How groups can help our Pegasus Driver while on Tour
Whatever the purpose of your coach trip, Business, School Trip or Group Holiday, preparing for your time away can sometimes be stressful and full of uncertainties. Your Pegasus Tour Driver will be there to assist you in all aspects of your journey and ensure you have all you need to have a stress free, comfortable journey.
Having started their days work at one of our Depot's either Southampton, Portsmouth or Normandy he/she will endeavour to be at your start location on time, ensure the vehicle is kept clean and tidy during your holiday and bring you home feeling happy with your time spent away.
There are many little things that your group can do to help your Tour Driver facilitate the exceptional service for which Pegasus Coaches are famous. Some of these things have been listed below:
Please give our Sales Team as much information regarding your pick up location and destination as possible. This will ensure the driver can be in the correct location to pick up, effectively plan your journey and potentially avoid delays en route.
If you have an early pick up and a long trip ahead but have a question regarding the journey, please contact our Pegasus Transport Office or Sales Team on 023 8017 2035 to clarify travel arrangements. Remember that your driver will need a good nights rest the night before your trip and he/she may have to drive to your location from our Southampton Depot, which could be several hours driving.
When waiting for your Pegasus Coach to arrive, please ensure that the pick up location is clear of vehicles or obstacles that might impede a very large vehicle. Most of our coaches are extra long Executive Tour Coaches (Tri-Axle), much longer than a standard school bus or coach. A vehicle this size requires a lot of room to maneuver so please ask those dropping off at the pick up location to move along as soon as possible.
Before giving your luggage to the driver to load under the coach, please ensure you have all documents (passport), medical equipment or medication that you will require for the duration of your journey to your destination. This will prevent delay to your groups departure.
Once you have handed the Driver your luggage please enter our Pegasus Executive Coach and settle yourself into your seat OR move to an area away from the coach while you await instruction from your Group Leader. N.B. Group Leaders, please ensure your group stands away from the vehicle as by doing this the Driver has sufficient space to load luggage correctly. This is important as by successfully distributing the weight of the luggage across the width and length of the vehicle, our passengers will have a far smoother ride on their journey.
"you may wish to include Drivers in your mealtime plans, which is fantastic"
Customs procedures are subject to constant change, but don't worry, our drivers are frequent users of these systems. Please follow the drivers instruction regarding these procedures, especially inform the driver if there are Non-EU passport holders travelling, provide a passenger crossing list (if required) and hand out passports to group travelers prior to arrival at the International Port.
Please adhere to all Health & Safety procedures whilst travelling with Pegasus Coaches. Our driver will inform you of the location of first aid kits and fire extinguishers at the beginning of your journey. Remember to stay seated (when in motion) and wear your seat belt for your safety and that of the person seated in front of you.
All of our Executive Coaches provide a lavatory for use during your journey. Your driver will provide sufficient comfort stops for this purpose so please only use this facility if necessary, especially if going away on a long coach trip. Although the tank is sufficient to hold several deposits, the fuller it becomes the more it may smell, more so during hot weather. Toilet drop facilities can be limited in some areas of Europe so there may not be opportunity to rectify this situation.
Your driver will have placed rubbish bags within reach of each seat on the coach. Please use these rubbish bags as much as possible as this will reduce the drivers cleaning time of the coach at the end of each day. It is also important that no hot food, ice cream or uncovered drinks are consumed on the vehicle as the bins provided are not waterproof and so spillage in the bag of warm or runny food stuffs will smell and potentially leak. N.B. Group Leaders of Minors. Please ensure that your charges do not consume chewing gum on our coaches as when not properly disposed of this can cause damage to upholstery and carpets.
When you reach your destination please stand to the side to give the driver room to unload safely. The luggage bays below a coach have reduced head room and since many luggage items may be heavy the driver needs room to move these items using the correct lifting techniques. This can be very challenging if the group crowds around the lockers waiting for their luggage. Often this situation leads to injury for the driver so please allow space for the driver to maneuver.
"Customs procedures are subject to constant change, but don't worry, our drivers are frequent users of these systems"
At the end of each day please ensure that you remove all of your belongings from the coach. On some occasions we may be able to park the coach very near to the groups accommodation, however, please respect that your driver will be going off duty and he/she may choose to spend this time off site or resting. In the event that an important item has been left on board that cannot wait till the next day e.g. medication, then please ensure you call the driver as early as possible to retrieve these from the locked coach.
Pegasus Staff are all very friendly and helpful, and you may wish to include Drivers in your mealtime plans, which is fantastic. However, outside of these times please allow the driver to have sufficient time to rest. It can be very tiring driving large vehicles for long periods and so to ensure maximum safety it is important that our drivers have the proper rest. N.B. Group Leaders of Minors. Should you become aware of noise coming from rooms allocated near to the drivers room please make the occupants aware that the drivers need quiet to have a sufficient rest period.
On Day Trips it is very important to keep to the schedule where possible. When in our car we might think it wouldn't matter if we got back from a day out later than planned, however, there are strict laws that govern the drivers time that MUST be adhered to at all times. It is our company policy that drivers keep to their authorised itinerary, so if the driver detours and there is a problem, he/she may have to explain the reason to our Transport Office or Tour Provider. Please ask your driver if there is legal time for your detour or extension (without compromising driving hours compliance) and if it would be permitted for him/her to defer from the authorised schedule. This may not be possible on travel days due to ferry or train bookings.
During ski holidays our drivers will ensure that you are able to change into your ski boots next to the coach and store your shoes in the coach hold (if requested). Ski boots should never be worn onto the coach as they can cause damage to our flooring, which could lead to a trip hazard or injury.
On the night before your return journey please ensure you liaise with your driver no later than dinner time regarding loading times etc before departure. The driver(s) will need sufficient rest before undertaking a long drive, this is part of their duties and an important part of the Pegasus Health & Safety Policy. Try to ensure that he/she is not disturbed (where possible).
"Drivers need quiet to have a sufficient rest period"
It is always a good idea to leave extra time on the morning of check out to ensure your group is ready to leave on time. Our drivers do however need time each morning to complete a comprehensive safety check of our vehicle and its systems. This must take place BEFORE passengers enter the vehicle, so please allow the drivers time to perform these checks. This is not only company policy but also written in Transport Law that this be done daily.
As with the journey out please ensure you give the driver the passenger list and distribute passports before arrival at the port.
Having had a wonderful time on your trip we want you to relax on your journey home. There is one thing you could do (if possible), please call ahead to your final destination and request that someone ensures that the drop off point is clear of obstruction from those potentially picking up passengers on their return. Our drivers are trained to ensure that all passengers are dropped in a safe place for them and for unloading, so calling ahead really helps.
Before departing the coach, please ensure that you take all of your belongings and ensure that any rubbish around your seat has been put in the bin bag provided. Also if you have used a curtain, please replace it and return tray tables/foot rests/reclined seats to the upright position. N.B. Group Leaders of Minors. Please instruct your charges to do this and check the coach for belongings left behind before departing the coach.
