If at any time in the past you have ventured into the novels of Evelyn Waugh (“Decline and Fall,” “Scoop,” “Brideshead,” that sort of thing) you might remember the wonderful newspaper magnate Lord Copper.

Lord Copper had the habit of saying the most ludicrous things, such as “Fine democrat that Adolph Hitler”, leaving his poor underling, who was quite unable to disagree with his master, replying, “Up to a point, Lord Copper.”

Now, as you may know, an advertiser is never allowed to disagree with a potential customer, so if anyone does say to me, “The reason schools don’t lease minibuses is because leasing is so expensive,” I have been known to reply, “Up to a point.”

But the fact is that the real reason some schools don’t lease is because leasing is perceived to be expensive. Leasing is, in fact, just about the most cost effective approach that there is.

One of the reasons for this is that we buy large numbers of minibuses from the manufacturers, and thus the cost of the minibus drops dramatically. So our starting prices are always very low.

If your traditional route has been the raising of money by the school PTA then you may have to wait for a new minibus – which is always a shame.

And there is the problem that you won’t be able to ask the PTA to raise the money again for the next minibus for a number of years, and by then your bus will be running up significant repair and maintenance bills.

Indeed, if you try the alternative approach of buying a second hand bus you could be looking at those repair bills very quickly indeed.

But with a leased minibus – which as I intimated above is certainly going to cost far less than is popularly imagined – you not only get a brand new vehicle, but you also get additional services.

For example, the vehicle can be kitted out from the off exactly to your specification.

Also, if you wish and add the option to your agreement, we can come to the school and undertake safety inspections and/or maintenance on your site – so you don’t lose the bus for a day (as some leasing firms require) when the vital checks are undertaken.

We are able supply vehicles with your school crest on the side and can also supply bespoke racking and storage. Additionally we work in partnership with leading driver training experts enabling you to make best use of your staff and assets.

Pulling all this together, a brand new Ford Transit 15 seat minibus is available from less than £360 + VAT per month on a 3 Year, 30,000 mile fully maintained basis – that’s equivalent to just £83 + VAT per Week to lease a brand new, fully maintained minibus valued at over £29,000 + VAT!

If you would like to know more, please give us a call on 01753 859944 or email us at minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk