Not surprisingly a recent minibus survey from Benchmark Leasing cited cost as the reason for many schools not acquiring a (additional) minibus. Yet only half of schools have considered leasing a minibus as a way around the problem.

Of course, the great benefit of leasing is that there are no large upfront payments so you don’t have to wait until you have raised enough funds to cover the cost of a minibus in order to acquire a (new) one – which would clearly be the case if you were looking to buy a minibus outright.

Additionally, as leasing is an arrangement which makes it possible for schools to fund the minibus through a small payment each month, there is the added benefit of improved budgeting and cash flow.

In fact, leasing a minibus can sometimes work out to be cheaper in the long run due to the rate at which vehicles devalue over time and/or with use – so it is well worth contacting a company like Benchmark Leasing to get a quote for a brand new minibus so that you can look at the figures for yourself.

Furthermore, by leasing a minibus with Benchmark Leasing, the vehicle’s MOTs, repairs* and services are included in the arrangement with the costs conveniently built into the lease price.

To enquire about leasing a brand new minibus with Benchmark Leasing, please do call on 01753 859944 or email us at minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk. You might also like to have a look at our website to get a feel for the type of vehicles that we regularly lease to schools.

* T&Cs apply

A recent survey revealed that a growing number of schools are now having the cost of their minibus part funded through sponsorship of the minibus by a local company.

However, the survey also showed that while some schools were already using this approach, many other schools had never seen such an approach as a viable opportunity for off-setting the cost of leasing a minibus.

And yet, when the issue was raised in the research, the majority of respondents felt that this was something they might well like to look into.

Now, in response to these findings a new free report has been produced showing exactly how schools can raise money by having the school minibus sponsored.

As the report shows, sponsorship of a school minibus turns out to be one of the easier ways of raising extra money for the school – and this for several reasons.

First it gives a very clear statement of the sponsorship for the sponsor, since the bus will be seen in the local area.

And second, because it is easy to link in the sponsorship with further exposure for the sponsor, it can be a very attractive proposition for local organisations.

Yet, despite the fact that many schools have already explored this route with success, some schools have reported that they have tried, and failed, to get a sponsor for their minibus.

Where this is the case, further research has revealed that this often is because of the way in which local companies have been approached, rather than through any reluctance on the part of such organisations to come forward and be seen to be supporting a local school.

The new free report on the subject, “How to obtain sponsorship for a school minibus”, has been produced by Benchmark, a leading supplier of leased minibuses to schools throughout the UK.

If you would like a copy of the free report please email Sam@schools.co.uk. The report will be emailed back to you.

And if you are also interested in the notion of leasing a minibus at a price that is affordable for your school, please do have a look at www.minibusleasing.co.uk/school-minibus.php or call 01753 859944 or send an email to minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk.