| Free Coach Pick up from School |
| Wherever you are located on the UK mainland, all return coach transport from your school is included in the cost of your tour. You will also have full use of your coach for the duration of your tour, subject to EU legislation concerning drivers' hours.
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STS Coach Specifications |
- Standard Touring Coach
Generally these are 49 seated modern touring vehicles with PA system, radio cassette and forced air ventilation.
- Full Specification Coach (on all Express Coach Tours involving overnight travel on the continent).
Generally these are 49 seated modern touring vehicles with reclining seats, drinks service, video (sometimes DVD) and toilet. Please note the toilet is considered to be for emergency use only.
We recommend that parties bring their own video tapes/DVDs and music cassettes for en route entertainment. No refund will be given if a video or DVD player develops a technical fault.
Double Decker Executive Coaches: the availability of suitable executive double decker vehicles, generally between 67 and 72 seats, is very limited. When available a minimum group size of 60 paying passengers is required. It must be pointed out that double decker coaches are generally older and do not have the same levels of passenger comfort, luggage space or manoeuvrability in comparison with single decker coaches.
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Which Coach? |
| Tours involving no overnight travel on the continent are generally operated by a standard touring coach with one driver. Express tours, which involve overnight travel on the continent, are operated by a Full Specification touring coach with two drivers.
To upgrade to a Full Specification coach, where a standard touring coach is included in the tour price, a supplement is payable of £1.00 per paying passenger per day based on a minimum of 35 paying passengers.
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Air Conditioning |
| STS are able to obtain a limited number of air conditioned Full Specification touring coaches. Supplement of £2 per person per day for tours based on a standard vehicle. Supplement of £1 per person per day for tours based on a Full Specification vehicle. These supplements are based on a minimum of 35 paying members.
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Party Size |
| All our coach tours are based on a minimum group size of 35 paying passengers and offer a free place ratio of 1 teacher per 8 paying students. Supplements for smaller parties are available on request.
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STS Groups from Scotland |
| All passengers travelling from Scotland will have a Full Specification touring coach for all tours without a supplement (excluding special offer tours).
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Coach Safety |
| Our first priority in coaching is the safety of passengers. STS contract reliable coach operators and we continually monitor their performance to ensure a high level of comfort, safety and friendly service. All STS coaches have seatbelts fitted in accordance with current British legislation.
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Your Driver |
| We recognise the importance of selecting the right driver for your tour. The choice of driver is vital to the success of your school tour. At STS we work on a very regular basis with most our coach companies to ensure that the majority of our drivers are experienced at working with school parties and aware of their special needs. We welcome the feedback from our groups on their tour reports to monitor the service provided by our coach drivers.
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Driver Regulations |
| You will have full use of your coach whilst on tour subject to EU legislation concerning drivers hours. Basic information is given in our Party Leaders Important Notes document. Further guidance is available from your tour co-ordinator.
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Drivers Hours |
| Drivers' hours regulations are complicated but as a general rule one driver can drive for a maximum of 9 hours during a duty period of 13 hours. The driver will require a minimum of a 45 minute break every 4½ hours and a rest period of at least 11 hours between days. We will provide you with guidance notes on the permitted drivers' hours applicable to your itinerary in your Information Pack.
Express tours involving overnight travel on the continent have two drivers giving maximum flexibility for your excursion programme. Please note however that your coach will not be available for use on the day of arrival in resort or on the day of your overnight journey.
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Breaking Your Journey |
| For parties travelling longer distances - for example to Austria, Spain and Italy - we can arrange an overnight stay en route at a supplementary charge to avoid travelling through the night.
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