Group Hire
We can provide transport to non-profit making community and voluntary groups and statutory agencies in Walsall and the surrounding area. All minibuses are operated under the Small Bus Permit legislation, we are the registered holder of all the Permits and every hire is carried out under the terms of the Permit. All hires take place in the name of Walsall Community Transport.
A vehicle cannot be hired for activities (or as part of activities) which are profit making.
Drivers
All of our drivers are fully qualified under the MiDAS scheme. They also undertake additional training in a number of other areas (such as Minibus Fire & Evacuation Procedures, First Aid, etc.). Our Volunteer Drivers carry a lot of responsibility, the final decision to cancel a journey (e.g. because of bad weather) lies with them. Our drivers reserve the right to refuse a request if they believe it is unreasonable. For example, a group should not request a driver to pick up more than the agreed number of passengers.
If you do not wish to hire a minibus with a driver, you can choose to provide your own. To be allowed to drive any of our vehicles a driver must be on our register of drivers. To be added to the register, the driver must:
- Be between the ages of 25 and 75
- Be able to answer “NO” to the following questions:
- Have you had any convictions within the last 5 years, or do you have any prosecutions pending?
- Have you had an accident whilst driving a motor vehicle in the last 3 years?
- Has any period of a ban from driving been operative within the last 5 years?
- Has any company or underwriter ever declined, cancelled or refused to renew any motor insurance, or increased the premium or policy excess, or imposed special conditions?
- Provide details about any medical condition, or medical history (whether physical or mental, including defective vision not corrected by glasses or hearing loss not corrected by a hearing aid) that may affect his/her ability to drive a minibus. In addition, details about any medication that is currently being taken, including dosage, should also be provided.
- Successfully undertake a MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme) driving assessment and attend the relevant MiDAS training course(s).
Children / Vulnerable Passengers
A passenger assistant is compulsory if children / teenagers up to the age of 17 or other vulnerable passengers are to be carried, (this cannot be the driver), we will be unable to provide one. It is the responsibility of the hirer to provide a reliable and competent passenger assistant, they will need to travel in the back of the minibus to supervise the passengers. We reserve the right to refuse a booking if a suitable escort cannot be provided. The escort is normally expected to meet the driver at an agreed pick-up point, or at the first passenger pick-up point. The escort’s responsibilities include:
- Dealing with the needs of passengers.
- Escorting passengers to and from the vehicle.
- Assisting the driver in the event of an accident, breakdown or emergency by looking after the passengers.
Child Seats
All passengers must wear seatbelts when travelling in the minibus, groups are asked to ensure that they have the relevant equipment when carrying young children. If a group requires booster/child seats please let us know in advance, we can supply child seats.
Child Car Seats for infants/children may be carried in our minibuses, but must be pre-booked and instructions for securing the chair must be produced on the day of travel for inspection by the driver. We have a number of child seats that can be made available to groups, however the age and weight of each child wishing to use a seat must be given prior to travel. Unfortunately, child car seats are not suitable to be used on or fastened to a coach seat and therefore will not be carried inside the coach. Booster seats are acceptable on all our vehicles but must be provided by the responsible adult supervising the infant/child.
Wheelchairs
It is important to be accurate about the number of passengers travelling in wheelchairs. If the minibus is set up to carry one person travelling in a wheelchair, the driver can only pick up one such passenger. Details of passengers wishing to travel seated in their wheelchair must be supplied when booking. To conform to MDA Guidance on the Safe Transportation of Wheelchairs, groups are required to give details of the manufacturer and model of each wheelchair so the appropriate safety equipment required can be identified. We reserve the right to refuse to transport any wheelchair user if information has not been provided.
Pricing
We are a non-profit organisation and amongst our charitable objectives we seek to provide other voluntary and community groups with access to affordable passenger transport. In seeking to support smaller groups with limited financial resources we offer a discount of approximately 30% to some of our charges (see our Terms and Conditions for details).
When Providing Your Own Driver
Hire Period | Standard Tariff | Discount Tariff |
Evening (after 17:30) | £40 | £28 |
Part-Day Hire (between 9:30 - 14:30) | £40 | £28 |
Day Hire (any 24hr period) | £85 | £60 |
Special Weekend Hire (Friday 17:00 - Sunday Eve) | £150 | £110 |
Week Hire (7 days) | £525 | £325 |
The cost of the ‘hire’ is dependent upon length of time, type of vehicle booked and miles travelled. Each hire period has a number of inclusive miles. Any miles travelled in excess will be charged at 75 pence per mile.
- Evening / Part Day 25 miles
- Day Hire 50 miles
- Weekend Hire 100 miles
- Week Hire 250 miles
Cleaning / Smoking Surcharge : £20
Late Return Surcharge : £20
Making a Booking
Bookings are subject to vehicle availability. Booking enquiries can be made through our website via e-mail at enquiries@walsallct.org.uk or by telephoning the office. Upon indicating that a request for travel can be accommodated we will confirm in writing by post or email details of the booking made to the main contact of the group. Please note that our offices are closed at weekends and on local bank holidays.
When providing your own driver, it is important that careful consideration is given to the times for which you wish to hire the vehicle, especially the return time. This is to ensure that you have the vehicle long enough to complete your journey, but also that you do not keep it unnecessarily when other groups could be using it.
With-driver hire bookings are subject to driver availability. We will make every effort to find a driver and will inform the hirer of the outcome as soon as possible. A group should give careful consideration to route planning when requesting a with-driver hire, especially if it involves multiple pick-ups. If groups provide us with a list of pick-ups the driver will plan the route to get the journey carried out by the easiest route. It is the hirer’s responsibility to provide us with accurate information about the destination and / or venue for a with-driver hire. This includes details about the precise address, identification of any hazards, and the provision (where necessary) of directions.
