it is possible to make your vehicle renovation dreams come true. Converting your bus has never been easier and we want to make sure that you are aware of everything to take into consideration before converting your vehicle!

The first thing which you will need to consider is the amount of time you want to spend on this project. If you have plenty of time to re-vamp your bus then this may influence your decision of which bus to purchase. For example, if you have less time to focus on the bus, you may consider purchasing a vehicle which has already been converted and doesn’t require as much time.

Next is your budget. This will play a huge role in the whole project, as this will mainly help you to decide on a vehicle. Also, depending on your inspiration for the interior of the conversion will affect your budget as if you have a specific vision for your bus, you may need to spend more money on this compared to a bus which is already converted.

Thirdly, your living plans will play a large role in this huge project which you will be taking on. For example, if you decide to live in your bus conversion full time, this means that you will more than likely need a larger vehicle for storage and to meet your additional needs. However, if you are only planning to live in the vehicle part-time, or stay in it every once in a while, then your expectations and needs will more than likely be a lot less.

Lastly, the easiest and best part of the whole project – the interior design. This will be the one aspect where you can really put your own stamp on your vehicle. You can use your own imagination or you can take ideas from online – either way, it will be very fun! After considering all of the above, you may want to consider exactly what you will need in your bus conversion. Beds? A dining area? Showering facilities? Storage? The list is endless, just like your dreams!

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog, to get a quote from our friendly and expert team, just call us on 0800 980 3425.

Transports for London have been awarded two new routes for the fully electric single-decker buses.

The two new routes awarded are the 507 and 521 which will be fully operated by the electric buses starting in August next year. A 5 year contract to operate the routes has been given to Go Ahead following a competitive tender process. This will mean that 51 electric buses will operate across the two routes that will become the second and third completely electric bus routes in London. By 2020 all 300 single-decker buses operating in central London will be zero emissions and all 3,000 double-decker buses will be hybrid.

When the electric buses have been fully converted, on routes 507 and 521 there will be a reduction of 408 tonnes of CO2 and 10 tonnes of NOx per year, when compared to single-decker diesel buses. They are emission-free at tailpipe and will provide passengers with an improved experience with lower noise and vibrations.

A further six electric single-decker buses, manufactured in the UK by Optare, are already in the Transport for London fleet. Four of them operate on route H98 in west London and two serve route 312 in south London which later this year will become the Capital’s first all-electric bus route.

busandcoachinsurance.net offer very competitive bus and coach insurance prices. For a quick quote call our specialist team today on 0800 980 3425.

Yes, your claims history will affect your coach insurance premium. If you have had an accident, fault or non-fault within the last 5 years then the cost of your insurance will unfortunately be more expensive.

This is because even if the accident happened in a private vehicle, you are still considered a slightly higher risk to an insurance provider than those whom have had fewer or no claims. How much higher will depend of whose fault the accident was and how much money was paid out to both parties.

Other factors which influence your insurance premium are the age and mileage of the coach, the area you would be driving in (for example London would be considered a high risk area to drive in) and the average distance the coach would be driving on a daily basis.

As one of the UK’s leading insurance providers, InsureCoach do not believe in turning people away and work hard to provide a competitive quote, no matter what their circumstances. We have an extensive panel of insurers which we compare quotes from to find the most cost effective , saving you both time and money.

For more information or to get a quick quote, call us now on 0800 142 2831. Alternatively, if you would like to complete our online form, one of our friendly and experienced consultants will get back to you with a competitive price

Cash is now no longer accepted on London buses which will see a £24 million profit maximisation.

The change comes due to less and less passengers paying with cash on London buses.

Transport for London research showed that 99% of their customers were using cashless payment methods such as Oyster cards, prepaid tickets, contact-less payment cards and concessionary tickets.

This means that any passengers travelling on London’s buses will need to use one of these payment options otherwise they will not be able to travel. However last month the ‘one more journey’ feature for Oyster users was introduced which allows passengers to make one more journey if they have insufficient funds on their Oyster card.

Mike Weston, Director of Buses at Transport for London said: “The way our customers pay for goods and services is evolving, so we need to ensure our ticketing process evolves too”.

He then went on to say “Removing cash from our bus network not only offers customers a more efficient bus service but it enables us to make savings of £24 million a year which will be re-invested to further improve London’s transport network”.

Although there are question marks surrounding the new change. Green Party London Assembly member Darren Johnson highlights what would happen to passengers who have lost or had their Oyster cards stolen and if they would be allowed to travel or not. This comes after more than 2,100 Oyster cards were lost, stolen or had stopped working on the average day last year.

Darren Johnson said: “I am very concerned that Transport for London are only planning 19 new Oyster ticket stops in preparation for the cashless switch-over. This seems highly inadequate, especially when every ticket office across the tube network is going to be closed. I have serious concerns about the impact of which this sweeping change would have on vulnerable passengers”.

Due to this drivers have been issued refreshed guidance on how to deal with vulnerable passengers.

We at Bus and Coach insurance offer very competitive bus and coach insurance prices so for a quick quote call our specialist team today on 0800 980 3425

Our bus and coach insurance team would like to share with you some of the funniest statements that have been made on insurance claims forms.

They certainly made us smile 🙂 and we hope that you appreciate them too.

Funny insurance claims statements

•  “I was driving along the motorway when the police pulled me over onto the hard shoulder.  Unfortunately, I was in the middle lane and there was another vehicle in the way…”

• Insurance provider: “Could either party have done anything differently to avoid the accident?” Claimant: “Yes, they could have travelled by bus.”
  

• “Going to work at 7am this morning I drove straight into a bus. The bus was 5 minutes early…”
  

• “The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him!”

• “I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought.”
  

• “I was backing my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.”
  

Luckily for our insurance claims team, these statements were found online and our bus and coach drivers tend to be a bit more sensible.

However, please be assured that all of our bus and coach insurance claims are dealt with seriously and professionally.  No matter what the circumstances of your claim are, we will liaise with the third party insurer on your behalf and fight for the most favourable outcome for you.

For high quality cover at an affordable price, call our bus and coach insurance specialists on 0800 980 3425.

The good news is…there’s still time to squeeze in another holiday before the end of the summer 🙂

However, whether you are planning a weekend in the UK or a fortnight in Australia, unfortunately things can and do go wrong when we’re away.

Luckily, Bus and Coach Insurance can provide cover to protect you, your family and your holiday, quickly and for a great price!

Like with our bus and coach insurance customers, we will compare prices from a broad range of providers to bring you fantastic rates as well as peace of mind that you are fully covered.

Our packages can cover you against;

• overseas medical and hospital costs
• lost or luggage
• flight delays
• legal expenses
• trip cancellations…and a lot more on request!

For a competitive quote call our bus and coach insurance team on 0800 980 3425

Busandcoachinsurance.net can reveal that Megabus has recently launched a mobile version of its current UK website.

The new device is specifically designed to be accessed via a mobile phone and offers many benefits to potential passengers including easy ticket booking, reservations management and travel information.

The idea to create the mobile website was backed up by research from Ofcom which discovered that a quarter of adults and over half of teenagers now own a smartphone. Megabus later carried out their own study revealing that the number of people using an iphone to access www.megabus.com had risen by 186% between 2011 and 2012.

The new website supports all mobile platforms and can viewed on tablets as well as smartphones. When visiting the site from a hand held device consumers are automatically redirected to the mobile version. They are then able to access service updates, station news and manage bookings even when they are not at home.

General Manager of megabus.com Ian Laing said: “More and more of our passengers are using mobile devices to plan their busy lives, and their travel. This mobile website makes it even easier for our customers to make travel arrangements and find out journey information while they are on the move.”

However, this is not the first time that Megabus has successfully used modern technology to achieve a competitive advantage! Last October, Twitter feed @megabusuk was launched in order to keep passengers up to date with essential travel information and offers.

Prior to this, the company was also one of the first in the budget travel industry to launch a website that allowed customers to book online and buy cheap last minute fares for as little as one pound.

Megabus services are now used by around 5 million customers in the UK and operates in 60 different locations across the country.

For a competitive bus, minibus or coach insurance quote call our team now on 0800 980 3425.