There’s a minibus that has been phenomenally popular with schools, but it has just been withdrawn.  However…

In all walks of life, there are certain products and certain designs which are particularly popular.  This is as true with school minibuses as it is with any other product.

The prime example from the school vehicle range is the Ford Transit Minibus – a minibus that has proved to be much liked as a way of transporting school pupils and students. 

But with Ford planning to bring out a new minibus next year the production line has now been stopped, and the purchase of a new Ford Transit Minibus is becoming very difficult.

But fortunately, all is not lost.

Knowing the popularity of these vehicles, when we heard the news from Ford we took the decision to order up a significant number of Ford Minibuses before they vanished forever. 

As a result these minibuses are available now for lease, or, if you have the funds in place, for purchase. 

Of course the choice of leasing or purchase is yours, but I would add that leasing does offer the opportunity of having the maintenance undertaken by the leasing company.  This ensures that the bus is fully serviced as and when needed, and always running to the highest safety standards.

Benchmark Leasing specialises in the supply and maintenance of school minibuses. If you require any further information do call us on 01753 859944 or take a look at our website.

For some schools the Raising of the Participation Age this year is having some unexpected knock-on effects – not least in terms of a growing level of interest in education outside the classroom for students who perhaps in the past might not have stayed on at school beyond the age of 16.

The evolution of whole new courses for such students who are staying on until they can get a job plus education placement, or are still seeking to pursue work or volunteering combined with part time education, has led to many unexpected problems – not least the issue of how students might get from one location to another.

While some students working under the new Raising the Participation Age regulations will be making their own way between venues, there are likely to be many others who cannot do this.  Indeed there are some who we might prefer not to do this – if for no reason other than the fact that we want to know they have actually got to where we want them to be!

As such the need for a second school minibus can become imperative – not just for transport between training locations, but also to help students gain additional work experience and undertake more activities than would be possible without them.

This is where minibus leasing can come into its own since most schools that do not have a minibus fund lined up for this eventuality, will find it hard to provide the cash to buy the bus.

As yet, of course, none of us knows exactly how schools throughout England will be coping with the new regulations, and as the information does start to filter through we will be passing it on.  But at this stage it looks more than likely that those schools with a minibus will find it easier to cope with their additional group of 16/17 year olds than those without spare minibus provision.

In the coming months we will be co-operating with some research to find out how schools are coping with the new RPA regulations, and I hope to be reporting back on this in subsequent newsletters.  

In the meanwhile if you would like to discuss how you will be able to expand the learning outside the classroom that your RPA students engage in, through the leasing of a minibus, please do call us on 01753 859944.

With so many schools now having one or more minibuses it is not surprising that certain models have shown themselves to be particularly popular across the UK.

One such model is the Ford Transit Minibus – and it is the very popularity of this vehicle that makes it seem, at first sight at least, rather odd that it is no longer available.

The explanation is that Ford are planning to bring out a new model sometime next year – which is presumably fine for Ford but not much use to the many schools that were planning to lease or buy a Ford minibus in the meanwhile.

But fortunately, a solution is at hand.

Because when we heard the news from Ford, we took the decision to order up a significant number of Ford Minibuses which are available for immediate delivery.

As a result these minibuses are available now for lease or, if you have the funds in place, for purchase.

Of course the choice of leasing or purchase is yours, but I would add that leasing does offer the opportunity of having the maintenance undertaken by the leasing company – thus ensuring that the bus is fully serviced as and when needed, and always runs to the highest safety standards.

Benchmark Leasing specialises in the supply and maintenance of school minibuses. If you require any further information do call us on 01753 859944 or take a look at our website.